One of the things that I make a point of doing when I travel is going to their local street markets. Feeding the local economy is important but the quality and freshness of local market food is on a completely different level. If the food isn’t as fresh or visibly older, you just tell them what you’re willing to pay and you work out a price or just keep walking. Can you imagine trying to haggle over the quality of produce with a grocery store? Now, to be fair, the big box grocery stores try to stay competitive by having the freshest produce but it’s not all the same across the board. There is also a no real connection to the people who farmed the food or prepared the olives and pickled the peppers. Something about them selling the quality of their product to you and knowing everything there is about any questions you have helps to feel like a part of the town. Presentation is also important to them and every stand at the market is setup to look the best they can. Imagine your success in life being tied to what you can push for the day and what you would do to make your product stand out. It’s an invitation into their world. When’s the last time you went out to an actual farmers market, where there are individual stands for products? Do you like the conveniences of the larger big box stores or the authenticity of the smaller scale farm to market options? Why do you think that is?
