A few weekends ago, I did something rare. I ventured out of the house with a direct plan of what it was I was going to eat, on account of not knowing what I would encounter.
Now, you are probably going to be very disappointed (for those of you who are used to my photography, at least) as to HOW actually shit the photographs I am going to share in this post are going to be.
Firstly, I really appreciate and adore the aesthetics of cyberpunk and dystopian futures. Secondly, I didn't think that I could find that overall, steamy, thick with smoke, people gathered around, eating food prepared by vendors, chaotic, shoulder to shoulder jostling, and dimly lit laneways as I found this place.
Located at The Market Shed, Holland Street, Adelaide, South Australia, the venue is a bit of a weird one. Open Saturdays and Sundays (when there's an event, the venue appears to be a derelict carpark, or warehouse that was eventually converted into such a place, that... holds events. All sorts of events.) - It has toilets, it has seating, it has electricity.
It probably has running water. What it has is open space.
Anyway, upon wandering in off the "Real" road, and down the alleyway, along which was parked a tight row of cars and pedestrians wandering toward the smells and the smoke, I encountered the following visage:
A private parking area, full of milk-crates, prams, and people enjoying a meal. The fact the bacakground is better lit than the huddles in the cold, and the absence of a burning barrel around which people could gather for warmth just tickled my fancy in a way I can't entirely describe, because - you can't smell this picture.
Turning around, and you might be able to do so.
Some sort of delicious phillipino chicken skewers cooked over coals, outside the venue, and the air was thick with the smokepoint of various cooking oils. People bustled, lined up, and got food. All sorts of food. I didn't take any pictures of the food, but I was rather quite enamored by this view of the bins.
Behind the brick, glass and mortar, fairly lights twinkled, and people dined. People sat at tables with strangers, but didn't go so far as to share their food with others. I love the way the light from the inside refracts through the glass, and it looks like a genuine party on the inside, while bins silently watched on, waiting to receive the wastes of the throng.
The market shed had seemingly been there for ages, (and while I don't know the history of the place,
A car in a parking lot nearby was building a little bit of a history of its own:
I ate some "smashed" crispy chicken (Korean Fried Chicken - of course!) and rice. I had a helping of some Phillipino skewers, and a few potato fries, garnished with a dried fish salt. All of it was delicious. When my belly was full, it was time for my kidneys to do their part, so I went across the road to a gin bar, and I had a fake rum.
My wife had a fake mojito, then we drove home. Apart from the crowds (and the near constant apologies of people bumping into me as they tried to navigate around me - (I'm a large man!) - I reflected on the fact that had they not apologised, I would have never noticed them at all.
My mind was too much on the food, and too much on the atmosphere, which very much felt like a scene from the video game Deus Ex, or a Hong Kong alleyway of street food vendors.
Most pleasingly, I am assured that I didn't get any food poisoning from the event, and everything was fresh and delicious. An interesting venue, interesting, unconventional food trucks, and a satisfying evening away from the house.