I enjoy going to the open air market in The Hague. I prefer to get my fruits and vegetables from these noisy people that lend part of their identity to the goods they are selling. You can choose from buying those juicy tomatoes that caught your attention from their own initiative or go for the tomatoes that are offered in a deep voice by that dark-eyed young man who will brighten your day with his modest smile while giving you the change.
I wanted some cheese that would be perfect for my favourite warm sandwiches and I got offered several options depending on taste intensity and duration needed for the cheese to melt. At home I was happy with my choice, kindly guided by the cheese-boer.
“Boer” translates into english as farmer but in my language it has a different meaning which slightly amuses me every time I hear or use this term myself.
In romanian we have the word “boier” which translates as boyar, nobleman, or lord.
So imagine saying to your friends: “I went to the market today and I got this delicious cheese from the Cheese Lord”, or “The fish from the Fish Lord was so fresh and tasty today “. Magic!
You can get all the herbs that you need for cooking, dry or fresh. Speaking of fresh, a Must at the Haagse Markt is the fresh mint that you can use for tea, cooking or just aromatherapy.
It is also a place to learn. I’ve seen fruits (or were they vegetables?) that I couldn’t even name, not to mention having any idea of how they taste. Next time.
But you have to be patient. Sometimes people are moving a bit too slow (can you blame them?) staring at the wealth of colours and tastes displayed right next to them.
And bring a big backpack (and a friend, it’s more fun) – the prices are irresistible! Even though the amounts are sometimes exagerated.
