My love Affair with Farmers’ Market

Farmers Market

Anyone who hates farmers’ markets may never be my friend.  Yes, visiting farmers’ markets is one of my ultimate sources of amusement.  For me, this place is a reliable source of fun and excitement.  How can someone be not fascinated with the buzz, the people (and our furry friends are welcome too), the variety of fresh produce, the smell of food, the festive feeling and the whole atmosphere?  That my friend is how I love Farmers Market, if it’s still not obvious yet why this blog was created.

Dallas Farmers Market

In Manila, we also have some weekend/farmers market that operates just the same like the one in Salcedo, the Legaspi Sunday weekend market and the one in Eton, QC. I had a chance to visit 3 Farmers market in the US, just maybe a grain representation of Farmers Market in the country but enough for me to observe as a visitor.  I visited 2 in Dallas (Downtown Dallas, Whiterock Lake Farmers Market and Fort Mason in San Fran). Imagine my excitement comparable to a kid visiting Disneyland for the first time.

Fort Mason Center Farmers’ Market

So, I took a moment to note the things I like about it and why I became an avid Farmers Market fan.

• Great Food. As you walk through the market, you’ll be greeted by the smell of roasted corn, baked cookies, hotdogs and what have you. Who doesn’t want free samples of freshly picked strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and the likes?

farmers’ market food

• Festive. You may bring your kids and pets and have it as a family bonding activity. There are usually special events for the kids like music and dancing, pet shows, face painting etc. They get to also meet new friends, excited to pet a dog or just learn something new. The market is usually set up outdoors, so you usually enjoy the good sunny weather while shopping.

Farmers Market Pets

family events

• Learning. There’s an opportunity for us to learn things like the importance of farming, nutrition/healthy living, social skills and entrepreneurship. It’s always good to know where our products came from and how well they were treated.  Were the animals free-ranged, from the wild, or were they fed organic food too?

farmers market

• Freshness. You can buy organic and healthy products like vegetables, pickles, honey, fruits and different artisan products. The produce are usually fresh from a local’s backyard or from just around the town. Although some produce maybe expensive because of some costs to farm organically, they’re usually in season so most are cheaper compared to imported/shipped produce.

local produce

• Win-win. Good for the environment, good for you as a consumer, and good for the farmer and community.  So cutting down on chemicals is beneficial to the environment, while we are consuming healthy, fresh and safe food.  Purchasing in a farmers market helps the farmers business sustainability, and eventually contributes to the local economy.

local farmers market/ whiterock lake

Dallas and Whiterock Lake Farmers’ Market

      

Port Mason/Bay Area Farmers’ Market 

                   

Supporting the Farmers Market  is good for us, for our health, for the farmers and the community.  I tell you, it’s way better to shop here than in the big groceries.  Don’t miss the fun- visit your local farmer’s market today! We have a couple of them on weekends here in Metro Manila.

Cucina Andare: A Stress-Free Palengke On-the-Go!

Stress is inevitable as what they say.  At home, we worry about bills being overdue, the chores we have to do before the weekend, to a husband or a teenage child gone rouge.  While at work, we normally get report deadlines, 20 urgent emails at the onset of the day, month-end reconciliation, financial statements not balancing, annoying clients, demanding boss and the entire nuisance the workplace has to offer.

I have an idea, eat. Well, forget about everything you’ve heard about eating when you are stressed. Have you tried the comfort of a vanilla ice cream when your-ex left you? The comfort of macaroni soup or chocolate bar while typhoon Ondoy was razing the Metro? How about the bliss of an out-of-town vacation sipping margarita while tons of files and reports were supposed to be submitted by Fridays?  No, it’s not just a fantasy my dear, because we really do crave for something good when stress is unrelenting.  Do keep in mind that eating maybe a stay-calm trick when the odds are unkind. Don’t mind stuffing yourself with foods that may exceed the recommended calorie intake. Don’t be afraid to feed your face with Mac-and Cheese, French fries or a fatty pork barbeque. It just feels good.

A great place to eat stress-free is in Cucina Andare- a food haven to night owls working somewhere in Glorietta, Makati. They’re open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 4:00PM to 3:00AM. Cucina Andare means “Kitchen on-the-Go”.  It is a truck-driven food Palengke type where the pioneers of food trucks on a Mercato concept collaborates. I knew it before that this is going to be a fad here since this concept was introduced by westerners, and that we only see these featured on Lifestyle Network programs like Bizarre Foods, No Reservations, Eat St and the like.

On a busy Friday night at work, the group decided to beat the stress and head to this Palengke ditching the typical food our Cafeteria offers. Good thing is, it’s just a block (kembot) away from the office. We just needed some momentum to face the work pressure later on.

Why we say the place is a stress-reliever?

1. We Enjoy the Food. Apart from the other long-term ways to shut off stress, it might be worth eating to calm down. We seek for slow-cooked roast beef, almond- flavor ice cream, Crispy sisig, dinakdakan, bbq, shawarma, cakes, sandwiches tacos, etc.  I say, eating is actually our body’s attempt to put a brake on the runway machinery of stress.

The Ice Cream Food Truck is one of the group’s fave.

Awww. Look at her, with the lights and halo, she must have felt like heaven while enjoying her ice cream.

2. We enjoy the outdoors. Located in Glorietta 3 Park,  between West St and Parkway drive fronting Shangri-la  Hotel and Landmark in Ayala Center. It just has a cozy garden setting.  We got out to fill our lungs with fresh air or some with essential carcinogens(yosi).  We had the time to stretch out and breathe deeply.  It felt the tensions released from our body and mind to keep alert later on our job.

3. Food trucks. We’ve seen Jollijeeps along Makati Business District, but the sight of food trucks that might only been seen in San Francisco amazes our senses.  They were new to us and it was fascinating. I just can’t imagine trucks like these serve superb and delicious foods.

4. Good Music.  We took a nice walk and enjoy the scenery and sounds played by a live acoustic band (sentimental song “Thousand Years” was played). This was a fantastic way to clear our mind and organize our thoughts.

5. A Fun Break with Friends. Everyone needs a break, and what other cool way to enjoy it than from a team of fun and unreserved people?  An hour of laughing mostly on practical jokes gave us reason not to think of work-related stuffs and just enjoy the moment. We took this time to relax and do something we enjoy, be it a clichéd joke or laugh at somebody’s misfortune or misconduct. Not in a mean way though.

How can I forget the boy who I exchanged number and smiles with.  He may not look stunning here, but hey he’s adorable in person. Now, who’s stressed out?

An hour full of fun had ended, so we had to go back and break a leg. We were recharged anyway.