The Farmer's Market

and Anyetsang's Little Tibet

The husband was out of town this Saturday morning,

so the Foodie Daughter, the Foodie Boyfriend and I

headed to town.

Our first stop was the Farmer's Market.

Locally grown produce, food products and plants

are available here.

The market claims to be the largest

in the state of Indiana

and is open every Saturday morning

from April to November.

This early in the season

many of the vendors were selling plants

rather than produce.

Fresh spinach,

eggs,

honey,

maple syrup,

jam

and meats were also available.

Some places had food for sale

so that people could eat while they shopped.

The Foodie Daughter liked this area

as it was out in the sun.

There was a brisk wind and the temperatures were only

in the mid to upper 50's.

Even this early in the year

the place was hopping.




Children at play under the twenty-three foot tall
limestone table and chairs.






They were having fun,

if their playful shrieks were any indication.







A fiddler set up in the middle of the market.

Here a gentleman plays the guitar,

hums on the harmonica

and sings to the group.

The parrot apparently is a fan of his music.

Another group of musicians were set up across the market.

The Showers Fountain is not turned on yet.

The water runs out of the large limestone "jar"

and travels down the serpentine path until it

reaches the center of the swirl in the foreground.

The water is then recycled back to the top of the "jar."

When it is warm out, the children love to splash

and wade through the "river."


Today my purchases included a jar of wildflower honey,

a jar of strawberry jam

and a pint-size container of small sweet potatoes.

Later, while walking along Indiana Avenue

by the university,

I found this plaque.

And now you know more about Hoagy.

The Foodie Boyfriend wanted to take us out to eat at

Anyetsang's Little Tibet Restaurant.

It turns out that he knows Tenzin,

who is one of the owners and a wonderful cook.

A framed photo of the Dalai Lama greets guests in the foyer.

(photo by the Foodie Boyfriend)

FB and I each ordered a Mango Lassi,

which is an iced yogurt drink.

It is sweet and refreshing.

I ordered lentil soup with my meal.

Hearty and satisfying.

My companions ordered salads.

My order of Sha Balay arrived.

Sha Balay is a staple of the Tibetan diet and consists of

pan-fried crispy cakes that have been stuffed with

a mixture of ground beef, green onions and yellow onions
that have been seasoned with traditional Tibetan spices.

Dishes of hot sauce and soy sauce accent the dish.

This was a very nice dish,

though I might ask for a milder hot sauce next time.

The Foodie Boyfriend went Indian with his order.

Here he has Red Curry Beef with white rice.

He likes food on the spicy side,

so he asked for a spice level of 3 (out of 5).

The dish is mixed to FB's delight.

The Foodie Daughter ordered fried Mo Mo.

She doesn't care for much spice,

so she stuck with the soy sauce.

This is classic Tibetan food at its finest.

An impressive pedigree.

*

Thank you,

Foodie Boyfriend,

for treating us to lunch.

And a very special thank you to

the Anyetsang family,

Thupten, Tenzin and Rinzin,

for a wonderful lunch.