Let's Go to the Market!

Le Saboteur

Active member
The neighborhood of Sultanhamet in Istanbul gets all of the attention -- that's where all the Byzantium artifacts are. The Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Spice Market are here, too. Across the Bosphorous, however, are the markets the locals use on a daily basis to purchase house hold goods, fruit, vegetables, spices, and even antiques & jewelery.

The Sali Pazari in Kadiköy is one of these markets.

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At the south end of the Galata Bridge is the Yeni Cami (New Mosque, or Mosque of the Valide Sultan). One of the most recognizable sights in Istanbul, it's also very near the Spice Bazaar and its attendant market.

Tea and spices are (of course) readily available within the many stalls inside the Spice Bazaar.

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Outside, olives, cheeses, and meats are readily available for purchase.

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As well as all the fresh fish you could possibly want!

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Up the hill from the Spice Bazaar is the Grand Bazaar, or Kapalıçarşı in Turkish. One of the oldest covered markets in the world, it is home to thousands of shops, restaurants, and tea rooms. It would take an entire day just to explore many of the wonders that can be found (if you can avoid the touts!) within its confines!

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Le Saboteur

Active member
The Rialto Markets & The Pescheria

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Let's go back to Venice for a moment. Just across the famous Rialto Bridge, lies Venice's main shopping district. Here you can find leather goods, flowers, meat & cheese shops, and tourist tchokes. Early in the morning, however, the fruit and vegetable merchants set out their wares for purchase.

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Adjacent to the daily fruit & vegetable market, lies the Pescheria. Here fishmongers bring the daily bounty from in and around the lagoon.

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If you'd like to see any more snaps, feel free to drop by here anytime.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Bountiful pics, Saboteur. High 5!:hat: Even though the photo below is of Sicilian bread, it was taken on the banks of the Salzach river in Salzburg, Austria (May 2007).

Look at the SIZE of those loafs! Fit for a feast. What else would you do with a slice of bread that BIG?:eek:

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Robyn

New member
Wow..Great pics guys! Those spices! Those lamps! Beautiful!

And Stoo, never in all my life have I seen bread so HUGE! Did you indulge and buy yourself a "slice"?!
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
Bountiful pics, Saboteur. High 5!:hat: Even though the photo below is of Sicilian bread, it was taken on the banks of the Salzach river in Salzburg, Austria (May 2007).

Look at the SIZE of those loafs! Fit for a feast. What else would you do with a slice of bread that BIG?:eek:

You're too kind, Stoo. :hat: Ah, Salzburg. Mozart's home town. I'll have to go back one of these days; there was five-feet of snow on the ground during my one and only visit!

If you were here in California, I might try wrapping one of those loaves in polyurethane and trying to surf it. Barring that, maybe trying to use it as an ironing board?! I for one would love to see the size of the oven they're using, and whether or not they can bake more than one at a time!

OT: Have you taken the The Third Man tour in Vienna? Specifically, the tour that takes you through the sewers; you can do the rest on your own with a bit of pre-planning! After which, there's a theatre on the Ringstraße (for the English-only speakers here, that 'ß' is pronounced like a double 'S') that shows The Third Man every Wednesday. I think it's the Rialto, but you should also visit the Casanova for other sights.

Robyn: Thank you! I'll add some more over time -- gotta find the ones from Romania around Castle Bran, and whatnot.

Feel free to add any other market pictures from around the world!
 

Robyn

New member
Le Saboteur said:
Robyn: Thank you! I'll add some more over time -- gotta find the ones from Romania around Castle Bran, and whatnot.

Your welcome! Please add more soon Saboteur! I love seeing everyone's pics from around the world!!
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Digging Up a Dead Thread

Le Saboteur said:
OT: Have you taken the The Third Man tour in Vienna? Specifically, the tour that takes you through the sewers; you can do the rest on your own with a bit of pre-planning! After which, there's a theatre on the Ringstraße (for the English-only speakers here, that 'ß' is pronounced like a double 'S') that shows The Third Man every Wednesday. I think it's the Rialto, but you should also visit the Casanova for other sights.
I'll be in Vienna for the very 1st time this weekend!(y) Thanks for the heads-up about the "Third Man" sewer tour because I'll definitely being doing that!

---
Keeping with your thread topic, though, here's a bunch o' nuts 'n' stuff from my 2nd trip to Barcelona in 2010:

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P.S. Your post was 27 Oct 2009. My reply is 27 Nov 2013, exactly 4 years and 1 month later.
 
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Mickiana

Well-known member
Stoo, where do you get the energy? Every time I read a contribution of yours you are in a different part of the world! Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you sure get around.

BTW, love the pictures of those markets, yours and Sabs. The colours and shapes and fresh looking things are marvellous.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Mickiana said:
Stoo, where do you get the energy?
Coca-Cola & Dr. Pepper. Lots of both!;)
Mickiana said:
Every time I read a contribution of yours you are in a different part of the world! Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you sure get around.
Not always but would you believe that I'm in Canada right now? I am.(y)
Mickiana said:
BTW, love the pictures of those markets, yours and Sabs. The colours and shapes and fresh looking things are marvellous.
Post some of your own, Mick.:gun: Here are some photos from the 2013 Austrian Christmas markets. As you probably know, they essentially consist of booze, bratwurst, booze, pretzels and a bit more booze.:) Glühwein, ja?

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My girlfriend's Austrian weiner (no funny jokes, now):

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P.S. The "Third Man" sewer tour was shut for the winter but I did manage to visit the "Third Man" museum which was a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from the main Vienna Naschmarkt.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
On the 31st of the January that part of the world that adheres to the Lunar Calendar will say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and usher in the Year of the Horse. In the run up to that most important of dates, pan-Asian households around the world are flocking to their version of the Lunar Bazaar to pick up their money trees, Mandarin oranges and tangerines*, and Nian gao.**

*-In Mandarin Chinese, the word for orange sounds remarkably similar to gold and tangerine sounds very close to luck. Present them with leaves if at all possible, because leaves represent longevity. Don’t present them in groups of four, however, because the number four is associated with death.

** -- Literally translated, Nian gao, means ‘Year Cake’. Gao also sounds similar to “high” or “tall” and the cake is thus supposed to be symbolic of the new heights you’ll ascend to in the coming year.


Oakland’s Chinatown is no different. Sure, San Francisco gets all of the glory because of its location – and its status as the first Chinatown – but it’s become rather staid and a tourist trap. Oakland is still very much the Chinese and Chinese-Americans. Lawyers, doctors, insurance, banking: the native Chinese speaker can them all. For the gweilo or round-eye, you can find some wicked awesome deals on foodstuffs at the various stalls, markets, and restaurants. Just remember: When you’re whisked upstairs at Legendary Palace, even though downstairs is virtually empty, downstairs is reserved for triads.

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This year’s bazaar seemed smaller than previous ones, but there was a petting zoo for the kids! That’s Charlie the Alpaca and one massive rabbit.

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No Lunar Bazaar would be complete without entertainment! The cultural stage at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza offers the usual assortment of Shaolin kung-fu demonstrations, guzheng performances, and other not-so-common activities like Taiko drumming from Japan.

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In Japan, Taiko drumming was the exclusive domain of men. Since the ‘80’s though, the restrictions have loosened, but is still a male dominated art form. Conversely, in the States, Taiko is performed predominantly be women.* Note the lack of sheet music; each and every song must be memorized from beginning to end.

*- The woman at the top of that picture is 89-years young and has been performing for nearly thirty years.

The highlight, of course, is the lion dance. Traditionally grounded in the wushu school of martial arts, lion dancing has evolved into its own school with their various subtleties and an amazing World Championship! No, really. They’re extremely talented dancers and acrobats.

During the New Year festivities, however, lion dance troupes will visit the businesses and homes of the Chinese community for the annual cai qing quest. Translated as “picking the green,” the lion will perform to ward off evil spirits and demons accompanied by firecrackers and loud cymbal clashes because they’re afraid of loud noises. The lion also wears a mirror on his brow because the spirits are afraid of their own reflection, and will run away if they glimpse themselves.

The climax of the dance is the actual ‘picking’ of the ‘green.’ The greens in this case are usually heads of lettuce with a Red Envelope attached. Business and home owners will often hang these above the entrance to their establishment where the lion will seize them in his massive jaws, lie back onto the ground, and proceed to eat them. While the lion lies on the ground, chewing the leaves, the musicians will play a rolling crescendo and the lion will spring back to life spitting the leaves out. This symbolic blessing is intended to mean that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year. Of course, if a family member or business owner sticks their head into the lion’s mouth, the year will be extra prosperous. The lion will keep the Red Envelope* as a reward for his courage and effort.

*- The Red Envelope is a monetary gift. Money is a traditional gift during the New Year’s festivities and the color red traditionally symbolizes good luck and joy. It’s also supposed to (of course) ward off evil spirits. The value of the envelope is never set and varies depending on the level of difficulty the business or home owner sets for the lion. Some people have been known to hang them some twenty feet off the ground. Think NBA-standard rim height plus eight more feet.

Since I forgot to charge my camera, please enjoy these videos from previous events.

Oakland's Teng Fei Lion Dance Team.

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San Francisco's Leung's White Crane Lion Dance Team.

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And a random, but really, really good, team out of Hong Kong @ last year's World Championship.

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And if you're having a bowl of noodles keep them as long as possible to enjoy a long life.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Ah, the market... where the small-time farmer collects unreported income, then claims a loss and a farm subsidy. ;)
I usually breezed through them overseas. Worked near Salzburg a few months. The market was the place to find cardboard on which to write one's hitchhiking destination.
Stoo said:
My girlfriend's Austrian weiner (no funny jokes, now)
Would nicely complement an East German persimmons in a sling.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Pike's Place Market in Seattle is one of those places you've probably seen without realizing it. It's that place where the local fish mongers hurl various varieties of fish through the air to the delight and amusement of onlookers from all corners of the globe!

When they aren't being hurled through the air, they're usually at rest under a mountain of ice.

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Aside from the famous fish flingers, the market has numerous restaurants, produce stands, head shops, tourist tchotkes, and other odds and ends.

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Pass through during the Spring and your likely to find some very vibrant tulips and other flowers!

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