Big is boring. By Martin HUSSER & Mathis NAVARRO

 

Farmer's market

Fool's bargain

We took the market photo on Saturday the 26th of December. It was in Langogne, a small town in Lozere. This market is located Place du Marché also named the “Halle”. Because it was Boxing Day, there were not as many people as usual. In front of the picture, you can see two men; one is selling something to another one who takes his wallet out of his pocket. On the right of the picture, you can see a table where there is bread for sale. On the left side of the picture, behind the two men, you can see two old women who are selling cheese to another woman. It is mostly goats’ cheese, called “Pélardon” in Lozère. This cheese can be very tasty. You can also see a greengrocer. Beside the farmers' market, you can see white trucks. The trucks are owned by the market stall sellers.  It was at 10 o’clock in the morning and it was very cold. We were a little tired because we went to bed very late the previous night. It was rather agreeable: the good smell of the hot bread and of roast chickens. There is a butcher near the place where they cook the chickens outside. This smelt so good! When there is the market, you can’t take your car, you have to walk and you feel the cold. When you see the path between the stands, you want to discover what there is next. You also meet many people, friends and tourists. Everyone walks slowly, first to look at the stands, second to have a chance to greet acquaintances and speak with them about the latest gossip. It is not the best photo in quality that we took, but it’s the most interesting one. We also think the angle is interesting; you can see the “path” which invites you to enter in the market.

We took the second photo during the Christmas holidays in Brive-la-Gaillarde which is a famous town in Limousin. This photo shows a supermarket. We chose to take this photo in color. That way, we can see distinguish all the parts of the picture like the cars, the colored vegetation, while the car park and the building are grey and sad. We thought the contrast with the first picture symbolic of how business and commerce imposes itself on our lives. We decided to take this side of the supermarket because it is the largest side, showing how big the building is. It represents all supermarkets in general. We were surprised that there were not many cars though it was a Saturday. Usually a lot of people do their shopping on this day. We smelled a strange smell, the one we can smell after a storm. There were a lot of puddles and the air was so damp. The place looked haunted… All the cars are different colors and designs, so we can imagine who owns these cars. For example, the old white car behind the red car may belong to an old person and the red car to a younger one.

Farmers’ market: there is a special atmosphere in a small market. We don’t just take a product, pay for it, and go back home. You walk in an alleyway, smell, touch and taste the products, admire the displays. You buy things that are not useful but you think that they are nice or even beautiful. When you buy something, what are you doing? Are you just giving money? No, of course not, you try to haggle a bit, and then you maybe shake the hand of the salesman, you take the product, and you continue your walk.

Fool’s bargain: this title is a critique of supermarket chains; the products they sell are often of poor quality. Moreover, some people who sell their products to supermarkets don’t take care of their products or of the animals that produce it. For example, hens that produce eggs are confined in small cages.

La Halle of Langogne is a French historical monument created in 1743 by Ambroise Prieuré. It has been a historical monument since 1942. It used to be the place where cereals, leathers, and many other products like chestnuts, oil and wine were sold. Now “la Halle” is the place where there is the weekly local market.

The chain to which this supermarket belongs is E. Leclerc. This brand comes from the name of its founder. There are many Leclerc stores in France but also in several other countries near France like Italy, Portugal and Poland. The first Leclerc was created in 1949 in the North-West of France, in Brittany. Behind us there is a stadium called Amédée-Domenech, we can’t see it in the picture but it’s a big stadium that is mostly used for rugby because there is a famous team of rugby players. It was called like that to honour a French international rugby player called Amédée Domenech in 2003.

When I (Martin) was younger, I went to this market every Saturday during the holidays. I love this place and people who are there. I always buy honey from the same seller and now he recognizes me and my family. I’m very fond of eating a cheese called “Pélardon” and I can only buy it in this market. So this market reminds me all these happy holidays. Because the population of the town is getting older, there are fewer sellers in the market every year.

My grandfather lives near this supermarket and when I (Mathis) was younger I used to run among the shelves with the trolley. I remember well those years passed with my grandparents in this supermarket. Behind this supermarket there is a park. I often went to this place with my grandparents because there are a lot of games like swings. We ate sandwiches that my grandmother prepared in the morning.

We chose as a common title for our two photos “Big is boring” because we think that the small market has a unique history whereas the supermarket is only one among many, all the same. Instead of a supermarket where people are always in a hurry and unhappy with the prices, we prefer a small market with a good atmosphere and a warm welcome.

Where do you prefer to go? To a small and welcoming farmers’ market, or to a sad and unwelcoming supermarket? Do you see the car park of the supermarket, where plenty of cars can be parked? There are only a few people. People go there only to buy things they need. And the contrast is here. You never go to a Saturday farmers' market only to buy things. You go there to walk about and chat. It’s not just a market, look at the picture: people are chatting. It the reason why there are always people in these markets. The supermarket is very different from the market. There are always the same products, and people always have the same idea: “I go to a supermarket because it’s not expensive, you find all the things you need, and it allows you to save time.”

People’s habits changed during the industrial revolution. Instead of going to the local market, they went to bigger and bigger shops where they were sure to buy all the things they wanted. Some cities want to preserve the memory of their past. In the past, people could go to the market to buy everything, but now, it is impossible, in a market, you can’t buy everything, and there are only a few things or old objects or products from local farms.

When we see the two pictures together, we think that city life has brought progress. This progress is good, but it’s not all good; the buildings are not nice, and it is the reason why we think it is worthwhile protecting our architectural heritage.

The feeling the photos conjure up regarding the city is neither positive nor negative. We think that markets are very nice but you can’t live without going to the supermarket where you can find everything you need.