St. Petersburg Wednesday Mid-day Market

WEDNESDAY MID-DAY MARKET

A week ago today, the Wednesday Mid-Day Market opened for the 2008-09 season. It’s in Williams Park, downtown St. Petersburg, every Wednesday during the season from 11 am until 2 pm. According to that wiki, Williams Park was “Founded in 1888 and originally named “City Park,” it was changed to Williams Park in honor of the founder of St. Petersburg, John Constantine Williams Sr.”

PEOPLE SHOPPING ON ONE OF THE WILLIAMS PARK SIDEWALKS

Tourists and locals stroll among the tents set up in the park shopping for arts and crafts. Many of the dealers also have booths at the Saturday Morning Market, which has a new location this year. Often, business folk hurry over to the park to grab a bite on their lunch break.

MUSIC ON STAGE

While they shop and eat, folks enjoy music from the bandstand. Last week, one of my favorite local performers, Sam Stone, was playing. He covers the music of Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles, James Taylor, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Simon and Garfunkel. His solo act is no lazy Ramada Inn cover act, he’s extremely good and fondly reminds me of many past times and places. It fits perfectly with kind of laid back setting too. I encourage you to check the Sam Stone link above for the dates and locations of his coming coming appearances. While you’re there, buy a copy of his CD.

Sam Stone is just his stage name as a musician, though. His real name is Sam Rivenbark and together with his wife, Bonnie, they operate the Postcard Booth at the Saturday Morning Market that I mentioned in my post on Fran Sim’s collection of Vintage Florida Postcards. The Rivenbark’s product is a collection of useful items (pillows, carry bags, mouse pads, cups, tiles, etc.) with images of vintage Florida postcards printed on them—an excellent gift to send the folks back home.

SOUL FOOD

Back to the food…

There was no question where my first eats would be: Mr. I Got Em! See this St. Pete Times article on the current Mr. I Got Em (Brady Johnson) and the history of Mr. I Got Em, complete with a photo of the original Mr. I Got Em. An excerpt: “Johnson, 57, carries on a tradition started by Elijah Moore, who walked the streets of St. Petersburg in formal wear, hawking homegrown vegetables and fresh fish for five decades. You want ‘em? I got ‘em!” he’d cry.”

I got some of my personal favorites: barbecued pork, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese. I should’ve gotten the corn bread too, but I was trying to be prudent–always a mistake. Everything tastes as good as it looks.

ENOUGH TO SHARE

If you follow this blog you may remember an earlier post, Mississippi Greens, that gives my Cuzn Don’s recipe for greens. (I heard from Don just yesterday—he’s back from a fishing trip where he caught 60 catfish! I’d say, “wish I were there,” but I know he’d put me to work cleaning them.)

The pulled (shredded) pork reminded me of my time living in Hawaii as much as time down here in the South, but with a few differences: Hawaiian pulled pork (also called Kailua Pig–that’s a very authentic recipe and good Hawaiian food blog) is traditionally cooked in a pit in the ground instead of the big drum like Mr. I Got Em’s is.

Hawaiians also add a macaroni side, but it’s a little different, too. The Hawaiian version is a cold macaroni salad mixed with potato salad. A typical Hawaiian plate lunch will have three starches: sticky rice plus the mac-cheese and potato salad mix. All those starches keep you very mellow and preserve the “aloha” spirit!

CREPES NEXT TIME?

My next visit to the Wednesday Mid-Day Market, I’ll (reluctantly) skip Mr. I Got Em and eat at La Petite France. He features crepes. In addition to what we usually think of as crepes (sweet crepes) he also has savory crepes. I wonder if one of each would be too much.

…OR MAYBE KIDNEY PIE?

When it comes to food, I plan ahead: the visit after my next visit to the Wednesday Mid-Day Market, I intend to eat at British Pies that serves meat pies to eat there or to take home. Last week his menu included these:

• Steak and Guinness with potato
• steak and kidney
• steak and mushroom
• steak and creamy puffer
• chicken and asparagus
• chicken and mushroom
• chicken and Thai green curry
• Cornish pasty
• barbecued pulled pork

There we are with barbecued pulled pork again! Hmmmm

I also intend to start saving for one of these. What terrific baskets. Just right for storing magazines.