This week Belle and I returned to Soulard Market for my last images for this semester. The market has decreased by half due to the end of the season here in St. Louis. A few of the remaining vendors have also replaced their stock with candies for the holidays. I think I got three good picks though. First, I came across some beautiful artichokes and I decided it was time to battle them again. The first time I had no idea how to work with something that changed colors so quickly. During my internship at the studio this quarter though I got a lot of advice from the food stylists. I was also lucky that one of the three I bought had such a beautiful violet heart. Belle of course found some of her favorite homegrown sweet peppers too. The peppers are probably my favorite shot of the week. Last was the kiwi.
The kiwi is where the story comes into play this post. We had seen kiwi at a couple of stands, but it was the last food I decided on. We passed one stand who had kiwis that were a little larger. When we stopped to buy, the man working the stand wanted to tell Belle the "Legend of the Kiwi". According to him, there was an island where the kiwis grew. A family of beautiful birds guarded the kiwis and wouldn't let the other birds eat them. The other birds got together and used their magic to turn the beautiful birds to look like their beloved fruit. What an interesting story. So I decided to research an image of the kiwi bird and find the full legend to post for all of you...I found the bird image, but the legend I keep finding is very different from the Market salesman. The legend I found said that the god of the forest was worried that his trees were dying. He asked each of the bird families to help him tend his trees and they all refused for different reasons. Only the kiwi agreed, even though he told them they would have to get stronger feet, thicker feathers, and lose their beauty. In return the god gave him a longer beak to grab food easier. Now, I don't know for sure which is right, but I am guessing the second one is closer to the actual legend.