I am getting a little better at going to the food markets and not staring, drooling, or seeming to have no clue of what’s going on. I ask a lot of questions (in English) and often get confused looks, but my experience has been amazing. This will not be the last time I talk about food markets! Most every town and village has their own market on their own days, but the large popular markets are on Saturday and Sunday (where you’ll see some interesting characters). The Sunday market is only in France...the Swiss do nothing on Sunday, no seriously, nothing.
Like many farmer’s markets back in the States you can buy most everything from bread, cheese, meats and vegetables, but the difference is the atmosphere. You can almost taste the flakey croissants and pain au chocolat by just walking by the boulangerie. While we always have a sense of purpose and a list of things we ‘need’ when going to the market, we often just go to walk around. What new vendors can we find, where did the juicy blood oranges come from, have we been down this street before? We walk the streets and watch the kid’s faces light up when the the fresh churos are fried in the bubbling oil.
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| Who doesn't love cheese |
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| Pig is king |
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| Fresh pasta |
Each market is unique and it is a place where the locals come together to socialize and enjoy the atmosphere. The smell of roasted chicken intermingles with the caramel roasted almonds, while down the line you can stand at high tables eating the freshest of oysters and sip champagne (ah, the French). There is something to be said about being crammed into a small French street with vendors on both sides and people all over the place, hearing music, laughter and a flowing foreign language being spoken all around you.
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