French Market
Submitted by Margie Vicknair-Pray

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How well do you remember the French Market when it was REALLY a market?  I
remember barely being tall enough to peak over the edges of the big
ice-filled trays that were full of fish and other seafood... and the
vegetables!  There were so many stalls just packed full of fruits and
veggies - it was such a colorful and odor-filled experience to visit the
Market, not like the tourist-oriented version of today (which is nice, too,
just very different).  We lived out near the lake, and one of my fondest
early memories is of hot summer nights when my dad would call out, "Who
needs a watermelon?" and he'd receive a chorus of "yeses" from us kids.
We'd all pile, pajama clad, into the car and head for the Market.  It would
often be 9 or 10 at night and the market was still full of people and
things.  We'd run around in our jammies until we found the "right"
watermelon (or 2!) and dad would haul it to the trunk after paying the fruit
man.  Then we would drive over to the Cafe du Monde and pull into the curb
and dad would blink the lights.  A waiter (always old white men) would come
over to the car with a window tray and take our order, and then bring us
back mountains of snow-covered beignets and coffee.  We all drank coffee (au
lait) as far back as I can remember, and at all times of the day and night.
The car seats would be dusted with powdered sugar before we licked our
fingers and headed home.  Dad would ice down the watermelon and we would
feast on it the next day.  It was a good life!