See me, see food, see drink… I love it.
One of the first things I do when I arrive in a city on a break or a holiday is find out where the nearest food market is and head over there for a leisurely stroll around the stalls.
I have seen some belters in my time from Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver to Markthalle Neun in Berlin, Borough Market in London, to Big Feed Street Food Social in Glasgow.
Right around the globe, these markets have many things in common – a dizzying array of produce, some excellent food and drink to enjoy in a vibrant atmosphere, a showcase and support network for local companies and a sense of being somewhere exciting, somewhere you want to hang out.
All of this means, of course, hunners of folk flocking to food markets making them major drivers for the local economy.
The plans for replacing Aberdeen Market – a building more past its sell-by than foosty Cheddar – look very tasty indeed.
And now, Aberdeen is well on its way to having its slice of this rather rich and exciting cake.
Mix-and-match of best bits of food markets I love
Not only that, the plans for replacing Aberdeen Market – a building more past its sell-by than foosty Cheddar – look very tasty indeed.
Dare I say, it’s a sort of mix-and-match of the best bits of many of the food markets I know and love.
There is, of course, the question of the cost, checking in at £75 million. But, in my humble opinion, it will be worth every penny – even the £20 million Westminster are chucking in in their crassly blatant attempt to caw the legs from under Holyrood by bypassing the Scottish Government. But if the Tories want to give us back our own money – we do pay taxes, you know – that’s grand.
The new Aberdeen Market looks open, light, full of not just foody goodies, but craftsmen and artisan outlets too.
What’s not to like?
Chance to make Aberdeen better
Which is where the Abermoaners come in, right on depressing, monotonous cue. The nattering naysayers just cannot stand the idea of anything good happening, can they? For goodness sake, there are even Facebook pages that seem to be devoted to nothing but declaring how crap they think Aberdeen is. Shame on them.
The way to get the heart of Aberdeen pumping again isn’t for asking for a resurrection of bygone days of E&M and Falconers.”
Social media is awash with people calling the new Aberdeen Market a waste of money, an ugly glass box, along with tiresome finger pointing at empty shops on Union Street, with the usual pearl necklace-clutching angst about where have all the good stores gone. Into the past, that’s where. Welcome to the new reality.
The way to get the heart of Aberdeen pumping again isn’t for asking for a resurrection of bygone days of E&M and Falconers.
It’s about finding things that will actually make people want to be there. Like a state-of-the-art food market.
We have a chance to make Aberdeen so much better being handed to us on a plate. We should lap it up and ask for more.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express