I have always loved going to the Saturday morning markets. It is something I did often with my mum when I was younger before I had sport and work commitments. Since being in Dunedin for my second year now, I hadn’t once been to the farmers market which I had heard so much about. I had always been meaning to go but never got around to it mainly due to the fact that it was quite a walk from where I live. I had put some money aside during the week to save for the markets and I was looking forward to buying some locally grown produce. I knew that the fruit and veggie’s would probably be a bit more expensive then the fruit and veggie shop down the road however nothing beats organic, locally grown fresh produce so I was willing to pay a little extra.
We had a bit of a late start and didn’t end up getting to the markets till after 11, it was still very busy however and everyone was laden up with all sorts of interesting things. My sensors were working overtime taking in everything that was going on; the smell of freshly brewed coffee, an acoustic guitar playing in the back ground, the rushing of people around me, all the interesting looking stalls, all the interesting looking people. However, the one thing that overpowered all of these things and caught my attention the most was a particular smell, it made my mouth water and without even realising, I found myself walking in the direction of the smell along with the rest of the crowd. It wasn’t long before I found myself at the back of a line with a $5 note in my hand ready to order a world famous BACON BUDDIE! And it did not disappoint, I inhaled the entire thing and enjoyed every bite however I didn’t feel quite so good after… Feeling very full after eating a heart attack between two pieces of bread we figured it would do us some good to have a bit of a walk around the entire market to see what they were selling and what bargains we could find!
There were plenty of stalls scattered around and they all sold quite different things however considering how late it was many of the stalls were looking pretty scarce and owners were beginning to pack up. All the fruit and veges in particular had been well picked over and there wasn’t much left at all. I was a little disappointed as I was looking forward to getting some fruit and things but I guess I will know for next time that you have to get in quick! After doing an entire loop around all the stalls we found ourselves back at the food stalls and couldn’t help ourselves but get some dessert after our failed attempt at getting fruit and veges so with the money we had been intending to buy healthy food with, instead we all went and got waffles! A decision I am not proud of but I enjoyed every jam and cream filled mouthful.
Having not achieved anything we had intended to do or get, I was feeling pretty content with myself regardless. The bacon buddie and waffles alone are worth going back for! At least I know for next time that you need to get in quick to get the fresh produce but if not, there are still plenty of other things worth spending your money on! Well in my opinion anyways.
"An affordance is a quality of an object, or an environment which allows an individual to perform an action".
"An affordance is a quality of an object, or an environment which allows an individual to perform an action".
Affordance relates to the activities we engage in and their ability to bring about changes in us. I had been thinking about this in relation to shopping this week and how engaging in this activity causes us to act in a certain way.There are three components of affordance that we looked at this week in class: communication, connections, good and bad. After going to the markets in the weekend i was able to see how this activity fits in to these three aspects or affordances.
Communication can be defined as the activity of conveying meaningful information. While at the markets this was evident in a range of ways. The verbal communication between individuals was occurring all around. In my case we met up with some other friends when we arrived and we all grabbed something to eat together so it ended up being a real social thing where we caught up, talked about our weekend plans and discussed what stalls we were wanting to check out and suggested different ones to each other.
There was the communication between the seller and buyer, a relationship quickly developed when the buyer took interest in what the seller had to offer, immediately the seller would strike up conversation or offer a taste test etc. There was often some negotiating that went on between the seller and buyer.
The sellers obviously took pride in what they were selling, it was an expression of their hard work and skills which they were now able to receive credit for both financially and verbally. This was their way of communicating to others what they were capable of doing and an expression of themselves, people were able to show their appreciation for it by purchasing whatever it was they were selling.
Connections are constantly being made. There is a evident culture at weekend markets, the exchanging of fresh food and home made goods. I felt an immediate connection to my child hood as the markets were something i did often with my mum when i was younger and it had the same feel about.
Good and Bad aspects i guess would be the never ending need to purchase food and the constant spending of money. As a student i am very much limited by money and food from the markets can often be more expensive then purchasing from the supermarket. On the other hand the markets offer a great opportunity to give back to the community and support the local economy rather than buying from big supermarkets like countdown that import a lot of their produce from over seas.
Communication can be defined as the activity of conveying meaningful information. While at the markets this was evident in a range of ways. The verbal communication between individuals was occurring all around. In my case we met up with some other friends when we arrived and we all grabbed something to eat together so it ended up being a real social thing where we caught up, talked about our weekend plans and discussed what stalls we were wanting to check out and suggested different ones to each other.
There was the communication between the seller and buyer, a relationship quickly developed when the buyer took interest in what the seller had to offer, immediately the seller would strike up conversation or offer a taste test etc. There was often some negotiating that went on between the seller and buyer.
The sellers obviously took pride in what they were selling, it was an expression of their hard work and skills which they were now able to receive credit for both financially and verbally. This was their way of communicating to others what they were capable of doing and an expression of themselves, people were able to show their appreciation for it by purchasing whatever it was they were selling.
Connections are constantly being made. There is a evident culture at weekend markets, the exchanging of fresh food and home made goods. I felt an immediate connection to my child hood as the markets were something i did often with my mum when i was younger and it had the same feel about.
Good and Bad aspects i guess would be the never ending need to purchase food and the constant spending of money. As a student i am very much limited by money and food from the markets can often be more expensive then purchasing from the supermarket. On the other hand the markets offer a great opportunity to give back to the community and support the local economy rather than buying from big supermarkets like countdown that import a lot of their produce from over seas.
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