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| Produce Market |
My parents came from Goa, which makes me a Goan and though I've never lived there, I love the place, the food, the people and their attitude towards life.
We went to Madgaon's (Goa's 2nd largest town) New Market to stock up on provisions and Goan specialties for our stay. The "new" market has been there since we were kids - and probably well before that. It is a warren of narrow pathways lined with very small shops that sell just about everything. Being a couple of days before Christmas, it was mobbed! But Goa being Goa, everyone is laid back and there is no pushing or shoving. Busy as it is, the market closes for a few hours in the afternoon for siesta.
Goa sausages (choriz) are spicy and vinegary, and very very tasty.We also picked up
dodol,
bebinca and pinac (a sweet made of jaggery, coconut and rice flour), which are traditional festival treats.
(Goan sausages are a deep red, but the lighting makes them look orange in my pictures. Got to work on that.)
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| Flower garland vendors |
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| Narrow, crowded lanes |
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| Fruit vendors |
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| Stars are the dominant Christmas decoration & look beautiful lit up |
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| Sausages - sold by count, not weight. |
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| Weighing pork at the butcher |
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| There are lots of sausage vendors and you need to know who has the best ones - she definitely did. |
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| Figurines for the Nativity display (called Cribs in India) |
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| Spice vendor - cayenne pepper, turmeric and coriander seeds in the foreground |
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My wonderful sister-in-law (Dexter's wife) is a pro at negotiating with the vendors and made sure we weren't being fleeced. Tami's presence can easily double prices.
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| Getting kashmiri chillies. They give curries a rich red color without too much heat. |
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| Negotiating hard for produce |
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| Tallying up Jo's purchases |
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| Buying greens |
Tami is not terrified of walking in the crowded markets and traffic choked streets any more.
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| With scooters passing by on both sides |
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| Deftly avoiding oncomers |
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| Trying to keep up with Jo who zips through markets |
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| Almost lost them trying to take pictures |
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| Heading back home |
Foreign food markets can be so much fun, but also a little intimidating. The colors in this one are so vibrant! Glad you had your sister-in-law for negotiations. I'm sure your Christmas food was amazing!
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