Saturday, January 12, 2008

Queen Victoria Market


Day 109
Richmond to the City and Back
Time: Most of the morning
Avg Speed: Stopping and Looking
Terrain: Meats and Veggies

“Oh look, they have homemade ravioli…” Just then, Chris almost took me out as he turned quickly to see what I was looking at. Ten minutes later Chris had purchased our Italian dinner: gnocchi and pesto with olives and bacon. For those of you who don’t know us very well, we are obsessed with food…

We spent the morning at another lively place in Melbourne, the Queen Victoria Market. Since 1878 the market has played host to food, goods and entertainment. With a combination of indoor food stalls and open air produce bins, this city institution is frequented by locals and tourists alike. Throw in a food court and a camel ride and you have a heck of a place to amuse yourself for hours. Not surprisingly we spent most of our time at Queen Victoria examining all of the food. We started in the Dairy and Produce building where Chris wasted no time. Once again, we found the prices low and the quality high. Following the fresh meats, we braced ourselves to run the gauntlet of market-goers in the produce section. Housed in a giant shed with a very high ceiling, it was basically a busy farmer’s market with mounds of the brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes, papayas, bok choy, mangoes, squash, chives: you name it, it was there. At first glance, it looked like total madness, but as you worked your way through, you realized it was just organized chaos. Southeast Asia will be full of markets and I’m sure this one is tame in comparison. I guess this is just practice for the big time.
Bon appetite,
LK

3 comments:

Andie&Jason said...

Hi guys. Glad to see your are having fun in Melbourne. For really good Italian food check out Lygon street in Carlton. There are tons of great cafes lining the streets. Jason took me there and it was amazing. Enjoy the tennis! We'll be looking for you on TV.

CK and LK said...

Hi!
Thanks for the tip - we'll see if we can check it out.
Hope you two are well.
LK

Anonymous said...

I am salivating & my stomach is roaring at me while I read about all the fresh foods...
Sounds fabulous!
-JH