Partager Paris - Marché Ave du Président Wilson

Cooking with the seasons

After a night out at the American Library, listening to Susan Herrmann Loomis  talk about seasonal cooking, which I am a great believer. 

I went to bed with only one thought for the next day ...
to celebrate the changing seasons ... be sure to make it to a new market.   Its my bi-weekly outing now.  

So, ...I just got back from the Marché Ave du Président Wilson, Also Called the Marché du Pont de l'Alma, an open aired market in the 16th. It takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning, from about 7am to 2:30 pm.   Its so close to the 7th, a bus 92 away.  

to be as red as a tomato (to be embarrassed)

What a market.  A real “total senses” adventure, the colors of the flowers, the fruits and vegetables, the spices, the smell of it all, the setting ... in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of Paris, right around the corner form the YSL museum (another something to put in your agenda), the feel of the excitement of what you are going to cook when you get home, tasting the seasonal fruits as you move from vendor to vendor ....  so, with figs, cepes, the last of the heirloom tomatoes, fresh thyme, regional honey, and a bit of autumn color in the form of one large hortensia bloom, I politely pushed my way onto the bus.  Thinking over that I really could have carried that polka-dotted scarf ... 

To put one's two cents in

This market brings me completely alive. I don’t care that it is raining.  I stay excited the whole time I am there.   Its one of the largest markets of Paris, one with the largest assortment of fruits, vegetables, clothing, spices, meats, fish, leather products, undies and socks, that I have encountered.  I have this small rule, not stringent of course,  which is to walk all the way through a market before I pull out my porte monnaie.    I want to see what’s fresh, who has the best prices, and where most of the people are gathered.  

I don't have any money!

I went there particularly to find a certain direct producer, Joel Thibault.  He is famous for his produce and many of the finest restaurants praise his produce.  I never actually found him ... 

la prochaine fois ... next time I will try to follow my own rules !

PPxx

“