Eastern Market and Clawson Car Show

Eastern Market

 This weekend Jose, my sister and I went to Detroit´s Eastern Market on Saturday. I had never been and was pleasantly surprised by this big local food district. Divided into 3 or 4 giant sheds, this market has been a Detroit staple since 1891.

The city that houses this market may be bankrupt but this place sure is not. It was just bustling with people and stands. You can find all kinds of produce, plants, jams, bread, flowers, meats, spices, cheeses and more. In fact it reminded me of the open air markets that we have a lot of in Spain.


We bought some fruit and wandered around admiring everything there was being offered (a lot of  which were organic, non-GMO products). The people watching was fun as well since folks from all walks of life were represented throughout the market (both buyers and sellers).


The area surrounding the Eastern Market is really cool and worth a visit. It has quite a few shops, restaurants and plenty of parking. We walked around for a bit enjoying the lively atmosphere before heading home.


Clawson Car Show

Later that day we also visited the Clawson Car Show, an event at which people displayed their classic cars, parking them all the way down Mainstreet in this small suburb of Detroit. 

This is one thing that the U.S. does better than what I have seen of Europe, Spain included. There are way more old, vintage and classic cars here in the States and people love to show them off. During the summertime in Michigan, people who are enthusiasts, collectors and admirers will go to these organized events to see the cars (with the Woodward Dream Cruise being the biggest of them all). The Clawson Car Show was maybe not as large of a venue but there were still a lot of cool cars to look at. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more