The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Chayote and tomatoes in a Panama City Rey store- photo by Bart and Katie Adastra

My sons have always made fun of me because, no matter where we travel or what we are doing there, I have two stops I invariably must make. I have to go to a grocery store- preferably more than one- and if there is a farmer's market, I have to visit it as well. If pressed for time, I think I would choose to visit either of those two places before I would go to a museum or art gallery.

It's not that I don't like history, or art. I do. That's Culture, and goodness knows, I'm Cultured. But when I am in a new place, I want to know about the lives of the people who live there. About culture, with a lower case "c" What better place to learn about how people live than where they buy food?

It's genetic, I think- my dad loves grocery stores, as well. There's a store in San Antonio my family refers to as the "beholding" store, because when my dad walked through it the first time, he kept pointing things out to my mother, saying "Behold!"

Which brings me to these two lovely pictures. My son and his wife just got back from their honeymoon in Panama. While there they did many things- snorkled, petted a sloth, swam, relaxed, went to a discotheque, met people, you know, honeymooned. Most thrilling to me- they went to a grocery store! Bart and Katie, you have made me proud!

Peppers, eggplants and cucumbers in a Panama City grocery store. Photo by Bart and Katie Adastra
What did Bart and Katie learn about food in Panama? they liked it. Lots of seafood, very fresh, lots of fresh fruit. They took pictures of it, too, so maybe we'll blog about that!