Soulard Market: A Veritable Cornucopia of Food in St. Louis, MO
Grocery shopping and I have a history filled with enmity. A combination of subpar cooking skills and limited repertoire, little money, an inability to make quick decisions when faced with too many options, an intense dislike of enormous spaces lit by florescent lights, crowds, and disorganized layouts, made grocery shopping the last thing I would ever want to do on a Saturday. Or any day.
There were many times in my twenties that I wished humans did not have to eat, or at least, if only I could eat like a snake and the food would tide me over for a week or two. Eating multiple times throughout the day was wearisome. Grocery stores did not inspire me to eat unless I was smelling the hot food in the deli section of generic grocery stores or I was standing in the beautiful bread and produce sections of Whole Foods.
Soulard Market is a different sort of place. It is a historic part of St. Louis, existing since 1779, and pleasing playground for the senses. With an eclectic ambiance that is reminiscent of Whole Foods, a neighborhood farmer's market, flea market, and specialty stores like florists, bakeries and spice shops, all rolled into one walk-able area, Soulard has energy galore. There are even street musicians playing at the entrances of the market and carolers singing around Christmas time. Anyone, young or old, comes away from a visit to Soulard Market indelibly impressed.
Creative watermelon display
There are not many established places where you can buy cheese or bread year round from the people who made the products with their own hands, or see beaver meat, tail intact, sold in the booth next door. There is a specialty spice store, produce grown locally and produce you would typically find at a grocery store, but marked down. There is a booth for alcoholic drinks, one for tiny donuts, a couple for sauces or olive oils, two for hot dogs and nachos of various combinations, and even a booth for books about historic neighborhoods in St. Louis. Do you need a pair of sunglasses or an iPhone case? How about some jewelry, handmade soap or lotion, or a box of candy? How about a live rabbit or chicken? Yes, those are sold at Soulard too.
The towering piles of fruits in every color and vegetables in mammoth sizes are a wonder to behold! I have seen carrots as long and as thick as my forearm, and watermelons in a stunning shade of deep blue-green. If you don't want to pay $1.50 for celery, you can probably find it for $1 at a booth further down. On different sides of the same aisle, you can buy single tomatoes by the pound, or a basket of them in bulk for one price. In the four main halls of Soulard Market, I have found everything I have needed for a usual grocery trip, unless I'm hankering for processed foods like cereal, canned soups, or chips. Not only that, but I have frequently eaten breakfast and/or lunch while shopping on a Saturday morning. I'm usually out of groceries at home by the end of the week or I don't leave enough time to eat before I catch the bus. You've heard of the warning, "Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry!"? Well, at Soulard Market you can shop AND eat at the same time! Problem solved.
Dan the rancher is a kind man and sells yummy cheese. Try the feta crumbles, triple cream brie, or even the garlic spread (which makes my mouth water just thinking about it).
The Spice Shop (which smells amazing)
My favorite part of visiting Soulard Market is the human interaction. I have had pleasant conversations with the sellers (and their children) behind my most-frequented booths and it has been a place where friends or coworkers and I like to visit together for a fun and useful outing. I enjoy hearing a couple of the sellers calling out their wares to passersby. I have had advice given to me about how to properly open a pomegranate or how to cook collard greens. Avid cooks shop here, as do visitors from out of town sightseeing in St. Louis. As a local person who is not inspired easily to foray into the world of food and cooking, Soulard Market is inspiring and makes cooking a less daunting prospect.
There were many times in my twenties that I wished humans did not have to eat, or at least, if only I could eat like a snake and the food would tide me over for a week or two. Eating multiple times throughout the day was wearisome. Grocery stores did not inspire me to eat unless I was smelling the hot food in the deli section of generic grocery stores or I was standing in the beautiful bread and produce sections of Whole Foods.
Soulard Market is a different sort of place. It is a historic part of St. Louis, existing since 1779, and pleasing playground for the senses. With an eclectic ambiance that is reminiscent of Whole Foods, a neighborhood farmer's market, flea market, and specialty stores like florists, bakeries and spice shops, all rolled into one walk-able area, Soulard has energy galore. There are even street musicians playing at the entrances of the market and carolers singing around Christmas time. Anyone, young or old, comes away from a visit to Soulard Market indelibly impressed.
There are not many established places where you can buy cheese or bread year round from the people who made the products with their own hands, or see beaver meat, tail intact, sold in the booth next door. There is a specialty spice store, produce grown locally and produce you would typically find at a grocery store, but marked down. There is a booth for alcoholic drinks, one for tiny donuts, a couple for sauces or olive oils, two for hot dogs and nachos of various combinations, and even a booth for books about historic neighborhoods in St. Louis. Do you need a pair of sunglasses or an iPhone case? How about some jewelry, handmade soap or lotion, or a box of candy? How about a live rabbit or chicken? Yes, those are sold at Soulard too.
The towering piles of fruits in every color and vegetables in mammoth sizes are a wonder to behold! I have seen carrots as long and as thick as my forearm, and watermelons in a stunning shade of deep blue-green. If you don't want to pay $1.50 for celery, you can probably find it for $1 at a booth further down. On different sides of the same aisle, you can buy single tomatoes by the pound, or a basket of them in bulk for one price. In the four main halls of Soulard Market, I have found everything I have needed for a usual grocery trip, unless I'm hankering for processed foods like cereal, canned soups, or chips. Not only that, but I have frequently eaten breakfast and/or lunch while shopping on a Saturday morning. I'm usually out of groceries at home by the end of the week or I don't leave enough time to eat before I catch the bus. You've heard of the warning, "Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry!"? Well, at Soulard Market you can shop AND eat at the same time! Problem solved.
My favorite part of visiting Soulard Market is the human interaction. I have had pleasant conversations with the sellers (and their children) behind my most-frequented booths and it has been a place where friends or coworkers and I like to visit together for a fun and useful outing. I enjoy hearing a couple of the sellers calling out their wares to passersby. I have had advice given to me about how to properly open a pomegranate or how to cook collard greens. Avid cooks shop here, as do visitors from out of town sightseeing in St. Louis. As a local person who is not inspired easily to foray into the world of food and cooking, Soulard Market is inspiring and makes cooking a less daunting prospect.
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