There's More to a Market...
When folks arrive in Kona, they enjoy everything from the sparkling sea to the soft fragrant smell of plumeria flowers that fills the little town.
Perhaps they spend their first day at the ocean, or just strolling through town, shopping, or checking out Kailua Pier. There is much to see in a tropical town...
What's going on under those tents? Colored banners are waving in the breeze and the bright colors of tropical flowers catch your eye. Ah, a Farmers' Market. What fun!
Perhaps you come from a small town in a cool climate and everything tropical is new to you. Perhaps as a seasoned traveler, you expect to see a wide range of familiar tropical flowers and fruits at the Market. Orchids, birds-of-paradise, the heart-shaped anthurium, they are all here, but you will always find something new at a Farmers' Market.
"Oh!" you say to yourself, "Pineapples! I can get these at home." Yes, and they were probably grown in Hawaii. But on the Big Island, you can get something which you will never find with a brand name stuck to it. Here, on the Big Island, is grown a "White Pineapple", which is sweeter than any you will find at home. And bananas? These don't look like the bananas at home. There are little "apple bananas that have a tang like an apple, ''strawberry" bananas, "ice cream" bananas. Mmmmm! Of course, variety of produce and crafts might be expected in a Market, but there are always surprises -
"Look what that person is doing with shells!"
"That artist got the look in a sea turtle's eye just right!"
The variety of the farmers, themselves, adds to the rich cultural texture of the Farmers' Market. When you look around the Market, you are sure to see people of at least a dozen different ethnic backgrounds, and they are delighted to tell you how to use that exotic fruit or vegetable, or how to tie that "pareau". Did you know that one delightful Samoan dish is baked green bananas served with a gravy made of onions and coconut milk? Strange sounding to you, perhaps, but it is very tasty, and many a local favorite are equally surprising and delightful. Ask! There is more to the Market than meets the eye! This is the local custom of "Talking Story." You may learn more about local cooking (or local politics, upcoming events or good snorkeling beaches) in one hour at the Market than you will by buying ten books.
Go ahead, Talk Story! It's how great travel memories are made!