If a picture of a destination is worth a thousand words, then a visit to its local market is worth a million.
There is perhaps no other place that encapsulates a location's economy, history and hygiene standards like the spot where its residents shop. Among the snacks and toiletries you get a sense of the day to day lives of the people, their values and, if you look close enough, their hopes and fears.
In the toy section we learn what residents want to be when they grow up. In the cosmetics section we learn what they want to hide. On the magazine rack we learn the local definitions of beauty, scandal and humor.
The experience isn't limited to the grocery store. At the fish market one man's morning work is an entire community's dinner. At the thrift store one person's trash is an entire country's history.
Here at Global Yodel we rounded up 10 pictures of various destinations' markets and stores. There's a wig shop in New York's East Village and a fish counter in Dubai. In Taipei women exercise in the 7-11 parking lot. In Budapest they style their hair in the windows of department stores.
Click through for stories on how locals shop, and ultimately live, around the world.
-- Helen Anne Travis
