Hello!
Today I am here
with a great experience from a local market in Anderlecht (part of Brussels)
called Abattoir. Abattoir is French for a slaughterhouse but you can definitely
find almost everything on this market. First of all, it's HUGE. You can spend a
whole day there and still not see everything what it offers. I absolutely love
this place. It's not only mixture of food and other commodities but also a
mixture of nations, races, colors, smells and sounds.
I knew that I
would definitely find what I was looking for but I didn't expect to be so
overwhelmed by it. I headed especially for vegetable and fruit, spices and meat
(so only the edible stuff) but I already know that I have to go back soon to
have a proper look at the flea market that is a big part of Abattoir.
When you go
through the vegetable and fruit market you don't even know where to stop first.
Everything is so fresh and it looks like it was set up for a magazine photo
shoot. The sellers are competing among each other over who is going to catch
another costumer so they are more than happy and willing to offer you a free taste
of everything they sell. So after a half an hour in this area you can be quite
full. :-)
Of course,
Abattoir would be nothing without the actual abattoir (slaughterhouse) where
you can find various kinds of meat. The butchers are cutting the meat right in
front of you and they are always ready to fulfill your demands.
As I mentioned
before the big part of the market is the flea market. You can find real
treasures here and it's the right place for bargaining. Unfortunately I didn't
have the time for it so my next visit to Abattoir will be definitely this
area.
Another part of
this wonderful place, and it shouldn't be confused with the flea market, is the
non-food market. There you can find new things for a very good price. I am
talking about shoes, handbags, clothes, perfumes, jewelry, household goods and
a lot of other stuff. The quality is probably not the best in the whole wide
world but, hey, who cares when it is so cheap, right?!
Even though most
of the sellers speak French, Dutch and English if you want to make successful
bargain at the market you should speak French and especially be bold, loud and
quick. I have to be honest I have none of these assets so I took a friend of
mine to do the bargaining for me and she was perfect. Thank you so much, the
sweetest Fao.
Another thing you
should be prepared for is the amount of people that is there. If you are not
fond of overcrowded places then this might not be the right place for you but
on the other hand I feel it belongs to it and it would be less experience
without all the people there. Just mind your belongings and watch over your
children!
Because Abattoir
is situated close to the neighborhood with a strong foreign community (mostly
African) then you can expect an international experience there. And that is
what I love the most about this place. I am always so happy when I see a place
where color of the skin, language, religion and the country of origin doesn't
matter at all or I should better say it matters so much but only in a good way.
Even though it's the business that brings all those people together, the thing
that matters the most is that it's possible and nobody wonders why.
 |
| Abattoir is also a great place for meeting friends; here are only a few of mine and my husband (on the left) |
So if you are
looking for an idea where to spend your next weekend (either as a customer or
only as an observer) and you want to experience something special then Abattoir
in Anderlecht (Brussels) is definitely the right place. Just enjoy!
xoxo
Your Funmilayo
