Saturday, December 17, 2011

Grocery Shopping

Hi everybody! Found some pictures from a couple months ago that I meant to show you. I know, I've raved about our markets before, but I haven't shown you the market at our new (as of July) place yet. This market is much smaller than the one I used to live by, so I do miss a larger selection, but it's got all the basics. 


Takes me about 20 minutes to walk here. I usually go twice per week, around 10:30am, with Jonathon & Michael, then walk over to pick Titus up from preschool. I carry the groceries in my backpack and stow some in the stroller basket.


Here's my wonderful vegetable lady who I always buy from.


Meat sellers have receipts certifying that the pig was slaughtered that morning! I know the meat isn't refrigerated, but it's so fresh and natural. The animal was breathing less than five hours ago. Service is great, too -- sellers can cut and chop meat however you like.



Some vegetables are delivered early every morning in trucks, I guess from big farms. Other vegetables come from hobby vegetable gardeners right in our neighborhood. They bring their produce down from the hillside in baskets and lay it out on mats on the ground. I love it -- it's so fresh!





This particular trip was on a Saturday, so Titus was along. He spotted his classmate! "There's my friend Wang Haoming!"
Awwwwww. I feel so thankful that Titus has little buddies from school! Wang Haoming is such a handsome little friend, don't you think?


K, back at home, this is what I bought that day:
green onion
cilantro
bok choy
pears
big red peppers
pumpkin
spicy green peppers
bananas
green beans
broccoli
sweet potato
carrots
bitter melon
tarot
lotus root
eggs
pork
eggplant
onions
corn

Here's the super secret recipe for everything I cook. All you need is fire and a wok. Serve over rice.

oil + meat +  vegetable + salt + msg

I have no time for messing around so I make the simplest, fastest dishes. But they taste delish (says Drew, I think so too) and they're exceptionally nutritious.


uh, hi.

4 comments:

  1. What do you do with "lotus root"???

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum!! I love just going to our farmer's market, so I bet I'd LOVE that one. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable at ours is that sometimes I'm first looking for the best-looking produce or best price, and the seller will try to sell it to me and it is hard to get away from them and keep looking... I think it helps when the farmer's market is more busy and there are lots of customers.

    Are the sellers sorta pushy there - like saying "buy my peppers! You need peppers (because you aren't carrying any). Do they like to barter?

    ReplyDelete
  3. lotus root:
    the texture is kind of like a cruncy potato, or a water chestnut. it's sliced like au gratin potatoes and stir-fried.

    pushy sellers:
    all chinese everywhere are always pushy sellers. but it's completely ok and not offensive to refuse (or even ignore!). you can usually haggle for the price a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachel, your pictures are so vivid; I can even smell the marketplace as I'm looking at them. I also think it's super sweet that Titus has friends and classmates already.

    ReplyDelete

Hi friend! We like to hear back from you. -- Rachel & Drew.