The Santa Monica Farmers' Market has gotten really popular recently. They've gotten a lot of press (aided by Amelia Saltsman's wonderful cookbook, I'm guessing). Sometimes, there is such a thing as too much publicity. The faithful shopping of local chefs who helped bring the market to its current state of popularity are now officially miffed.
Chefs from Vegas and New York are sending buyers to pick up the best of the best in seasonal produce. And local chefs are annoyed because they no longer get top dibs. Well, welcome to my world. If I don't show up when the market opens, I miss out on nice food I'd like, too. And I look over and see trucks (yes, trucks) from local restaurants that come empty and leave full of tasty goodies. Tasty goodies I'm missing out on! I've heard some say "Is this all you have? I'll take it all," or "Can I get 50 pounds of this?"
So, spare me your boo-hoo sob story. You're gonna keep going to the market just like I keep going. Cuz having great, seasonal produce rocks. And if you're not the top banana any more, I'm sure you'll find another way to make yourself known.
Do I seem cranky? Let's chalk it up to hormones. I'll go have some ice cream now.
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2 comments:
You know, what you describe is kind of why I lost interest in the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. I'd always read glowing reviews, but when I got there, I didn't see much that was unusual or spectacularly priced or stunningly beautiful. If I lived closer, I might go anyway, but it's certainly not worth the drive from the Valley to me.
I know exactly where you're coming from. Honestly, there are some rare finds there (e.g., rhubarb, yuzu, curry leaves), but if you're not in the "in" group, you might not get the best of the crop. And you have to be willing to look and ask questions (e.g., when did the season start, what else do you have coming soon). The nicest thing about it is that it's year round, which is not the case for many other local markets. That might keep me coming back even if we did move out of SM. However, I did say "might."
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