BOROUGH MARKET

BOROUGH MARKET

A reflection on my experience at the Borough Market in London!

BAKED GOODS

We noticed that baked goods tended to be left out on display or behind display windows. The containers normally used are paper or cardboard containers and there may be the occasional paper wrapping as well. For baked goods, they are usually either cut from the main thing for things such as bread or they are already pre-sliced such as cakes. There are labels for these goods and there are many places with labels that specify whether or not the baked goods have anything that the consumer may be allergic to.

PRODUCE

The produce (fruits and vegetables) is usually set up like a flea or farmers market with the vendors leaving the product out on display in baskets, crates, and so on. The fruits are usually placed in paper bags and handed to the customer. In regards to pre-portioned or not, the produce is sold how it is picked from the plant and usually the fruit or vegetable remains as a whole. There are labels to tell the buyer what they are getting but not much in regards to telling the customer where the produce came from.

CHEESES

The cheeses are usually left out in the open to showcase them to the buyer. There isn't much refrigeration for the cheese either as they are left out in the heat of the market. Vendors will give the buyer the amount of cheese they want in a paper bag but there wouldn't be much of an extravagant way to package the cheese. We could also see the cheese having labels to say what type of cheese that is being bought however there isn't much discussion about who created the cheese or whether it was produced in an industrialized or more rural way.

MEATS, SPICES, SUGAR & FLOUR

For the meats, they are put behind display windows with little to no refrigeration. The other goods such as spices are in some form of packaging, usually plastic, that provides the name or even lists the ingredients of the product. The meat would be wrapped in some form of paper wrap to avoid the blood of the meat from bleeding through the bag then placed into a paper bag. For the spices they don't provide the customer with a bag however all of the product is placed in some form of a plastic container and the same can be said about how sugar and flour are packaged before being given to the customer. The meats weren't preportioned as things like spices would, they are portioned depending on what slice or weight the customer wanted. Good liked spices and sugar are already pre proportioned except for non-processed or ground seasonings such as garlic which are sold by the amount of them similar to meat. The labels for the meats tell you the animal part and the labels on the seasonings tell you the name for grounded seasoning it may tell you where it was from and the other ingredients added to it.

DEMOGRAPHICS

For all of the goods, the prices and signage aren't on the individual item but rather on one big price board above or in front of the vendor. The shoppers are carrying their goods either in reusable bags they brought from home or paper bags. They tend to visit multiple booths, mostly booths that are linked together, for instance going to the seasoning booth after the produce booth. The demographics of the shoppers are pretty diverse. There are mostly women who are looking through the options. These women tend to be white as they look in awe at the more exotic food however there are still women of color who seem to frequent booths that remind them more of home or their roots. This is more of a space for adults, mostly those in their early twenties and older, not many children are seen and the hectic situation can be frustrating for parents. Most come with a group whether that is families, couples, or friend groups. There are tourists but they tend to frequent the restaurant areas more than the grocery section of the market. Locals are more likely to peruse the wares of the grocery section as they see what the Borough Market has to offer.