Subverting the Restaurant Mafia

fish, originally uploaded by camille94019.

Eager to explore more grocery options, Dutch and I hit the Alemany Farmer's Market last month. We bought bags of produce and still had change left from the original 20 dollar bill I brought to spend. The experience was pure, non-industrial food wonderment. Besides the lurid boxes of fish, pictured here, we found heaps of persimmons, citrus, local honey, local olive oil,
local potatoes, local greens-- despite it being the dead of winter.

The people-watching was also thrilling. Especially the Dancing Cat Lady.

She is a one-woman entertainment juggernaut. She played a handmade washboard-topped electric guitar while her foot powered the dancing cat with the fantastic star pasties. The audience was appreciative, especially the short set. She must have been doing this a long time, since the mural in front of her were of her and her cat. Click on any of the images to see more from the farmer's market.

I did a little research and it turns out this particular market was started during World War ll, when the pressures of food shortages and people's surplus Victory Garden produce forced the City to create it. Since then numerous mafias have tried to shut it down, but they have failed. The food is more powerful than any petty corruption.