Morning Market – Dalian, China

The thing about Justin is that he notices the smaller, sweeter things in life. And what better place to see the sweet simplicity of daily life than the morning market?

Like an American farmer’s market on crack, the morning market is extensive. The smell of fresh-ground soy milk satiates the senses, and the aroma of fried bread primes the palate. There is a rainbow of vine-ripe produce as well, a feast for the eyes.

We go for these Grapes first. The season is early, and they’re still a little hard to find. My poor excuse for a cell phone camera makes them look generic and bland, but try one before you judge. They’re tiny purple, seedless pills, and they are taste like raindrops laced with sunlight.

We buy a giant Yellow Mango the size of my face because I can’t pass up a bite of this pulpy behemoth. The skin peels away with ease, and the inside is so soft it’s almost a smoothie already made.

I’ve never see this marvelous Melon anywhere else. The name, xiang gua, translates to fragrant melon. The flesh is all juice, much like an overripe honeydew with a few drops of papaya.

How about that Corn? It looks like American Indian maize, and it’s all sorts of pretty, shades of white and yellow, dots of purple dusk. There’s a sweet variety and a savory one as well. The kernels are starchy, and they taste like mashed-up sticky rice in a delicate case.