I Love Food Markets!

Today I was reading an essay in my Saveur magazine (which I receive digitally) written by a woman obsessed with grocery shopping. She seeks out local markets and independent shops in order to fulfill, as she says, her spiritual need for community, faith, hope and transcendence.

While I am not sure visiting a market exactly equals a spiritual experience for me, I do love them. I love how they can be so chaotic and full of local people picking out dinner. I love how there are so many colors and varieties of food. I even like the smells – sometimes! What I like the best is the hint of fabulous dishes that can be created from the humble ingredients found in them. I’ve been to lots of interesting markets in Egypt, Kuwait, Costa Rica, Spain, Kuala Lumpur and China. I even lived in a neighborhood made up of small shops called Kensington Market in Toronto, Canada. There is no better way to buy your food than from a fresh, local market.

Here are some photos of the food market in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China.

Our guide Mamie. She is from the Naxi minority people.

Blood Sausages – Kind of creepy looking, but I bet they are delicious.

Many different kinds of dried mushrooms & fungi

Market baskets

Noodles, dried fungi & a cat

I think those are pork rinds.

With my apologies to the vegans & vegetarians – what would a market be without the unsettling displays of meat? Sometimes you can get an amazing anatomy lesson just by browsing the cuts of meat.