when caroline walker bynum said the theme of love as eating and being eaten

...i felt that

things i’ve learned in 2023 so far: waking up early on a saturday and walking to the farmer’s market to observe and take delight in the season’s vegetables and fruit while shivering in the morning brisk air is just as healing as sleeping in until 11 am or taking a luxuriously long and hot shower before bed.

the oakland farmer’s market is brimming with weekend morning energy that can only be described as ‘bustling’. i walk down lakeshore and arizmendi is starting to open it’s doors where singletons and families alike begin to line up for their baked goods, cars are honking - ready to battle each other over a precious parking spot and as i walk closer to the square where the farmer’s market takes place, i can hear the rhythmic banging of drums. i have my headphones in but i am not playing any music. there is something peaceful and grounding about taking in the loudness of everything even if it feels slightly irritating so early in the morning.

i never go to the farmer’s market with a plan. i never have any idea of what i want to buy, what i’m looking for or what i am even hoping to find. i always go in blindly - accepting that i might purchase more than i need or maybe nothing at all. winter is my least favorite time for produce - citrus tickles my throat, cabbage is beautiful, sturdier greens are nice but if anything - winter produce makes me long for summer’s lush bounty. it’s not winter’s fault. it’s hard to compare to the vibrant crimson tomatoes that are at risk of bursting even at the slightest touch, peaches that leave juice running down your fingers as you devour it standing over the sink, the sweetness of fresh corn, ruby red strawberries that glisten like rubies.