November 5, 2011

Agreed to go to the Green Market with Ryan and Carlos, a Couch Surfer from Spain. We first stopped at Volnas, the appliance store, and I finally bought a small blender so I can make smoothies with the abundant supply of fresh fruits they have here. The market was mobbed with people shopping prior to the Little Eid holiday coming up on Monday and we had a hard time maneuvering through the crowds. With Ryan’s help, I was able to buy most grains, seasonings and some meat and by the time I got the fruit and vegetables, there little room in my shopping bag or the one he had lent me. I needed to make another trip, but had enough to cook for several days. Carlos was gallant enough to help me with bags back to my apartment.

The weather was gorgeous and I was able to ditch my heavy coat to join the guys again for a trip to the Korbon Market on the outskirts of the city. The ride took 45 minutes and everywhere you looked you could see people loaded with packages and shopping bags in preparation for the holiday. Despite the warmth present in the air, the bus driver kept the heating on and we practically roasted on the way there. When we told the fare collector that it was quite warm and he could turn off the heat, he simply opened the vent on the roof.

                                       View of the mountains on a clear day

The market itself resembles more of a strip mall than the open air bazaar I had anticipated. The first entrance we approached appeared to specialize in men’s fashions and we had to walk quite a bit before I found a place to buy a few winter sweaters. The label on the turtlenecks said “The Gap” and they were made in Turkey. When I asked to see the sizes available, the vendor replied that “one size fits all” was what he had. I prayed that this was indeed the case for I know that returning the items would be out of the question. At the house wares area, I was able to find an elongated baking pan that should suffice for my cakes, tarts and flan and a pair of tongs. The cast iron pan I want to cook plov was too large and heavy to carry, so I’ll look for it closer to my house.

Corrie came by and picked her luggage as she finally found a place she likes. Yoomie had asked to use my oven and washer since Ryan had people over at his house. In exchange, she offered to bake a pizza for dinner. Yoomie used the local flat bread as a pizza crust and I helped prepped the rest of the ingredients so we could have a salami, tomato, pepper, mozzarella cheese pizza. Ryan and Carlos came over and we chatted while a pear cake baked, in my new pan, in the oven to be enjoyed tomorrow at Yoomie’s housewarming dinner.