A visit to your local farmers market can be very pleasant and surprising experience. Today as part of our local meetup group activity we went to the Crossroads Market. In winter, as outside shows freezing cold temperature of -16 C the warm indoors were welcoming indeed.
I walked around the stalls and the vendors were all so inviting and happy to be out ready for business at about 9:30 am on a cold Saturday morning. We even met Pappy the fortune teller in image above. Such interesting displays are so hard to find these days, all you see is touch screen blankly waiting to be activated at the malls.
As a child I remember going for grocery shopping with mom. The store owners would engage in small chat as my attention was caught in playing with huge sacks of grain or the colorful candies lined nicely by the counter. In India shopping is a very personal and human experience, sadly the malls and online shopping has totally eliminated the connectivity. You can find customer service centers, but not the real feel of being a customer at all.
Signs showing vendor speciality and menu
Who doesn't love the kitty?
A Japanese stall called Nanao Kimono had all sorts of nick knacks socks, mugs, hand made fabric items and jewelry. The vendor was kind enough to let me take pictures of all his colorful merchandise and engaging with humans was the best part of it all.
Lunchbox with fun folding table cloth
It was memorable to chat with native artist selling paintings, wood crafts and bead works at the market. The art was really beautiful and representing the landscape of the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately my camera settings were incorrect for indoor lights, so I didn't get a sharp image.
I also enjoyed the East Indian food at the Deepak's Dhaba. The samosas, hot masala chai and mango lassi were delicious. It is lovely experience to meet Indians in Calgary running a successful business and bringing all the culture from back home to international markets. He had all the freshly made curry spices and the aroma was mind blowing. The owner was gracious enough to let me take a picture of him as well.
Deepak's Dhaba Owner & Head Chef at the Market
I would definitely go back for a visit, especially to connect with the local vendors who are working twice as hard in this changing economy and offering beyond the usual service at less prices. If you enjoyed reading this post, go visit your local markets and try to connect and support local.
I have to mention this post is not sponsored by anyone and I am sharing my personal experience from the visit. Thanks for reading and sharing. Cheers.