This is the view from our bedroom this morning around 10 o’clock. There is no denying it, the summer is almost here. Like any real or wanna-be Parisienne, I will head to the market now: either to Le Marché Bastille (http://equipement.paris.fr/marche-bastille-5477) or to Le Marche d’Aligre (http://marchedaligre.free.fr/). Muskmelons (also called cantaloupe) and strawberries are waiting for me!
Wasn’t it only two weeks ago that I wrote Spring has arrived in Paris (at least in the Conran Shop) ? Since then, there have been several lovely days, temperature climbing up to 25C. Summer is here, or not far away anyway, and the signs are everywhere: picnics along the Seine and Canal Saint-Martin, terraces full of Parisians, sandals, shorts, skirts, sleeveless tops… 
Even birds are happier. We seem to have a new friend: a rose-colored pigeon keeps visiting our balcony. In fact (s)he doesn’t seem to be able to decide whether (s)he prefers our neighbor’s palm tree or our 1870s balcony railing! 
Last night, after a vernissage at Le Grand Palais we joined the rest of Paris (what it seemed like!) and ate at one of Rue Cler’s terraces. Rue Cler, located in the 7th arrondissement (metro Ecole Militaire), is one of the loveliest pedestrian market streets in Paris. Ok, to be fair, there are many, but I am attached to this street as we lived few blocks away and used to do our Sunday morning groceries there. The choice is excellent: there is a good-quality fish shop (poissonnerie), flower shops, fruit and vegetable stalls, fromagerie, etc. Rue Cler is also rich in cafes and restaurants, and therefore makes a good destination to visit any time of the day. I will now share a small secret…
When the market closes around 14h on Sunday, the shop keepers come to Café du Marché (http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/bars-pubs/le-cafe-du-marche). It is a lot of fun watching (mostly) men entering the cafe in their work clothes and comparing stories, while adding ice cubes to pastis. There is an atmosphere and it is a real neighborhood hangout. 
I have been going to Café du Marché for over ten years now, and it is nice to see that the prices have not doubled like in many other places. For example, a large beer and a glass of rosé at the bar cost just over 7€ (you know that consuming at the bar is less expensive than at the table or terrace in France?). And the rose was not any rosé, but Minuty (http://www.chateauminuty.com)! Impressive. At the lunch hour you get a decent plat du jour for a reasonable price, too, and wine is available in pichet. As you see in the photo, there is a large terrace and in early spring or late autumn it comes with heating. Nothing too fancy, but cosy and simple. The photo above was taken last night but I shall return during the day to take more photos.
In the series of world’s most interesting food markets, I will take you to the Privoz market in Odessa, Ukraine. It is the biggest market in Odessa, probably the biggest in the entire Ukraine, and some say even in the world. I am not sure about its ranking, but Privoz certainly was on the top of our list when we were in Odessa in November 2005!
Thanks to Odessa’s important trade links with the East and the West, this market, founded in 1827, soon became very popular. The timing was right, too. Eight years earlier in 1819, Odessa had gained a free port status. During 1823-4 the famous Russian writer Pushkin lived in exile in Odessa, praising the city’s European feeling. In fact, thanks to its openness, the city was quickly filling up with different nationalities: Tatars, French, Armenians, Azeris, Jews, etc. that all had something in common: they were doing business at the Privoz market.
My trip to Odessa in 2005 was fascinating. The city reminded me of Istanbul: the fact it had been in contact with so many different nationalities, religions and cultures during so many centuries had definitely made its citizens open-minded, curious and very friendly. Odessa to me was much more of a melting pot than for example Ukraine’s capital Kiev, where I was working at that time. Even the faces looked different than those I had seen in other parts of Ukraine. And yes, quoting Pushkin, it felt very European. I realized that Odessa was a truly international city, and had been it for a long, long time.
But back to the Privoz Market!
We strolled around for hours observing and taking photos. Even if the Privoz market sells almost everything you could imagine from construction materials to Chinese clothes and fake DVD films, we spent most of our time in the food section. These photos give you a biased view of the food section’s offer but if you appreciate fish as much as I do, you will enjoy the photos I am sure.
There were a dozen species of dried fish, ready to be eaten as a snack with a glass of vodka. Fish heads were huge and were certainly ready to be dropped in dill-flavored water to become a soup. Shrimps seemed very fresh, too, and I wondered how they would be served. However, what most intrigued me were the seahorses. I knew the Chinese love them and use them in medicine to cure asthma, heart diseases, impotence and high cholesterol but I had not even known that the Black Sea has them…
We did not buy anything from the market but it left a strong impression on us. I recommend everyone to visit it while in Odessa: the soul of Odessa waits for you at the Privoz market!
Information about our stay:
During our visit in Odessa, we stayed at Londonskaya Hotel, open since 1827 (like the Privoz market). It is a fantastic old-school hotel, full of history and centrally located (http://londred.com/en). When it comes to eating out in Odessa, we only had positive experiences. However, one restaurants was above the others: Dacha (http://www.dacha.com.ua/en). It is a little bit outside the city center, but definitely worth the trip.
PS Pearlspotting can now be found on Facebook, too!
A friend of mine asked me this morning if I have received a hotel in Bang
kok. I had to say no, and to be honest, the truth is that I have only been reading about food. For example, I know we should taste frog porridge in Kuala Lumpur and my husband has learned that cockroaches are very crunchy and yummy… When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?
They say the way to a man‘s heart is through his stomach but I would like to rewrite the proverb. How about th
e way to a nation’s
mentality is through its food? I think one of the best ways to understand and experience a country
is by eating locally and learning what different dishes represent, what history and meaning they contain. Get invited to homes, ask your local taxi driver about his favorite restaurant and go to food markets early in the morning or after the siesta (find out the best time as the timing is everything!).
These photos are from Jaipur market in Rajasthan, India. Enjoy the colors!
pearlspotting 