About four years ago, I made my way, on a Saturday, on BART, to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. I wandered around, bought some mozzarella di bufala, some lucques olives, some prosciutto di Parma. I wanted a cantaloupe melon to go with the prosciutto. I made my way out to the tents in the back, and found a wonderful man selling cantaloupe from the back of a truck. I told him I wanted the best cantaloupe he had for sale. He smiled, nodded, and started going through his melons: holding them up to his ear, eyes closed, thumping gently with his knuckles; bringing them to his nose and inhaling the aroma; rejecting, rejecting, rejecting. Until, finally, he found *the* perfect melon. He handed it to me with a wide smile. I paid, put it in my bag, and headed for BART and my trip home.
It *was* the perfect melon. Firm; juicy; so very, very sweet. I freed it from its rind in slices, draped the rich and salty prosciutto over it, ground some black pepper over the ham...
It was one of those perfect food moments. I've been to the Saturday Market dozens of times since then, but I've never seen him again.
I had a similar experience when the woman who sells fruit at the corner near stonebender's house recommended I buy the mangos instead of the watermelon, because they tasted like honey. She was right. Oh, man, I can still remember how they were.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 07:14 am (UTC)It *was* the perfect melon. Firm; juicy; so very, very sweet. I freed it from its rind in slices, draped the rich and salty prosciutto over it, ground some black pepper over the ham...
It was one of those perfect food moments. I've been to the Saturday Market dozens of times since then, but I've never seen him again.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-16 09:00 pm (UTC)I had a similar experience when the woman who sells fruit at the corner near