Family Ties

Walking up to a massive building and being told we would find the freshest fruit inside was very invigorating. It was called the Mercat Central, located in the center of Valencia, Spain. The markets location was surrounded by houses and other small markets, which goes to show that Valencia as a town has a high priority for its food. Pictured below is a map of where the market is. The blue arrow is where it is located.

Stepping into the market, I was blown away by how many people were in there. Valencia is known for its food and market places. I cannot tell you how many restaurants I passed that had Paella on the menu. Paella is a famous Spaniard dish that contains rice, spices and either an array of seafood, chicken or rabbit.

They pride themselves on their food, how it’s made and the culture behind them. Referring back to the article by Fabio Parasecoli called "Food: identity and diversity", it mentions how everything can be surrounded by food. It can define a social group, a religious group and has defined history. Social classes and gender identities have also been surrounded by food. For example, women are more known to be around food and the kitchen than men for centuries. Other main concepts are what elements or ingredients go into making the food also defines them, the techniques involved, the location/place, and it has to become apart of the trade and exchange in the market. Throughout the market I noticed how there were more women working behind the stands and also buying the food as well rather than men. As I wandered around the magnificent structure the delicious smell of the fruit and the stench of the meat was lingering in the air compelling the consumers to buy the delectable products of the merchants. Comparing the central market to the other markets we encountered that week, the central market’s workers were friendlier and less pushy for you to buy their products.

Valencia and Spain as a whole is known for its fruit and seafood. With its warm climate and central location to the ocean, the markets were filled with every type of fruit and seafood imaginable. We went to the Central Market on a Monday so there was no fish because the men don’t fish on Sundays because of their day of rest, but I got to experience a seafood section in another market we stopped at later that week. Seeing a squid, stingray and every size fish in one area was pretty amazing. The fishy smell and men and women chopping up fish guts, surprisngly didn’t really get to me as I walked through the section.

I decided I had to get some strawberries and dried fruit while I was at Mercat Central. Since there were fruit stands all over it was hard to pick one specific one, but then I turned the corner and saw a huge crowd in front of a stand with three women working at it. I had to see why there were so many Valencians waiting for this stand. I worked my way to the front and noticed that I had to grab a number. Waiting for my number to be called I couldn’t help but listen at all the people talking amongst each other. I don’t speak much Spanish but I could tell from their facial expressions and body movement that they were catching up and reminiscing about their weekends. When the next number was called the customers were also catching up with the three women gathering their specific orders. Seeing that made me realize how centered Valencians and Spain people in general are around their food and how they use it to socialize.

One other observation I had was that there was a huge family portrait hanging on the wall of the fruit stand. One of the women working was in that picture. The obsession with food is also tied to family. These people don’t just do this for the money; it is apart of their lives and their family’s lives. Culturally, Spain is known for its warm climate, abundant ports, and it’s markets with delicious food. All of those things were present that day in the Mercat Central. Listed below is the official website of the Mercat Central if you wish to look at the market in more detail. It is in spanish though. :)

Mercat Central website

http://www.mercadocentralvalencia.es/Mercado/WebMCV.nsf/principal.html