I’ve been to plenty of “farmer’s” markets.They’re all over the place. But I’ve not seen markets like they have here in Korea. We sometimes call them “5-day markets” because they happen every five days. And they move around. The one closest to where I live (about 15 minutes walking distance) happens on any day of the month that ends with a 4 or a 9. Two subway stops north of us, in Osan, it happens on days that end with a 3 or 8. One stop south, at Seojeongni, on 2 and 7. So really, I don’t have to go far to get to an open-air honest-to-goodness farmer’s market (and then some) just about any time. And I can get just about any food I need too.
These markets have been going on for as long as I can remember, and before that too. Micha was born not far from Osan’s market (I’ve heard that Osan’s is considered the best in the area). I suspect they’ve done the 5-day market system for centuries. It’s kind of simple to understand why, too. In the days before refrigeration, you probably couldn’t keep things around the house for much longer than 5 days. Even now, it’s kind of cool to think you can get farm fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats of all kinds every few days. Honestly, if one were enterprising enough, they could get their little rolling grocery trolley and live an extremely simple life around here. Just plan out all of your meals for five days, make a list, and hit the market. One could live in a small place with a small refrigerator, a few dishes, and some basic cooking supplies and make out pretty well. Our predecessors did as much with less, and they certainly didn’t know enough to mind. When presented with only one option, it’s easy to plan a life.
Today ended in 4, and since rain was in the forecast, I don’t have the Saturday ride to post (although it didn’t rain here until about 2PM). But I took a lot of pictures at the market. I love the idea of being able to pick up so much fresh food, but what I love even more is the color and bustle of the whole thing. It’s just so fascinating to watch, and I hope you can see some of it in my pictures from the day…
Going to the Oshkosh farmers’ market with Micha is one of my happy memories, although it was certainly nothing like this.