I went to Paris for the day yesterday. Took advantage of an amazing special offer on the Eurostar train from London and found myself at the Gare du Nord about 2 hours later. Regular readers will know how much I love visiting markets when I travel. I made a special trip to the Marche d'Aligre just near the Bastille area.
Why can't the English do fresh produce markets like other countries do? Why are we so far removed from real, fresh fruit and veg? Is it because of the big supermarkets that we just get them sanitized and packaged in a little plastic pack? Just look at all these lovely veggies.
Just an amazing selection of varieties of everything. You can choose what colour you want your tomatoes or your carrots. This was a feast for the eyes.
I was sorely tempted by these amazing globe artichokes, but I would have had to carry them around Paris all day while I was sightseeing. Those ripe beefsteak tomatoes would have gone down a treat. I am fed up with aenemic, tasteless, crunchy supermarket tomatoes.
The market traders just make such an effort to display their produce so beautifully, they take a pride in what they do. Do you suppose if I opened up a market stall like this in my own town I would sell anything? Am I the exception to the rule? Would the majority of English folk not know what to do with it?
This genuinely seems to be a part of our heritage which has gone missing somehow. Is it just down to those of us who grow our own veggies to keep this all alive? It wasn't that expensive either.
Is it just me?
5 Comments:
No, it's not just you. It's me too! I love the French markets. Well, to be honest, I love ALL Markets! We have a Saturday market in Fleet (in fact I live next door to one of its chief stall-holders), but the produce is uninspiring in comparison with the stuff shown in your post.
I think this is when you say to hell with what I look like and get a 'granny' shopping bag on wheels and buy, buy, buy!! Are you allowed to take any kind of fresh produce back to the uk? We're limited in what we can bring back from the U.S. to Canada. I always stock up on cheese though, it's so much cheaper. All dairy is much cheaper in the U.S. but we have no refrigeration to bring it home. We have farmers markets that look like your pictures but they are SOOOO EXPENSIVE!! Sad to say.
The only place that I've seen that's even remotely like this in London is the new covent garden market - and you have to get up at 4am! Your Paris idea is miles better...!
Markets are just great, they are colourful places to visit, you can buy some great fruit and vegetable .... and the atmosphere is good to.
All the best Jan
Oh lordy lordy. I adore foreign markets, so much; beautiful produce displayed with such care and everything asking to be touched, smelt and of course tasted. Heavenly xx
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