Privoz

There's an old song about Odessa that says without two things the city wouldn't be the same: the sea and legendary open-air market "Privoz." Taking up multiple city blocks, this market is indisputably the most "colorful" in the Former Soviet Union, and in my experience pretty unique as far as European markets go. Under the large tents and makeshift roofs overhead, you can buy anything from tomatoes to underwear, from hand-woven baskets to herbal remedies for any ailment.


I like to buy my vegetables at Privoz, where they are much fresher and local as compared to their supermarket counterparts. Even though produce such as red apples and bananas aren't without their imperfections, I'd take sweet, delicious food over plastic-looking waxy food any day.

There are also wonderful varieties of pickled vegetables and salads. At most stands, babushkas sell barrels full of pickled cabbage and encourage passers-by to dig their hands right in and take a taste!



This woman below sells her pickled vegetables and salads out of a refrigerated glass case. She even uses GLOVES to serve customers! She might be the only one. Even meats and cheeses aren't sold refrigerated at Privoz, but more on that later...


Summer months mean endless bags of fresh veggies!


At this stand, you walk up to the man selling spices and tell him what you plan to cook. For example, "I need a good spice for soup," or "I'm frying potatoes." He then makes you a special, hand-picked blend of spices ready to use! I just bought the "all-spice" box pictured below and sprinkle it over grilled veggies and rice.

The guys that sell dried fruits are pretty annoying. If the dates and apricots weren't so good I'd stay away from this aisle.


You can also buy freshly shelled nuts by the kilo. Pictured here are crisp walnuts.


You can even buy condoms and racy calendars at Privoz! Sold, of course, by your friendly neighborhood babushka.


In this last part of my post, regarding meat, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I usually try to avoid this area of the market but I thought it important to document meat packing practices. I hope this helps clarify one of the reasons why I gave up an animal dependent diet. Note that no refrigeration is used in these pictures. I wish I could have captured the smells and sight of blood all over the floor in these photos. Also, if you think meat packing industries in the USA are more humane/cleaner/better for you, think again. The only difference is that back home, we buy meat neatly drained of blood and sealed in plastic and styrofoam (having been soaked in chlorinated water and bleached beforehand, that is).









SaM.