It's the Year of the Monkey...Dallas road trip! (pt.2)

February 14, 2016: it was Valentine's Day and I wanted to go to the Farmers Market. Our conversation the night before-

       Me: "I thought you liked vegetables."

       Wes: "I do but I don't care about them in their natural habitat."

Hahahahahaha! Luckily for Wes, there was more than just vegetables at the Dallas Farmers Market. The market had an indoor shed (or maybe they called it the barn) that was mostly restaurants. I think if it wasn't early on a Sunday morning, there would be some craft vendors there, too. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking because I love craft vendors. 

There was also a really neat community garden. If I lived in downtown Dallas, I would totally be a part of this. I don't actually know how you become a part of this. *sad face* The garden had various herbs and leafy greens growing in troughs. I suspect that by springtime, all the gardeners have a pretty bountiful harvest. This is perfect for healthy eating while apartment living since you don't really have a yard to grow your own organic veggies. 

The market had a lot of farmers selling fresh eggs (which I wanted but there is no way they would have survived the day so I passed), soaps, dog treats (I bought some cheddar apple treats and Sadie & Athena loved them), honey and a lot of food vendors--baked goods & coffee, Cajun food, grilled corn on the cob, Mexican food, seafood, etc. 

       We bought some flavored honey sticks (pictured above). They are little straws filled with honey that you can dissolve into your tea. We got an orange, cinnamon, mint and natural honey stick. The farmer selling them looked a lot like my old neighbor, Dustin. We wanted to have lunch at the market but we gorged ourselves at breakfast in the hotel so we needed to kill some time. I wanted to explore Downtown Dallas but since it was early on a Sunday morning nothing was open. My mom had asked us to get her some Chinese New Year cards on our trip but the festival didn't have any so we made a trip to one of the Chinese grocery stores. 

We missed the dragon dance at the finale the night before but we saw our fill at the Hong Kong Marketplace! We arrived just as the dancers were finishing up their performance in the parking lot. We followed them into the grocery store, up and down all the aisles and then next door to the shopping center. I think the performers at this school were better than the ones that performed at the festival. They also needed ample space to perform but they didn't ask... they just barreled through the crowd. If you didn't move, you were getting a kung fu kick in the face! 

We searched all throughout the store and the shopping center but there were no greeting cards. I always want to get groceries but I never think they'll make it home during the drive so I have to pass. One of these days, we're going to stay a week and I'm going to shop my little heart out and cook us a feast! 

Aisle 3: flour, seasonings, dragon dancers.

After an hour or so at the grocery store, we headed back to the farmers market for lunch. Wes got tamales and I got a grilled corn on the cob. Both were delicious. I wanted to visit the Fabric District (yes, this does exist and there is a fabric warehouse!) but all the shops were closed on Sunday. I think we had our fill of adventures for the weekend anyway so we headed home. Driving around Dallas is crazy & stressful but we made it! I only almost got in an accident once! (and it wasn't really my fault; I was trying to merge onto the highway and this asshole wouldn't let me merge.)
       It was a fun Chinese New Year + Valentine's experience. I'm glad Wes and I share the same interests (and ideas on how to celebrate holidays!) and that we travel well together. More adventures to come!!!