I've grown to love the farmer's markets in Boston, but a Parisian market is far superior. I had to visit three markets last week before I actually bought anything because I was so tongue tied. However, now I am a marchiere! The market near my house is open Sunday mornings and early afternoons so I stopped by after my run. Not only do they have fruits and vegetables but they also have meats, fish, pastries, clothes, jewelry, housewares, shoes, etc. I went to a self serve stand, gathered some carrots, sweet potatoes (potate douce), bananas, apples (pomme), and I even ordered a piece of salmon! Today however, I went to the market by school and successfully ordered a bag of almonds, pears (poire), bananas, carrots, and brussell sprouts (chou Bruxelles). Then I walked around with a friend, as we discovered cheese stands, candy stands, juice stands, and coffee stands. Of course I found a chocolate stand but I still have a bar left over from Sunday so I'll have to hold out to the next market. Everything was amazing and I plan to continue to shop at the markets twice a week for fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and a different treat every time.
But becoming a marchiere wasn't easy. They markets are busy and filled with activity and pushy Parisians. The vendors don't have time to wait for my broken French/English orders and usually just hand me the bag to choose myself. Also, I haven't mastered my numbers yet. Think of how fast you can spit out numbers in your native tonuge, well French isn't native for me. Usually 1 euro 86 turns into a mumble of French jargon, so I've resulted to visiting vendors with receipts. At night, I've been practicing my numbers by watching Le Juxe Prix, The Price is Right. Furthermore, when I said they sell meat and fish, I mean entire chickens/ducks/rabbits and entire fish/shrimp/squid. Yuck!
My next market to conquer is the marches aux puces, flea markets. There are large flea markets Friday-Monday in the Northern arrondisement of Paris. I will venture soon- with lots of company for support!
