I love going to the market, or shuk, as it is called in Hebrew. The sights, sounds, smells are bright and exciting. Tourists with fancy cameras blend with young and old locals, looking and shopping. Some stalls sell nothing except dried fruit and nuts, others specialize in spices. Bakeries dot the market, selling breads, pastries, and cookies. Then there is the fish market, and the chicken stand, juice bar, and dry goods stores. Mostly it is fresh produce, brought from Carmel and the Jordan Valley, I think. You might find a gourmet cheese shop here or there and tiny restaurants squeezed in between the produce stalls.
When I was a kid, Dad liked to stop at the farmers market on Hall Street. Men would bring truckloads of cantaloupes and watermelons and other produce from southern Missouri. That was good preparation for this, except this is a lot noisier and much more crowded. The colorful variety of produce is a delight to the eyes. We have only been to the grocery store twice since we arrived, and we didn't buy much there. Mahane Yehuda is a lot more fun, not to mention a whole lot cheaper!
We even found a couple of health food stores there, and two whole-grain natural bakeries. We bought couscous and organic Israeli extra-virgin olive oil from one of the health food stores. One of the bakeries makes organic whole-grain spelt pita bread and another has whole-grain rustic bread that we like. So far, our meals consist mostly of vegetables, fish, fruit, dried figs, and fresh baked goods. We feel great and are enjoying all this fresh food at rock-bottom prices!
By the way, "Mahane Yehuda" means "Field of Judah."
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