A trip to the market

The second floor of the marketMercato Centrale is a two story indoor market. The first floor includes every kind of butcher stall, cheese stands, fresh flower stand, fancy olive oil and pastas of every thinkable shape. The second floor houses about 20 fresh fruit and vegetable stand. There are also several small restaurants where patrons line up to eat extremely inexpensive versions of regional Tuscan cuisine. My first few attempts to visit the market were a failure. The market only remains open for a few hours a day, closing at 14:00 on weekdays; 16:00 on Saturday, and not surprisingly, is completely closed on Sundays. When I arrived at 13:30 on a Monday, I was surprised to find that most of the vendors had already packed up and left. Italians make there own schedule, I should have known. Since I am a vegetarian, I usually stick to the upper level of the market. As you walk through the stands, vendor’s calls out to you and offer small bites of fresh produce. Most of the vendors sell very similar produce; in Italy produce is only consumed when it is in season. A few stands sell imported fruits and veggies. One of my roommates is from Ecuador, and she was thrilled to find that one stand in the market sells Plantains. There is certain etiquette one must used when shopping in the market. There are very strict hygiene laws in Italy, and it is extremely rude to touch the produce. Instead you must ask the vendor for the item, and they will either put it in a bag for you, or give you a bag and allow you to pick it up yourself. If they see you are touching items and then putting them back, or possibly squeezing or smelling their produce, they will shoo you away from their stand. When I visit the market I often stop off at ever stand to find which stand has the best-looking products. The method for payment is often a little bit stodgy; a vendor will load all of your vegetables in a bag, weigh them together and charge you one flat fee. Even with these inaccurate measurements, it always ends up being fresher and less expensive then the food from the grocery store. The market also has larger selection, and it makes for a fun afternoon trip. While I never visit the butcher shops, you will find that they sell ingredients that you will never find in an American supermarket. You can find tripe, brains, rabbits, and lots of other unrecognizable insides and flesh. I prefer to run past these, and head over to one of the small restaurants right next to the front door. For 3 euros you can buy a large and filling bowl of Ribolita, a hearty Tuscan bread and vegetable soup.