Looking for Love Dip

It's true: while I may be, shall we say, in between boyfriends at the moment, there is no shortage of love in my life, thanks to a beautiful bounty of fantastic friends and family. But despite all that, one thing I am without is my beloved Central Market, hence I'm looking for Love Dip.

I’ve long held a huge passion for supermarkets. Yes, those fluorescent-lit, big-box stores catering to the masses. While there’s more authenticity and artistry in an outdoor street market or large covered market, such as Rue Poncelet in Paris or La Boqueria in Barcelona, no matter where I travel in the world, one of the must-visit places for me is the local supermarket.

In supermarkets, you can get an instant view of the culture: what people eat, how marketers view them (and consequently, perhaps how the population views itself), what food costs, the culture’s aesthetics and what the people value. For instance, if you go to the Monoprix in Paris, you’ll find a long cheese counter positioned in between the wine and the bread. Or in Tokyo, at the supermarket you’ll not only find rice displayed at the end of every aisle, but both the meat and the produce packaged with a care and delicacy usually reserved for gifts.
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