Return to Central Market

A friend talked me into meeting her at the central Central Market in Austin (38th & Lamar) for lunch on Friday. I was game to try to it, since I hadn't been to a Central Market in many years. Indeed, the only time I ever went to one was when HEB opened one a couple of miles from my home, and I wanted to see what it was like. I didn't like it. The fake-feeling meandering aisles were apparently intended to make you feel like you were in an old-time market place, so that you could get high-priced prepared and exotic foods while "experiencing" the "authentic" shopping experience of the olden days--or something like that. I just felt trapped by the maze and wanted OUT.

Times have changed and so has Central Market. I found a handicapped parking space near the entry to the produce section and entered what felt like the North Pole. HEB keeps that section very cool to help keep the produce fresher. It made sense, but I couldn't wait to get out of there. I skipped the opportunity to check out the fruit and other treats and made my way as fast as the restricted paths allowed over to the warmer part of the store. I did, however, take the time to look at some of the veggies and was more than impressed by the array. "So that's what a fingerling potato looks like." "Does purple cauliflower taste the same as white cauliflower?" "Did they really import that from France?"

Still thinking about the experience several days later, I have to say that the produce section was clearly not a case of buying locally, cooking seasonally. As interesting--and even tasty--as all those options looked, I can't help but think of the cost in oil for all of these goodies. I don't have answers, of course, but I am one of many, I believe, who are starting to think about this. Sadly, these thoughts come just as I am finding new foods. *ack*

On to the tour. I meandered a bit through the bulk foods area. "Many" and "exotic" again apply. I didn't have time for a really close look at price and variety, but the sheer number of bins was (seemed) greater than anything I'd seen at Whole Foods. I did note that there were more "normal" aisles in the store, so that I didn't feel quite so oppressed by artificial ambience, but there were still some forced paths and cul-de-sacs.

One cul-de-sac (the salad bar) was where I met my friend. We had our choice of getting hot food from a snack bar (although the menu choices were no way snacky) or serving ourselves from a nice selection of sandwiches (which all seemed to be priced at $4.99) and/or the extensive salad and soup bars (sold by weight). The line was too long for the hot foods, so we decided to serve ourselves. My friend chose pasta, which she could heat in a microwave near the snack bar. I took a couple of small salad portions for sampling and then built a nice green salad and chose a tarragon chicken salad sandwich.

I noticed that my friend did not eat all of her pasta. She did, however, approve of one of the sampling salads: quinoa with fruit and nuts. I thought it had a nice enough sweetness, but didn't fall in love with it. I came closer to loving the second sample, which my friend actively disliked: couscous with sliced black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and green onions. My own green salad was pretty standard for me, although I did add some edemame for a new taste. Nice crunch, okay flavor. The chicken salad was also tasty, although I loved the bread more than the salad.

My lunch, including the sampling salads and a bottle of water, set me back $13.01, more than I would normally want to pay for lunch. I was, I think, making up for the "pain and suffering" of that clear liquid diet, so I was making sure that I had plenty to eat. As it turns out, I was not overfull after cleaning my plate. What drove the price up was the sampling salads, which turned out to be surprisingly heavy for the amounts that I took for sampling (half a cup or so).

Time was our enemy for this adventure, so my friend and I agreed that we should come back to do more looking around and shopping. I only had time to grab a dozen roses ($6.99 for the bunch) and did no further dawdling. I think there is still quite a bit to see at the Central Market before I know whether it needs to become a place for me to shop.