Friday, February 03, 2006

Market Day

Fridays have turned into market day for me. About 9:00 A.M. I head for the Santa Anna produce market at the edge of the Santa Anna Park, where I buy the coming week’s supply of fruits and vegetables, fruit from Luis, who greets me warmly by name and assures me that the fruit is ripe and sweet; and vegetables from the woman with the booth next to Luis’. Often when I arrive at Luis’ booth he is snoozing on his stool.

From Luis I buy watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya and bananas at a cost of $80 – 100 pesos ($7.50 – 9.50 U.S.); and, for $20 – 30 pesos, I buy tomatoes, onions, habaneras, carrots and an avocado from the woman next door. So for $10. – 12 U. S. I am able to buy a week’s supply of fruits and vegetables, lots of which which I eat daily.

Later in the day I generally go to Isstey, a super market a half block from the park that is operated by the Yucatan state pension entity (damned socialists), where I am able to buy refried beans, juice, cheese, paper products, and household supplies at very favorable prices, less than at Chedraui, Mexico’s answer to Walmart. Isstey also sells liter bottles of Mexican vodka, with a Russian name, for $35. pesos. I buy Spanish Olive oil, for $80 pesos per liter, from Rosales, a small market across from the Santa Anna Park.

Both the produce market and Isstey are a four block walk from home but since I carry my purchases home in bags I must take two trips.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened to your bike?

You Know Me said...

I still have the bike, butI only ride it in the evening after the traffic has calmed down. The streets to the market and supers are too busy for my bike riding tastes. The bus drivers are particularly scary when I'm on the bike. I'm getting the hang of the buses and their routes, so take them when I am going more than 10 or 12 blocks.