📕 Part 1: Street markets 2.0

So, Rory, do you like going to street markets?

God... We seem to be going through a period of topics that don't really affect me. I haven't been to a street market in years. They don't tend to have things that I'm really interested in. Usually I buy various bits and pieces online unless it's a book or a trinket for people back home. But like I say, that hasn't been for a while.

When was the last time you went to a street market?

I honestly can't recall. But if I were to guess, randomly, I think it was when I went to Haiti. And there was a collection of stalls and tables by the seaside. And they sold gifts based on seashells and things like that. You had to haggle over the prices, which I wasn't good at. But it was why I remembered it because I remember the merchants being really annoyed with me.

Are there any street markets in your country?

Well, probably not as many as there used to be after the pandemic, but you do see them from time to time, especially farmers markets in the villages or small towns.

What do people usually buy there?

Well, I'm hardly an expert, but I think a lot of them sell local foodstuffs and handicrafts. Of course, you can have small stalls and tables with just about anything, but it seems like those would be the main good sold.

Do many people go to street markets in your country?

I honestly wouldn't know, but if I were to guess then I would say they would if they were given an easy opportunity to. People love a good bargain, and oh, well, or unique gift. And it's possible to get those at street markets.

Do you prefer shopping in a mall or a street market?

Actually, I'd rather shop online if I can. I'm really busy. And I don't have time to go traipsing around town or a big shopping center when I can sit at home in relative comfort or go for a relaxing walk.

Thank you very for your answers! -

So what's wrong with you? You don't take photos you don't like taking photos of your food. And then you don't go to street market. So all IELTS topics are just, you know, lost with you, Rory. You're not into shoes. You don't like bananas with raisins.

Yes, but behold, I have used lots of nice phrases and grammar structures to get myself out of this.

Yes, true. Dear, gorgeous listener, Rory said that... Oh, first of all, okay, we go to street market. And what are street markets?

Markets in the street?

Yeah, yes, exactly. So we have a shop and we have a market. A market is... Well, it's like what? Grand Bazaar. A market. But a market could be indoors and also outdoors.

Yes. So it's complicated. However, if we think of it like a place, or a group of places selling different things from different counters, or tables, or stalls, then that's a market. What is a stall, you might ask? For me a stall is, it's like a table, but it has a cover over it. And it sells something or has something a theme, for example.

A market is an area in which commercial dealings are conducted.

Oh, well, there's a much easier to understand explanation.

Oh, there we go. Street market, there we go. A regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, which means animals and other commodities. Commodities, like necessary products. Like sugar, water, what, bread. So street markets in the street. Okay, cool.

Yes, what did I say?

Yeah, I'm just repeating for our listener to understand what street markets are. So Rory told us that...

I really didn't tell you anything. Like I used words that... There were no specialist terms at all here. We should probably focus on the structures I used first because you can use these to talk about anything. So...

True.

Here like an expression like I haven't really been to bla, bla, bla, in years. And they don't tend to have things or stock things that I'm interested in. So at least you're using words that are sufficiently high level without actually talking about the subject.

If the examiner asks you about art galleries, like do you like going to art galleries? You go, I haven't been to an art gallery in years. So they don't...

They don't tend to have things I'm interested in.

Yeah, perfect. Or what about museums?

I haven't been to a museum in years. They don't tend to have things I'm interested in. Also COVID. They're closed.

Yes, yeah, yeah.. So you see, you can use this strategy. And then you said like, trinket. Like, I buy various bits, or a book or a trinket for people like home.

It's like a trinket's like a small gift. It's not really got much value to it practical or otherwise.

For example, when I went to Elbrus, I got you a trinket.

Did you?

Do you remember?

Oh, is it the bear paws that I have tattooed?

Oh, he forgot. He forgot. No, it was from Pyatigorsk. Oh, yeah, from this area, but from Elbrus I got you this wristband. Oh, he forgot. Ah, I gave you this wristband and you forgot.

It's probably...

Fine!

It's probably in my collection of wristbands that I can't wear anymore.

He threw it away.

I didn't throw it away. I can't wear them when I'm in the primary school. It's against the dress code. How delightfully exciting Scottish primary schools are. You can't wear shorts and T-shirts. You can't wear elastic bonds round your wrists. It's sad.

And you have to hide all your tattoos?

Yeah. I'm not enjoying this. Like I am enjoying teaching small children. But I'm not enjoying these ridiculous rules that other adults have come up with.

Oh, bother. It's interesting, that in the first question, in the first answer, you said that I don't really go to street markets. And then I go, when was the last time you went to a street market?

Well, yeah, but in the exam, like the examiner has the set of questions and they can't change it because you don't know anything about it. So you just have to go with it. So I said like, I honestly can't recall. Like, I don't remember. And I don't care too. And then if I were to guess, and you just guess.

Yeah., yeah, yeah. Yeah, so recall is like remember. I honestly can't recall, like I honestly can't remember, like, seriously, you can't remember. The same like, when was the last time you went to a museum?

I honestly can't recall. If I was to guess, randomly, I think... I don't know. I think it would be when I went on a field trip for university. I don't know. It's a long time ago.

Yep. Yeah. So something like this. And then Rory used a very specific word about street markets and shops. You said a collection of stalls and tables.

Yes. So we talked about stalls, which are like these tables with roofs over them. For Haiti they had the roof over them because it was really sunny and really hot. Tables are just squares and rectangles with legs.

Yeah, and Haiti, Rory doesn't mean a place where everybody hates each other. Haiti is a country in the Caribbean, in the Caribbean.

Yeah.

Haiti. The pronunciation is like hate, oh, we hate.

It's great. People should go there, but just don't go alone, or whenever they have a riot, which is exactly what I did.

So at the market, at the market, what do people do over the prices?

They haggle over the prices, which is just another way of saying like, aggressively negotiating in a traditional way. It's super common in African and Middle Eastern countries and places in the Caribbean.

Yep. Haggle. I also haggle. Oh, in Russia, you can haggle at the market.

Really?

Yeah, yeah. If I, for example, I take a lot of vegetables, or like berries or fruits at the vegetable market. I go okay, I'm gonna take all this and but are you going to give me a discount? So yeah. Oh, my father is so good at haggling. Oh, my God. You should see him. He goes like, okay, I'm gonna take this for 50. And the price was like, 150. Yeah, he's amazing. So haggle. Haggle over the prices or what preposition should we use?

You have to go over the prices or you're just haggle.

You haggle to get a good bargain. And Rory told us people love a good bargain.

Apparently.

A bargain, like a good deal.

Yeah.

So you negotiate a price. You haggle over the prices, and then you get a good bargain. And then you said that at street markets, people sell local foodstuffs and handicrafts?

Yes. So foodstuff is just another way of saying foods, and handicrafts are crafts that you make with your hands. It's so simple, but apparently, it's like higher level vocabulary. And I'm just like, yeah, it doesn't sound like it.

Oh, yeah, specific. Yeah. What about foodstuffs? You said not food stuff, but stuffs. Can it be plural?

It can and it often is but you also have like something is a foodstuff, or they sell foodstuffs. So it's basically just something that's used as food or something that's used to make food. It doesn't sound terribly precise, does it? But that's what it is. So a foodstuff would be like grain meat.

Yeah. Dairy products, like all these yogurts, the milky stuff, cheese. Yeah, local food stuff. We can also mention farmers markets. So farmers grow their own food, and then they sell them at the market. So stalls, farmers markets, foodstuffs, handicrafts are all good to go. And then, like the question was like, okay, do many people go to street markets in your country? And you said, oh, I wouldn't know, but I guess they would if they were, oh, gosh, the second conditional all over the place.

But the point is, it's another way of talking about something that you don't have a clue about. So it could be like, honestly, I wouldn't know but I guess they would if they were given an easy opportunity. Ask me a different question about a different subject, Maria.

Do people in your country go to art galleries?

I honestly wouldn't know but I guess they would if they were given an easy opportunity to.

Okay, can you be a bit slower for our listener to repeat. Our listene, you can just listen to Rory and repeat exactly what he says. So Rory, do people in your country go to planetariums?

I honestly wouldn't know but I guess they would if they were given an easy opportunity to.

Oh, God. Okay, and the last word that we're going to talk about now is go traipsing. Right?

It's traipsing.

Traipsing around town, go traipsing around town. Traipsing.

Traipsing is just another way of saying walking or moving like really wearily or reluctantly. So if you, it's like if you go for a walk, but you don't want to go for a walk. You're like... Moving from side to side. Don't really want to walk.

Like a child, you're like... Let's go to McDonald's. Why are we at this stupid street market? Yeah, so we can say traipse around the shops, or traipse through street markets or national parks, yeah. Okay, cool. That's a nice word. Yeah, and shopping mall. Right? A mall is a huge mall, a shopping mall or a shopping store. A shopping center, you can say. And also Rory has used a good structure, like, I'd rather shop online. So I'd rather do it. I'd rather buy things online.

Yeah, if you're very fast, when you're thinking. If you ever get offered one of these silly choices by your examiner, like do you prefer, I don't know, doing one boring thing or the other boring thing? Then you could say, actually, I prefer to do something that isn't boring.

Yeah. Do you prefer going to planetariums or art galleries?

Actually, I'd rather stay at home and watch Netflix. Netflix pay me money.

So there you go. Dear listener, street markets.

Hopefully we have provided you with a marketplace of ideas and vocabulary to choose from.

Ah, God. A marketplace. Yeah. We should organize our own street market with our Success with IELTS merch. T shirts with Scotland freedom or underwear Scotland freedom, maybe socks, mugs, caps? Rory, which merch do you want? Merch like merchandised products.

I want a cap.

You want a cap? Okay. With "Maria, I love you"? Or "Hello, sunshine"?

No. With Success with IELTS.

So you don't want any photos of me, you don't want any photos of me, any drawings of me? No merch with me? Right? Okay, fine. Fine, Rory. I'm okay with that.

Okay, bitter. Let's move on, shall we? Thank you for listening!

Thank you for listening! Bye!

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