Market Day in Aix-de-Provence.

1/21/2020

(Above: One of the many – at least 10 or more – fresh produce stalls at the farmers’ market.)

Active Summary: Today after an almost normal morning routine of calisthenics and writing, I ventured outdoors with my brother to visit the Tuesday Farmers’ Market. Somehow, this one proved even larger than the one we saw in L’Isle. After exploring what we thought to be the entire thing*, we stopped by the stalls that most interested us:

A charcuterie (cured meat) stall where they were selling little 5 euro cups of bite-sized sample/snack links.
A raviolo stall run by a very Italian fellow who sold us 7 baked raviolo bathed in organic tomato sauce. They were very much like miniature calzones, and we got them for 6 euros (I gave an extra 3 euros as tip because he was ridiculous).
A produce stall where I procured 2 heads of lettuce, 3 little spinach clusters, about 15 on-the-vine tomatoes, an onion, and a carrot for less than 7 euros.
An olive oil stall where I procured a small bottle for 10 euros. It was so minimally processed that when I later poured it out on my salad I could see olive pulp.
A bakery where we procured a loaf of fresh bread for 75 cents.

After acquiring all this and procuring some paper towels from a mini-mart, we made our way back to the room where I prepared a salad of incredible freshness. All of the ingredients were locally grown in Provence, and from the looks of it, was either harvested this morning or the evening before.

(6:01 PM Update:) My brother and I just returned from a 2 hour walk around the town. It was warmer today, which made for much more pleasant outdoor conditions. Now I’m in the apartment where a strong smell of pizza is emanating from one of the ancient vents. I think I will be quite hungry for the 7:30 PM meal.

Getting fat in Aix – a cookie that we bought on our afternoon walk-around.
A subdued, yet very clean fountain.
Men working. As we went by, we saw that they were still building the scaffolding.
The third mossy fountain that I’ve found in Aix. This one was a square.
Just another view to be seen during our afternoon jaunt.

(7:50 PM Update:) We have just returned from a dinner excursion. The restaurant, Piacere: Little Italy, was less than 400 feet away from where we are staying, and there, they served us our meal of main dish (my noodles with pork & arugula and brother’s large ham & buffalo mozzarella crepe), drink (a glass of wine and a bottled water), and ‘confit’ for 21 euros. That sounded reasonable already, but then we discovered that the cost was for the both of us combined. It was quick, cheap, abundant, and delicious. Probably one of the best places that we’ve eaten at thus far.

Little Italy’s daily special of corkscrew noodles, ham, and arugula dressed with a white Gorgonzola sauce. Gorgonzola is similar to blue cheese, yet the cook was somehow able to make it into a subtle ‘background flavor’. Very enjoyable.
Little Italy’s tiramisu. Though not served in a very fancy manner, it proved to be quite delicious. Mine was hazel nut flavored while my brother’s was cinnamon.
A crispy apple pastry.
A soft apple ‘puff’.
Two slices of blueberry tart. The smell of these were ridiculous (in a good way).

TIL: Today I learned more about the farmers’ markets in France. They are like stores in the way that the customer must bring his/her own bag for carrying the produce (both before and after purchase), and in this respect they are much more trusting because I could have walked away unnoticed at any point without being noticed.

Also, in regard to the produce that was being sold, I saw every type of vegetable that one would find in a United States supermarket and more. As to quality, it was all as good as if not better than buying produce in a store. No doubt part of this is because of the cool weather; it was like a refrigerator out there in the market square.

Commentary: Once again, I could not help but notice how France’s food culture far surpasses that of central Florida in the United States. Make no mistake, there are people still trying at home – e.g. the Harbison Farm Market, La Cuisine, Aneta’s Bistro, Mesa De Notte, and so on – but what they are achieving through massive effort is almost effortless here in Aix-de-Provence. I can only wonder what sort of food places like La Cuisine could produce if they had access to markets like I witnessed today.

A fountain on the way to the Aix marketplace.
The Aix marketplace.
A rotisserie / chicken stall. If looking closely, one can notice how the stall owner has place a bed of chopped potatoes beneath the chickens that are ever-turning and ever-dripping delectable juices.
All of this produce was procured for less than 7 euros. It is enough for three or four large salads.
Same produce from a slightly different angle.
Raviolos with organic tomato sauce.
Inside the raviolo (texture of a miniature calzone).
All ingredients for the salad, excluding the balsamic vinegar and salt, were found at the Aix marketplace.
A close-up of the cultured butter we procured at the market. It was almost cheesy in flavor.