There's something about produce markets in foreign places that I find totally irresistible. The smells, colours, the sounds of lively commerce and the insights into what's being pulled out of the local ground and waters are a heady combination and rich story-teller.
I suspect I haven't spotted a market and ignored its wonders in, well, I don't know how long. And if you've tip-toed through a wet market in China, lucked upon a gorgeous weekend growers market in some lovely Italian hamlet, or even just found yourself on a jetty when the local fishing fleet returns from sea, you'll understand the attraction.
Foreign supermarkets also intrigue me. Where I come from supermarkets are for the most part pretty drab. Their products are run-of-the-mill, perfectly nice, all the staples we need and the occasional burst of something colourful. And yet some places...
