"By their markets ye shall know them." OK, no one actually ever said that, but on my travels I have often found it to be true. After all, what lovelier way to learn the nuances of a foreign culture than rubbing shoulders with the locals, tasting the flavors of their land? Well yes, there is literature and art and music, but we certainly can't appreciate those on an empty stomach; and so, before heading to the Prado or the pyramids or a voodoo ceremony, you may just find me visiting the local
