Are you
someone who often cooks or someone who often buys something to eat? Whether you
cook or not, the farmers' market is a place for everyone. While the majority of
the farmers’ markets sell fruits and vegetables, food trucks and food stands
are also available for freshly made food. Those who can and cannot cook have
the opportunity to grab something to eat while shopping around, listening to
music performances and talking to farmers and friends.
As a
child, I have been visiting specifically the Alemany’s Farmers’ Market every
Saturday on a weekly basis. My family and I would arrive at 8A.M. with our cash
ready to go. The first thing we would always do is try a bunch of free samples
of fruits before purchasing any. My mom would teach me how to pick out the
right fruits and vegetables by looking at its texture, smell, and the sound of
it. Because my mom cooks, she would always purchase a lot of vegetables for her
recipe. On the other hand, I cannot cook so I end up buying freshly made pizza
or Hispanic food from the food stands. Sometimes I would sit at a table
provided at the farmers’ market eating my food and watching a music performance
by three old men. Having music performances at the farmers’ market just made
the environment livelier and welcoming.
How it
All Began
While I
had no particular reason to visit the farmers’ market, my parents often visit
the farmers’ markets for the freshest fruits and vegetables. Not until I read
three books titled "Fast Food Nation," "Food Inc.," and
"Omnivores Dilemma" did I find my reason to visit a farmers’ market. Reading
these three books changed the way I view fast food companies and convinced me
to visit the farmers' markets even more. The surprising information I learned
from reading these books completely caused me to feel sorry for the slaughterhouse
animals and convinced me to read nutrition labels before eating.
Even if I
was convinced to visit a farmers’ market after reading three books, that is not
the only reason I would visit a farmers’ market. As I grew older and entered
college, my parents didn’t have time to cook every meal for me and I began to
have less time to cook something for myself due to school activities and work, therefore
I would purchase food from corner shops or restaurants. In addition to buying
food from restaurants and corner shops, I decided to look up some easy cooking
recipes and buy the ingredients at the farmers’ market since going to Alemany
became a habit. I ended up buying some eggs after hearing the chickens are
cage-free raised, tomatoes, garlic, green onion and carrot. These were the simplest
ingredients I gathered to make an omelet.
After
that visit, I decided to visit the farmers’ market at San Francisco State
University. Although the farmers’ market here was small, there were a variety
of things being sold. These include fruits, vegetables, cupcakes, flowers,
hummus, popcorn and several food trucks that sold Indian food, waffles and many
more. I decided to purchase Indian food and it was delicious. From here on, I
continued my adventure to the next farmers’ market at downtown Civic Center and
so on.
Have you
ever tried any of the food from the food trucks at any farmers’ market before? Comment
below to share what you eaten and or planning to eat in the future.
