Cinnamon patrol

There is a market every Saturday at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar.

(It's a little hard to describe Temple Bar. By all accounts, 10 years ago it was a forgotten dump. Then a rejuvenation project was embarked on, and lo, now it's pleasant cobbl- stoned streets lined with bars, restaurants, cafes, live music venues and film & photographic archives and exhibition spaces. It's billed as Dublin's cultural centre, but in reality it has become the place to go for hen and stag nights and so the "cultral centre" part may be overstating it somewhat!).

The last couple of weekends I've slept in and generally missed the best product at the market. Today I got up in time to walk Laura to her stichin' and bitchin'.

For those with very little going on in their own lives, or for Nell, who I know reads everything conscientiously, my purchases were:

For immediate consumption:

• Mixed veg curry, paneer curry and rice, from the Hare Krishna stand, 1 of
  
• Some kind of warm apple cider / juice with a shot of brandy, 1 of
  
• A pain au chocolat, 1 of

To take home:

• organic asparagus, 1 bunch of
  
• organic tomatoes, 1 tray of
  
• organic lettuce leaves, 1 small bag of
• French olive bread, 1 loaf of
• Cod fresh of the boat, w/ skin on, 2 large fillets of

Also, there were a couple of old timers busking. One was singing and playing the guitar, the other was playing some kind of traditional instrument a bit like a souped-up ukulele. The singer had virtually no teeth. The other guy had a Father Christmas-esque beard. They both had nice furry dogs who were resting on the ground with the wind in their faces.

These guys were just the best buskers I've ever seen. And for that matter, some of the best live music I've ever seen. The singer had a great haunting voice that belied his toothlessness. You could really see they had been around and that added a certain gravity to their performance. (Also, the ukulele guy had developed a knack for storing his cigarette between the tuning knobs of his instrument somehow).

Unfortunately I only had 0.50 cents - but I gladly gave it and will give more if I see them next weekend.

Labels: david, Dublin, Food + drink, markets