Flea Market vs. Farmer's Market: The Assessment

First of all, I love using colons in titles.

Will and I headed out early yesterday to hit our various weekend errand spots, which included two key locations: the flea market and a local farmer's market. The purpose of both of these stops was to get some fresh stuff for the week. After making both stops, it was very clear that I was in the midst of two very different worlds, only about 8 miles apart. So, which is better or which do I prefer or which wins?

The Cost Assessment:

At the flea market, I got the following list for a whopping total of $7.

• 3 onions
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 bunches of cilantro
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 2 avocados
• 8 limes
• 2 lemons
• a giant bushel of green beans

At the farmer's market, I got the following list for $5.50

• a bag of peaches
• 1 zucchini

From that assessment, I think it's clear which place is a better deal. Flea Market-1, Farmer's Market-0

The Parking Lot Assessment:

At the flea market, the parking lot is gravel with giant pot holes that could probably break my car. The rows are sectioned off by those strings of pennant flags. The cars in the lot consist of beat up pickup trucks and other average cars that sort of all blend together. Nothing special. Will's Four Runner fits in nicely. At the farmer's market, I saw a Fiat, 5 BMW's, a Range Rover, 2 Lexus SUVs, and a Subaru wagon. Depending on which type of car you prefer to drive, maybe you would like to pick one place or another to buy your week's produce, but for me and my Toyota family, I fit in at the Flea Market. Flea Market-2, Farmer's Market-0

The People Assessment:

At the flea market, the two produce stands we go to regularly are run by Latino families. The parents are usually in charge, running the register, and then the kids all help out. The teenagers stock and bag and the little kids do stuff like moving potatoes from one bin to another or just running around being cute. I like these people. A lot. The people shopping at the flea market range in variety, so much variety that I can't even describe them because there's not one type, which I like. At the farmer's market, all of the stands are run by hipster types for the most part, except for one vendor. Really, I'm picturing ONE vendor that didn't look like he fit in. And for that, I bought his peaches. The people shopping consisted of a bunch of white people pretending that this was the cultural event of their weekend, carrying around these and other gorgeous tote bags for their produce. I'll admit, I use a baggu, but I got it free. So really though I also technically fit in, I really didn't at all. After writing this I now feel like I'm being judgmental, but then I checked this source. Apparently, I'm not the only one who realized that white people like this type of thing. For that, Flea Market-3, Farmer's Market-0

The Goods Assessment:

So what can you get at either place? At the Flea Market, there are tables with huge bins FULL of every vegetable and fruit you can think of. A bunch of stuff they have, I've never seen and have no clue how to prepare it. Yesterday, the thing that seemed most prized were the papaya, which were gigantic. Each one was wrapped in paper. Not sure why, but it looked cool. At the Farmer's Market, each vendor has one little folding table with a few baskets of produce, but nothing special really. One advantage of the Farmer's Market is that you can buy milk, eggs, beef, seafood, all of which were raised/produced in a nice, humane way. I'll give them half a point for this because it's nice, but only half, because for me, this doesn't matter at all since I have eggs in the backyard. I already buy organic milk, buy local SC seafood from a crazy seafood lady around the corner from my house, and don't eat enough beef to care. Other things that show the very huge difference between the two places is that at the Farmer's Market, there's a coffee shop where you can buy a latte, then swing right over to another vendor to get breakfast (eggs, grits, etc.) and then go sit out on this porch with the other fancy people and eat. Tons of people seemed to just be there for the breakfast, so it must be good. Plus, I do appreciate that a Farmer's Market can create community. I get that. I'll give them another half a point for that even though I doubt that I'll ever be eating there. After this assessment, Flea Market-3, Farmer's Market-1

Flea Market-For The Win!