BES-Assignment 1 (London's Neighborhoods and Markets)

For this assignment I visited two markets; Borough Market and Brixton Market. Both very interesting yet both very different.

 After our walking tour on Saturday we spent some time in Borough Market, it was insane! It felt like the tube station during rush hour, everyone was shoulder to shoulder. They had a wide variety of food available for sampling and purchase. I tried some cheese which was delicious but quite expensive. I didn’t find much in the market that I would consider “a good deal.” With the amount of people there it was hard to not be concerned about keeping my purse in front of me. I’m not sure if it’s usually that busy or if it was just because it was a Saturday, but I didn’t stay for very long…my claustrophobia was kicking in hard core. I didn’t end up buying anything but I did leave full from all of the samples that were available.

On Monday morning two other girls and I took an easy tube journey to Brixton market and had a wonderful experience. We walked through the area taking it all in, which was easy because it wasn’t too crowded. They had mostly food stands but I also saw jewelry, clothes, and key cutting stands. I bought a pineapple, ½ a pound of green beans and a bag of grapes for 4 pounds! The deals were awesome; my friend bought 3 pairs of earrings for 5 pounds…the jewelry stand is definitely one I will be visiting again. One thing that I didn’t like was the smells. My stomach got a little queasy walking through all of the dead fish and animals, which were everywhere. One thing I found myself questioning was, is the meat safe to eat? It was just sitting outside and the fish were practically still swimming. But it’s where a lot of people get their meat so it must be safe. In addition to the market we stepped into Poundland and Iceland’s where we bought cheap groceries and school supplies.

Overall, I really enjoyed the markets because they gave me an insight into traditional culture. Although slightly different from American grocery stores Sainsbury’s is a lot like my local King Soopers or Hy-Vee. The markets were a new cultural experience for me, and they offered great deals for organic natural produce.  As far as I know the American “farmers markets” (equivalent to a market) aren’t allowed to sell meats, only fruits and vegetables. That’s one difference I noticed, Americans wouldn’t trust a non-licensed store to buy meat from. Although the products at Borough Market were great, the one thing I didn’t like was the amount of people. It made me nervous and pushed the limits of my claustrophobia. I will definitely be visiting these markets more and many of the other ones throughout the semester.