As a member of Students for a Better Society, I get a chance to help make a difference in our world, whether it is in human rights, health, animal rights, or the environment. Our chief goal is to make everything better than it started out; sometimes to achieve these goals, you must go back to your roots and experience things on a totally different level than what you are used to. A trip to the Dallas Farmer’s Market did that for me.
The Farmer’s Market has been around for years, and it seems just as popular back then as it is now. Farmers line the covered awnings with their stands, filled with an array of brightly colored fruits and veggies. Most of those selling their delicious treasures will share in their bounty, hoping to sway hungry customers to purchase their treats. The friendliness and kindheartedness of the farmers make the trip worthwhile.
Probably the part that makes Farmer’s Market the place to buy produce is the price of the amazing food. Most sellers have pre-assembled baskets filled with fruits or vegetables priced at an amount that would completely beat out what you would spend at a grocery store, even with coupons and reward cards. I was able to buy 3 large cucumbers, one of which was probably twice the size of a regular one, for 2 bucks. It’s an unbelievable deal, plus I get to say I bought a giant cucumber.
Now I bet you are wondering how going to a Farmer’s Market helps make our society a better one. By buying foods locally, rather than at a supermarket, you are guaranteed the best quality food while also making a direct impact on the people that grow and sell the food. You get to see the faces of the farmers light up when you decided to purchase from them. Cashiers may sometimes be cheery, but the innocent sincerity in the faces of the farmers just makes everything worth the drive.
One bonus that most people do not notice when they go to the Farmer’s Market is that when you go in groups, you find that you become even closer afterwards. I mean, you get to share the sights and smells of the colorful fruit with those you go with. You get to learn more about each other when you sit in the car, walk around the market, enjoy the free food, and laugh at a giant cucumber. There’s so much that can be appreciated when you step out of what you are normal to.
On campus, we do not have the luxury to go and get some fresh fruits and vegetables, like we could back home. I mean you can always pick up some at Umphrey Lee or at Tom Thumb; however, can you tell how fresh it really is? Is the produce treated with chemicals to make it appear better than it tastes? At the Farmer’s Market, those questions never need to be asked, because the food comes straight off the farm and is brought directly to you.
You get to eat “real” food, like you were back at home sitting at the kitchen table, bonding with your family. Our lives are moving at such a fast pace that we need a chance to slow down. Going to the Farmer’s Market truly makes our society a better place by helping our local farmers directly, while simultaneously helping us reflect on what matters to us.
Bryan Manderscheid is a freshman engineering major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
