My family recently had a rare weekend free of commitments so we started looking for something in the Dallas area that would be fun for all of us. We came up with a solution that satisfied all four of us and I wanted to share this experience with you. We agreed on a field trip of sorts to three different markets: the Dallas Farmers Market, Central Market and the Hong Kong Market. The Dallas Farmers Market was for me, Central Market for my wife and Hong Kong Market for our daughters. For some, a trip to the farmers market isn’t unusual, but for me, this was truly an adventure. I have always been a very picky eater and haven’t really eaten many fruits or veggies in my life. I am usually stopped by textures. I love most flavors, but I just can’t handle the textures of different foods. However, as I continue to free my mind and keep moving forward in my quest for a healthy life, I am working toward jumping this hurdle as well. I was very excited about this trip. First stop was the Dallas Farmers Market. I hadn’t read too much about it online, because I wanted to be surprised. My first impression was that it was much larger than I had suspected it would be. There were at least four barns for the vendors to set up shop in and there were people everywhere. It was great! We made our way into the first barn. It was only about half full but only because the local farmers aren’t in season yet. Vendor after vendor, side by side offering samples of nearly everything they sold. Uh oh, I was in trouble at this point! I started to get a tad scared of the samples. My wife and daughters were already reaching for something. It looked like an orange. Actually, it was a tangelo and guess what? I loved it! Amazing! In fact, we bought a basket just because it was something that I liked. Then I tried some pineapple. So sweet! I loved it, too. I tried oranges, papaya and more pineapple from Costa Rica. We left the Dallas Farmers Market with three or four bags that were quite heavy with fruits and veggies. Fresh green beans, oranges, pineapple, Brussels sprouts, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, tangelos, garlic and more! It was an amazing stop on our field trip and I can’t WAIT to go back. This photo is a glimpse of our loot from this stop.  Next stop on the Merlau Four Field Trip was the Central Market in Dallas. This part of the day was my wife’s choice. I've asked her to give her own account of the experience: ''This is a very popular grocery store chain, but there isn’t one close to our town. It happened to be only 10 minutes from the Dallas Farmers Market though, so that made it very convenient. I have always wanted to go, and really wish I could have spent more time exploring. If you aren’t familiar with this establishment, it offers a huge variety of all produce, meat, salads, breads, deli and more, all with experts to guide you along the way. Kind of like what Lowe’s has for the home improvement folks, Central Market has for the grocery shopper. There are chefs preparing freshly made recipes that you can watch in action. The butchers will take the time to tell you everything you would ever want to know about the selections at their counter. There is a Wine expert on hand in the liquor section. The bakery, well I could talk about that for hours. Every corner had some special surprise waiting. Really what I loved most about the time spent there was the inspiration that I had when I left. It helped encourage that desire to cook with fresh, natural ingredients to make the best for my family. It was so wonderful to see my daughters engaged in learning about the foods, too. Whether at Central Market or the Farmers Market, they asked questions and wanted to be a part of the action. That was the best!" Below is a snap shot of the items we picked up at Central Market for fun.  Last stop was the Hong Kong Market. My daughters are from China and this was a special place for them to visit. Our first visit here reminded us so much of the sights and sounds we witnessed in a market in China, it was really hard to believe. I’ve asked my 12 year old to write a little bit about this experience: ''I love going to the Asian market because it’s fun and awesome. Since I’m Chinese I like to look at all the different foods they have at the Hong Kong Market. We go to the Hong Kong market because there are things there that you can’t find at the regular everyday market, but are important to my sister and me. It even smells like China or at least what I remember China to smell like. My Mom and Dad agree. Usually what I like getting there is the candy. For example, Hi Chew, Zots, Hi Panda, Pocky, and Jellies. I also love steamed custard buns. My sister likes going there for the dumplings, noodles, and candy, like me. If you’re not use to different foods from around the world you may want to give it a try. Be warned that it isn’t like anything you know!'' Below is a picture of the items we purchased at the Hong Kong Market.  This field trip was a really incredible day for the entire family, no question about it. Having the entire family involved in the journey is worth it on so many levels. Knowing that our daughters are interested in healthy foods and understand that what we put in our bodies will affect how we feel and perform is an amazing feeling for my wife and me. So there you have it, one day in the life at the Merlau Four home. All are involved in the journey and we plan for it to stay that way. What sort of field trips have you taken with your family recently? Were any of these field trips related to your journey to better health? |
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