Too Cool Tuesday: The Italian Market | Josh

Turns out cardboard boxes are good for staying warm.

Tuesdays we'll be highlighting stuff in the city we love, and that frankly, is probably too cool for us. Like, we are unworthy of the awesomeness of this city. But, by the grace of God we get to live here. And so far, we love it. And the more we get to know the city, the more we love it. Even the rough parts.

Today I went with my neighbor, who must be just about the best neighbor in the world, to the Italian Market. I love going there with my neighbor, because he knows it pretty well and I can ask him questions instead of outing myself as a complete stranger to this wonderful foreign land. It's nice to have a guide.

While we live walking distance from a Superfresh grocery store, and I note the irony that I drive to an outdoor market to walk around to the various fruit & vegetable stands selling basically the same thing the grocery store has, you really can't beat the price. Or for this extrovert, the experience. When's the last time you bought a whole pineapple for $1? Or how about two pints of blueberries for a buck? Pretty proud of that one today. Unlike the grocery store, you have to talk to a human being. You have to pay cash. It's likely that you'll bump into several people, (and maybe even some live poultry), and that person will not look or dress the same as you. It's also likely that the someone you talk to will not be a native English speaker. It's a diverse, busy, alive, earthy, wonderful place to find the full spectrum of stuff you might want to cook with, everything from goat, pheasant, pig feet, sea food, fancy cheese, fresh produce, flowers, Philadelphia sports-wear, underwear, you name it.  It's also the oldest, still functioning outdoor market in America.


What it's not: it is not a farmer's market. Nothing is advertised as "organic," because it's not. It's not a place to get boxed frozen dinners or canned goods or anything in that vein. But for the experience and the diversity of offerings and the price, there's no place like it on earth. And I can get there faster than I could drive to the grocery store in Springfield.

I can't believe I get to live here.