Zee market.

Most of the produce in India is sold farmer's market-style every day: en plein air with multiple vendors selling their veggies out of baskets. Of course, here there's more yelling. No one makes a big deal out of things like the localness of the produce, but it's very clear they're not getting their papayas from Mexico.

The picture below is a shot of some of my loot from a special organic market that only happens once a week. All the white yogis flock there every Sunday and adopt the local tradition of ignoring things like lines and personal space in a mad dash for rare (in India) things like arugula, basil, and decent cheese. They've also got fresher-and-cleaner-than-usual versions of classic South Indian stuff like cauliflower (known here as gobi), chikoo, okra (AKA bhindi), etc. And the people running the booths speak English well, mostly in funny British accents, some even with stylishly waxed mustaches (I'll try to get a picture of this).



From left to right, you're looking at:

- Something the vendor called Chicken Spinach. I had some this morning but with enough other stuff that I didn't notice a distinct flavor.

- Methi, or fenugreek, leaves.

- Curry leaves. These are in EVERYTHING in South Indian cooking.

- Ghee. Clarified butter. Liquid gold. I've been ordering sides of this almost everywhere I eat in an effort to thwart India's attempt to rob me of another ten pounds. It varies in quality from place to place; this particular batch smells deliciously cheesy. Most households make their own out of milk bought from men who ride around dangling metal jugs from their bike's handlebars and, of course, yelling. Apparently, sometimes they'll bring the cow right to your door. We need that in America.

- The guy said "These are cherries. Sweet and sour." But these things are shaped more like tiny pumpkins and are more sour than sweet.

- Daikon radish. Nothing special.

- Kohlrabi. Also nothing special.

- They told me this is related to a "custard apple," which is another name for a Cherimoya, the fruit I was buying in Mumbai.

- Some coconut meat.

- Lemon and ginger pickle. Tangy!

And here...



is a modified rickshaw overflowing with dry coconut husks. As I left my house to come use the internet and make this post, this thing came barreling down my street with two guys in the cab and one on top of the coconut pile... yelling. They stopped and began unloading bunches of the husks at a woman's gate. Apparently they burn them to heat water.