Best of Atlanta
I was born and raised in Atlanta and I say that with an abundance of pride. I am what we playfully call a “Grady baby”, which references Grady Memorial Hospital where the majority of African American babies at the time were born. I love Atlanta and its surrounding areas. Today’s post shares one of the city’s treasures, the Municipal Market (aka the Atlanta Curb Market) which is downtown and around the corner from where I was born.
I went to the Curb Market a couple days ago and came away with more than I could almost carry. My bags were full with vegetables that caught my eye, with no thoughts about how they would require picking, stringing, washing, cooking, and tending to them in pots and pots on the stove. Calling my name at the market were collards, turnip greens, pole beans, turnips, string beans, corn on the cob, and okra.
Most of my memories of the Curb Market involve my mother and aunts going there regularly. It was a place that epitomized in my mind the Black experience. Think fresh vegetables and meats to the many who were not that far removed from the farms and rural areas from which they or their parents had come. Although the market is vastly different and has evolved into a more cosmopolitan and diverse space, most of the products still come from the farm.
The other day’s visit to the market was like going to Disney Land! It brought me so much joy. All of my senses were awakened as my eyes feasted on everything that the market had to offer. I wandered around, touching an assortment of colorful vegetables and fruits. Aromas of both familiar and unfamiliar cuisines prepared and sold at various restaurants wafted through the air. I imagined how the various foods would taste. I felt comfortable. I felt at home.
