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As a serious foodie, the best I have ever been to is actually in... drumroll... Atlanta. Buford Highway Farmer's Market if we are just talking variety of food/rare items, etc. I mean, if you are talking about some outdoor market, or good architecture... then that's different. In theory, if I needed items for cooking I would go there though before I went to others mentioned, they tend to be too touristy, esp SF and Seattle's versions. Never been to the one in Philly. Old ladies and yuppies seeking out some fresh cucumbers and jams in a fabulous environment don't know that much about food. As for SF "Ferry Market" albeit it's very nice, real foodies go shopping in the East Bay or random places up in Sonoma/Napa for artisan stuff straight from the farm...it's more direct, not marked up so much and price and better quality. I have to say Chicago doesn't really have any *great* large markets, the new French Market in Ogilvy is pretty lame and Lincoln Park farmers market is meh. Bunch of medium sized specialty stores everywhere though such as Gene's Sausage, plenty of supermercados, mitsuwa, super h mart, etc.
Honestly, while I love going to famer's markets or public markets in the USA--they absolutely pale in comparison to what you find in much of Latin America or Asia or the Middle East or parts of Europe. Of course, there's a huge difference--in many of these countries, markets are just part of day-to-day life that have just carried over through history, while in the USA they're often pricier places for food connoisseurs or tourists. I've been to markets in Mexico City or Marrakech or Palermo or Busan, Korea or even Vienna where you're walking for what seems like a mile through rows of meats, seafood, produce, spices, and so on...
In the US though I'll often find better deals on produce by just driving out the country and just buying from little produce stands or actually at the farms themselves then I do at the often much more expensive urban farmers markets. Or I can just go the Mexican supermercado/flea market or Asian markets to find good deals on rarer items I can't find anywhere else though. For this discussion though, I still like the public market in Los Angeles and Pike's Market for the food stands--it's fun, but it's not where but it's not where I'm going to buy stuff to cook a meal if I lived there most likely--but they are nice to get lunch or buy a few items and just browse.
It would actually rock a lot more if the vendors were commited to local produce. The stand pictured in particular (Iovine's Produce) is more inclined to bring in produce trucked in from Mexico than from farms in PA, NJ or DE. There's also very little all natural/grass fed/pastured meats available at the market as most is factory farm produced. There are several other markets in the US with better practices/standards. It's sad that Reading Terminal's management hasn't adopted those practices but would guess the very strong Amish influence has prevented much of that from taking place.
It would actually rock a lot more if the vendors were commited to local produce. The stand pictured in particular (Iovine's Produce) is more inclined to bring in produce trucked in from Mexico than from farms in PA, NJ or DE. There's also very little all natural/grass fed/pastured meats available at the market as most is factory farm produced. There are several other markets in the US with better practices/standards. It's sad that Reading Terminal's management hasn't adopted those practices but would guess the very strong Amish influence has prevented much of that from taking place.
In North America or...? Because there are places in foreign countries that aren't even on the radar of tourists that make most US markets look like complete ****...
Honestly, while I love going to famer's markets or public markets in the USA--they absolutely pale in comparison to what you find in much of Latin America or Asia or the Middle East or parts of Europe. Of course, there's a huge difference--in many of these countries, markets are just part of day-to-day life that have just carried over through history, while in the USA they're often pricier places for food connoisseurs or tourists. I've been to markets in Mexico City or Marrakech or Palermo or Busan, Korea or even Vienna where you're walking for what seems like a mile through rows of meats, seafood, produce, spices, and so on...
In the US though I'll often find better deals on produce by just driving out the country and just buying from little produce stands or actually at the farms themselves then I do at the often much more expensive urban farmers markets. Or I can just go the Mexican supermercado/flea market or Asian markets to find good deals on rarer items I can't find anywhere else though. For this discussion though, I still like the public market in Los Angeles and Pike's Market for the food stands--it's fun, but it's not where but it's not where I'm going to buy stuff to cook a meal if I lived there most likely--but they are nice to get lunch or buy a few items and just browse.
I couldn't agree with you more here. I remember some of the bazaars in Istanbul were just jaw dropping. Food after food after vender after vender. The smells just amazing. The freshness was outstanding and the price was hard to beat even in the touristic bazaars.
Then you see the prices and your jaw drops even more. Even in the super markets there, I routinely saw things like apples, produced in Turkey (and exported all over the world) for 50 cents per pound. Then I had a local tell me that's considered expensive in Istanbul, and even in a city like Izmir (which has a city population almost identical to Chicago) that price might be 25 cents per pound.
As great as some markets are in the US, they truly do pale in comparison to the markets in most of the rest of the world.
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