Market Day...

Every Wednesday morning, we go to market! Oh, not like your supermarket in North America...rather, it´s a street market, and it´s where we purchase all of our fresh fruit and veggies. We´ve been going so long now that we have our "route" that we follow through the streets, the same vendors we buy from each week.

We start at the top of the road with the "chicken lady"...who has the freshest and best cuts of chicken breast--"Dos milanesa, por favor!" Next, we stop at the young lady who has "calabacin" (zucchini), "auyama" (pumpkin), "pimintón" (green peppers)...and "lechuga" (lettuce.) One week we got home and decided she forgot to put the lettuce in our bag...and we told her the next week. She insisted we take one free. When we got to the car to put our stuff in the truck, we found a bag...of squishy-had-been-lettuce! Ooops. So, we went back and paid her...since the mistake was all ours.

Then, we move on down to the fellow and his little boy who sell the best tomatoes, potatoes and onions. We drop a 500 coin in the little boy´s hand as leave. Just a few more stops. The cheese man is a round, jolly fellow...and he always gives us a sample of his fare--delicious, salty white cheese. "Medio kilo, por favor!" We stop at the couple who has the sweet breads and buy a package of "pan de guayava" (guava bread) for the children for their morning snack. We go around the corner where the quiet older lady is patiently pealing and slicing pineapples--two bags, please. Finally, we stop at the "egg-man"...for a flat of eggs.

We load it all in the car, and head home. For some reason, even though I often dread going each week(must be a "guy thing" that has to do with shopping!), it is always a joy to see and greet people at market. The smells, sounds and sights seem to energize and lift me up. It is as if being in that mass of human energy some how sparks my own life. And, a trip to the market always means a guava bread with my next cup of hot tea! Que chevere!! Jon