This is no Publix

When I first arrived in Valencia, the only thing on my mind was the taste of a juicy, sweet, world-renowned Valencia orange. Because we had arrived on Sunday, I had to anxiously await my first trip to a fresh market in Valencia until the study tour the next day in order to try one of these amazing oranges. When I first stepped into the Central Market in the center of town, looked around, and took a deep breath in, I knew that I had found the perfect place to try one of these oranges.

When I was scanning the inside of the market, the first thing that really stuck out to me was the distinct smell. The fish market, located near the entrance to the left, filled my nostrils with the aroma of all kinds of fish and other seafood that live in the Mediterranean Sea. In front of me were aisles upon aisles of fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat that blended together with the fish to give a concoction of smells that I remember so clearly and now believe to be the true smell of Valencia.

As I began walking down the aisles of ceramic tiling glancing at all kinds of delicious fruit, vegetables, wine, and meat and searching for the best oranges available, I began to realize how important this market is to the people of Valencia and how it perfectly embodies their culture and who they are. Since Valencia is located on the water, has the perfect climate to grow citrus fruits and vegetables, and is irrigated extremely well, agriculture has been extremely important to the city of Valencia for hundreds of years and is one of the main reasons for their growth and success. Having this large, 1300 stall Central Market that was built in 1928 shows that agriculture is still at the heart of what Valencia is known for and that agriculture is still a very important part of their economy, culture, and lifestyle.

As I continued my adventures through the fresh produce, I couldn’t help but notice the crowds of people around me. Although many tourists also filled the market, the main thing that stuck out to me was the vast amount of locals mingling, talking, and socializing about their everyday lives. The people of Valencia were not only there to buy their fruits, vegetables, and meats for the week, but they were also there to socialize with friends and fellow merchants. This is one thing I noticed that distinctly separates the Central Market in Valencia from a typical US market. In the US, I typically go to a large chain supermarket, grab my imported, less than fresh fruit, weigh it, and overpay for it without striking up a conversation with a single person. However, when walking around the market in Valencia, I noticed that almost every single person was socializing with someone else, sometimes not even looking to shop.

After wandering up and down almost every single aisle for the past 20 minutes, I finally arrived at a booth near the right side of the market that had delicious-looking oranges and other citrus fruits. The prices were incredibly low and the quality of the fruit is unbelievably better than it is in the US, making this place one of the greatest places in the world to buy fruit. Although I was awfully anxious to indulge into my purchase of 2 oranges and a half-kilo of fresh strawberries, I decided to take my time and venture around the market a little further.

I wandered my way to a part of the market with a few stalls that were filled with a wide variety of meats ranging from sausages, rabbits, cows, and pigs. This is where I experienced a bit of culture shock. I walked up to the booths and saw a full pig’s head for sale, pig’s feet, full rabbits with their eyes still attached, and turkey heads hung by a steel rod impaled through their heads in order to hang them. Although I may find this very strange and unusual, I realized that this is just part of the Spanish culture and is actually very ordinary because it has probably been part of their culture for hundreds of years.

After I walked outside the most incredible market I have ever been in, I sat down on the steps and bit into the juiciest, tastiest, sweetest, freshest orange that I’ve ever eaten in my life. This is when I thought to myself how incredible it is that I am in one of the best market places in Spain eating a Valencian orange. It doesn’t get much better than to experience the culture of Valencia first hand, and I can’t wait to come back here later in my life to see if the culture has changed. My guess is that agriculture and the market place will still be at the heart of the city just as it has for hundreds of years.