Most of the inhabitants of our planet have very different shopping patterns from those living in the developed countries.\u00a0 They do not buy their groceries at Safeway, Costco or Tesco, but at local markets in their neighborhoods.\u00a0 Sometimes these markets have a series of small shops but often they are open air markets like the one I recently visited in Delhi.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of vendors at some of the larger food markets in India, most with a unique product or small series of products (for example, the “onion and garlic” or “apple and orange” vendor, and so on).\u00a0\u00a0 Sometimes you’ll find four or five vendors side-by-side selling exactly the same fruit or vegetable for exactly the same price.\u00a0 How does the local Indian consumer decide which one to do business with?\u00a0 I asked this of our G Adventures guide, K.V., who said traditionally people from a family frequent the exact same vendor (and his family) for generations.\u00a0 Loyalities and traditions run deep in India, far more than in the west.<\/p>\n

During my first days in Delhi I traveled independently and hired a local guide and driver, a very affordable and almost necessary luxury in India if you don’t want to deal with the chaotic traffic and hope to squeeze the most from your travel days.\u00a0 While driving from the beautiful Lotus Temple complex, my guide asked if it was alright if he stop and buy a few fruits and vegetables at the market for his family.\u00a0\u00a0 To me it was a great idea because I love the people, colors, smells and noises of markets, so I tagged along.<\/p>\n

$\"Delhi\u2019s$

Delhi\u2019s Subyard-Okhla Market<\/p><\/div>\n

The Subyard-Okla market was designed to service local residents, and did not have a tourist following.\u00a0The vendors and customers were curious about who I was and why I was taking photos of their fresh produce.\u00a0 Through my guide I explained that I am a blogger who loves to travel and write about my travels, and that I was going to do a post on their market.\u00a0 They found this very entertaining — amazed that someone from the Americas could care about their little slice of life.<\/p>\n

Soon some of the vendors tried to strike up a conversation, although they knew very little English and I knew absolutely no Hindi. \u00a0But it was fun for us to try to communicate. \u00a0Several wanted their photos taken and at the bottom of this post, you’ll see a few of these kind souls sharing their smiles and produce with us.<\/p>\n

As a rule I only buy “peelable” fruit when on the road — to help avoid the discomforts of “Delhi belly” — and the oranges were absolutely wonderful.\u00a0 I wished I could have bought and sampled more.\u00a0 Visiting this market and dealing with the kind people there was to be one of the best experiences I had in Delhi.<\/p>\n

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