Sunday, June 17, 2007

Greetings from St. Louis




Hi Everybody,

I am done with AP grading and back in Virginia. (For everyone who asked, yes, I was fair when grading the AP exams! There were about 150 of us reading, and everyone's test had at least 9 different readers, so you can rest assured that the students fared well.) Tomorrow, Daiku and I leave for Puerto Rico! I am so excited, because I have never been to PR before, but I want to learn more about the food, culture, history, natural environment... everything.

Before I leave, however, I leave you with some wonderful pictures that Daiku brought back from his trip to St. Louis. These are all from the hip, diverse, and up-and-coming neighborhood of Soulard. As you can see from the above photo, Soulard is home to a wonderful, 228 year-old farmer's market.







...that features fantastic produce (Daiku said these cherries were only $1.90/lb.!),





...fresh artisanal pasta,



... a bakery specializing in all-natural hand-made bread,



...and my all-time favorite, pickles! If you enlarge the above photo, you'll see the spice center, from which you can get the world's best spicy bread-and-butter pickles. I think most Americans are familiar with bread-and-butter pickles, but for readers who are not, these are sweet and savory pickles that perfectly complement sandwiches and barbequed foods. I always chop these extra spicy pickles up and put them in my potato salad and cole slaw- yum!





Finally, here are two shots of a community garden in Soulard, near Daiku's sister's house. This garden features individual plots as well as a communal vegetable patch that everyone tends and shares.

If any of you ever get a chance to visit St. Louis, you must check out Soulard. You'll find the market and the garden, but also a whole lot of restaurants, bars, health food markets, and independent stores. The people are wonderful and there's a real neighborhood vibe.

Tomorrow, Puerto Rico. I'll be there for a week and probably won't get to write much, but I might send photos to the blog. So bear with me if you see some random shots popping up on this site for the next few days! Have a wonderful week everyone!
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16 comments:

Amey said...

wow Bazu,
Great pictures from Daiku's trip... that market looks so amazing. I can't wait to hear about Puerto Rico... are you just going for vacation? What a neat place to go. I hope you have a wonderful time!!
:)
Amey

KleoPatra said...

Love the photos. That farmer's market is insanely cool. The produce! The pasta! And the pickles! i also adore pickles, by the way. The community garden is gorgeous. Those flowers are sensational.

Nice to see Daiku's photos.

Be safe in Puerto Rico and HAVE FUN!! Can't wait to hear about it from/through you.

So glad you checked in... i'll keep lookin' for random shots added...

Emmie said...

That's a really nice farmers market. I'm hoping to go to the market on friday. The market closes to early for me to go after work, unfortunately.

laura k said...

Wow, those farmers' market pics are beautiful. I really wish I could find someplace like that! I'm glad you're done with your grading duties and get to unwind in PUERTO RICO!!!! Have fun!

Neva said...

Beautiful market!

Bread and butter pickles are good chopped up in many types of cold "salads" like potato salad and pasta salad.

Have fun in Puerto Rico. I'll be here, being jealous... Show up lots of pictures when you get back!

Susan Voisin said...

Have fun in Puerto Rico! I've heard it's beautiful and have been wanting to go. Take lots of photos!

Anonymous said...

After seeing the pictures on Joanna's blog (Tropical Vegetarian Family) I have been completely enamored with Puerto Rico. I hope you and Daiku have a wonderful and relaxing trip. Can't wait to see lots and lots of pictures.

Unknown said...

Great photos! Have a good time in Puerto Rico!!

Judy said...

Have fun in Puerto Rico!

Crystal said...

I'm really glad you posted about this. Ryan and I want to revisit the wine country outside of St. Louis this fall and hope to make a stop at this market area now!

-Crystal

aTxVegn said...

That farmers market is fabulous! I hope you have a wonderful vacation in Puerto Rico - can't wait for the pics and reports!

theONLYtania said...

Jeez, you guys sure do travel! What a neat farmer's market. I hope you have a great time in Puerto Rico!! I'm excited for you, hehe.

runswithdog said...

I can't even enjoy the pictures. I am soooooo lonely! You and Daiku are gone, B is in LA. Poor me *sob*

Carrie™ said...

Ooo I like bread & butter pickles too. What exciting pasta flavours. I would be all over those. Looks like an excellent market.
Have a great trip!!

Teresa said...

Now I Want to Move to ST. LOUIS. Wow their Farmer's Market is AMAZING!

Oh and how I'm jealous that you're in Puerto Rico right now. My brother's girl friend is Puerto Rican so he has visited with her and said it was great! Have loads and loads of fun and do share when you're back.

-Teresa

Kati said...

Geez, I've been so bad at reading blogs lately...meaning I haven't been doing it! I knew you posted all these great posts, but it's taken me this long to get to them...

Anyway, I really enjoyed all the pictures from Daiku's trip. I can't even imagine a 228 year old farmer's market - that's amazing. I love history like that. That community garden also blew me away. I wish there were more things like that here in Chicago.

I'm off to read your other posts now! =)