A Day at the Market

My name is Maria. I am forty years old. I live in a small flat in the centre of the city. I work in an office from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, I do not work. Saturday is my favourite day of the week. On Saturday, I go to the market.

The market is ten minutes from my flat by foot. I walk there slowly. I carry a big canvas bag. It is green and strong. I use the same bag every week. It can hold a lot of food.

The market opens at eight o'clock in the morning. I arrive at half past eight. This is a good time. The best fruits and vegetables are still there. Later in the day, the nicest things are gone.

The market has many stalls. There is a fruit stall, a vegetable stall, a bread stall, a fish stall, a cheese stall, and a flower stall. There are also stalls with honey, eggs, and homemade jam. I love the market. It smells wonderful. Bread, flowers, fruit, herbs. All mixed together.

Today I need food for the whole week. I make a list at home before I leave. The list has seven things: apples, tomatoes, potatoes, a cucumber, bread, milk, and eggs. I have twenty euros.

I start at the fruit stall. The woman who works there is called Rosa. Rosa is about sixty years old. She has white hair and a loud, happy voice. She always talks about the weather. Today she says it is going to rain on Sunday. I say that is a pity. She gives me my apples. They are red and shiny. Six apples for one euro fifty.

Then I go to the vegetable stall. There are tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, carrots, and onions. Everything is fresh. I buy four tomatoes. They are big and red. I buy five potatoes. They are yellow inside. I also buy one cucumber. It is long and green. The man at the stall puts everything in small paper bags. He writes the price on each bag with a black pen. The total is three euros.

I stop at the herb stall. There are small pots of fresh herbs. Basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, parsley. They smell very strong. I pick up the basil and smell it. I buy one small bunch of parsley. It costs fifty cents. I put it in my bag.

Then I walk to the bread stall. The baker is a young man with flour on his hands. The bread is very fresh. It is still warm. I can feel the warmth through the paper. I buy one big loaf of white bread and two bread rolls. The bread costs two euros fifty. I hold the bag to my face for a moment. The smell is wonderful.

I need milk and eggs. There is a small dairy stall at the end of the market. A young woman sells milk, butter, cream, and eggs. I buy one litre of milk and six eggs. This costs two euros twenty.

Now I have about ten euros left. I walk around the market one more time. I look at the cheese stall. There are many different cheeses. Hard cheese, soft cheese, blue cheese, cheese with herbs. A man gives me a small piece of hard cheese to try. It is salty and very good. I buy a small piece for one euro eighty.

I also stop at the jam stall. There are jars of all colours. Red strawberry jam, dark purple plum jam, orange apricot jam. I always buy jam here. Today I buy a jar of strawberry jam. It costs two euros.

I have about six euros left. I see fresh flowers at the last stall. There are yellow sunflowers, pink roses, and white daisies. I buy five yellow sunflowers for two euros. I will put them in a glass of water on my table. They will make my kitchen bright.

I say goodbye to Rosa as I walk past. She is talking to another customer. She waves to me.

I walk home with my big green bag. It is heavy now. Full of good things. I walk slowly. The sun is coming through the clouds. I think about what I will cook this week. Tomato soup. Potato salad. Bread with jam in the morning.

At home, I put everything on the kitchen table. I put the flowers in water. I put the food in the refrigerator. I put the bread on the shelf.

Then I sit down at the table with a cup of tea. I am happy. The week is going to be good.