PIKE PLACE MARKET

 

 

PIKE PLACE MARKET

 

One of the oldest U.S. farmer's markets,

nine acres (between First & Western Avenues

bound by Union & Stewart Streets)

in the heart of downtown Seattle.

 

A Klondike staging area in the Gold Rush

circa 1890 when 70,000 prospectors

passed through this way hoping against hope

to suddenly strike it rich.

 

We watch fishmongers in white aprons

play catch, throwing long salmon to one another,

often several metres through the air, an aerial

circus that delights the passersby.

 

Copper River salmon most prized for when they enter

freshwater on their journey upriver to spawn,

they stop feeding and survive

on stored energy reserves.

 

Longer rivers with difficult terrain like the Copper in Alaska,

require more energy in the form of fats and oils,

reserves that give wild salmon its flavour and succulence,

a rich natural source of omega-3 fatty acids.

 

Only 300 miles long, the Copper drops 4,000 feet,

making up in turbulence what it lacks in length,

so the King becomes fat-bellied,

a well-muscled thoroughbred.

 

King aka Chinook sell at $35 a pound, 

and longer at sea, they grow to twenty pounds

or more, but many favour Sockeye (Red)

for its cleaner taste and firm texture.

 

These wonders of water are parked in ice,

head to tail in vertical or horizontal design

for shoppers to casually browse by icy stalls,

fast-flowing rivers left far behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening, we visit Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center to see Madama Butterfly, Puccini's opera in which a Japanese maiden catches the fancy of a caddish American Naval officer, crosses cultural boundaries to become his bride, and grapples with a serious predicament while faithfully awaiting his return.

     At the pre-performance talk, Sue Elliott, Director of Education forewarns us that "This opera hurts," and she playfully recommends 4-5 tissues are usually required. Puccini's "Big 3" includes Tosca, La Bohème and Butterfly, the latter being the opera that is most produced yearly. Sue, a Canadian with a degree from McGill University, is a great source of information and she enriches our viewing experience. I am impressed with their entire world-class operation.

     Marion Oliver McCaw Hall is the region's premier performance hall. It opened in 2003, and includes a state-of-the-art 2,900-seat auditorium, 400-seat Lecture Hall, café, luminous five-story serpentine glass Grand Lobby, and a 17,800-square-foot public plaza (Kreielsheimer Promenade) that serves as an entry into McCaw Hall and the Seattle Center Campus. McCaw Hall is the home to Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, community festivals and guest performers from around the world. My wife fortuitously discovers that it also offers attractive jewelry.

     Sue tells us that they use the Canadian Opera Company's minimalist set and costumes for Butterfly, and that on opening night, they staged a simulcast with five thousand viewers watching the entire performance in the adjacent park.

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

more fun with a published travel piece