Lateral Eating

Firstly, thank you for writing this fantastic article about Marrickville Markets!  What prompted you to start writing about your "Lateral Eating" experiences and what is the premise behind the name

Thank you for reading my blog post!  I started blogging as a way of archiving memories, particularly those related to food.  I've been fascinated with nutrition since I saw the effect that diet had on my performance and body composition and later when I studied an introductory course; I believe eating real food (ie. not processed/packaged) is extremely important in order to be healthy, and that's how I cam up with the blog's name and tag line: "Lateral Eating: eating outside the box - literally".

You make a very interesting point about the misconception that Paleo eaters are not vegan haters.  How long has the Paleo way been part of your life and why the switch

Yeah and I hope that applies the other way round too!  I've been following a Paleo lifestyle (and I love how you didn't call it a diet) for a bit over 2 years.  I first heard about in 2007 and thought it made a lot of sense, but as with most people thought it would be too hard to follow.

As I got older and particularly after moving to Australia, some of my chronic health issues (knew pain, reflux etc) got worse. I also noticed my digestion, mood and energy levels were out of whack.

One day I stumbled across Mark Sisson's blog (Mark's Daily Apple which you can read more about "here") and decided it was time to try an ancestral approach, which obviously worked!

When writing an article, do you have a particular format in mind or do you simply write about what "speaks" to you at that time and place when visiting markets such as ours

Because I'm a control freak and the blog is what I do for fun, I try to be as spontaneous as possible with it.  I do have an endless list of places I want to visit and recipes I want to tweak and share, but what goes in posts is always what grabs my attention or reminds me of something; things I want to share with whoever lands on my blog.

If you had to choose a favourite stallie at Marrickville Markets, who would it be and why

The Butcher's Lunch, hands down, for their amazing pork and crackling, coleslaw and aioli (the roasted grass-fed beef is almost as good).  They sell it in a bun but are happy to serve it in a container if you BYO.

How would you sum up the world of Lateral Eating in 5 words

Eat real food, move, meditate

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Now for those of you who have yet to read this fantastic blog, simply click "here" and dive head first in to the world of Lateral Eating which we are pretty sure you will enjoy!

Enormous thank you to Lateral Eating for sharing some time with us and for writing a great article about our much loved Marrickville Markets.

Gobbled & Gulped

We LOVE the title of your blog!  What was the inspiration behind the name

I wanted a name that was fun and playful to reflect the feel of the blog.  I 'm a bit of a kid at heart and Gobbled & Gulped just felt right.

Though saying it proves to be a bit of a mouthful....scuse the pun!

What is it about food and locations that draws you to want to write about hidden pockets, tasty delights and new discoveries

I love a good time and I love it even more if that good time involves a good feed!  It's actually pretty simple philosophy.

the famous Bowen's Egg & Bacon roll

Luckily Sydney loves a good time and a good feed too so there's always something new to try and discover, and it's my hope the blog helps readers to discover some good times of their own too.

You are a fan of our Kings Cross Market.  When did you first "discover" this Saturday Morning Place To Be and Be Seen

I've known about the markets for a few years but only truly discovered them when I moved to Potts Point in early 2012.  Now they are so close to my backdoor they're practically in my backyard!

It's been great seeing the markets vitality grow with new stallholders and a greater variety of yummy food on offer.

Your photography is amazing!  Do you have a particular subject in mind when you choose a topic for your blog, or do you take a bunch at each location and then let it "present" itself to you as you write

Truth be told I'm a total novice, albeit one with a good camera...it's makes a difference!  Generally I have an idea about what direction I want to post to take, but I find it best to be flexible and above all patient.

Sometimes it can take weeks to pull together all of the shots I want for a full post.  On other occasions, like the recent post I did on Kings Cross Markets (which you can read "here") I had way too many photos from just one morning.

Then the hard bit's deciding which photos NOT to use!

In 5 words how would you sum up the world of Gobbled & Gulped

Adventures in food and beyond

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Massive shoutout to Gobbled & Gulped for writing an amaaazing article on our Kings Cross Market (if you missed the link before here tis again...just click "here" and while you're there you should see what else she wrote!) and we are over the moon that we were a place you discovered!

Ponytail Journal

Cute name for the blog.  How did you come to use this name and can you tell us what inspired you to become a blogger

I came up with the name Ponytail Journal in an attempt to best describe its purpose: a publication that explores my life as a model, food fiend, lover of all things functional and adventurer.

Ponytail Journal began as a place to collect my thoughts and people started to like it!.....And I started to like that people liked it!  So here we are!

Your bio includes you as being a "pursuer of goodness".  For you, what defines "goodness" and how much of a role does this play in your everyday life

I think to key to a great life is to seek out the things that make you happy.  For me "goodness" is the umbrella of things that make me enjoy existing in our weird and wonderful universe.

Most importantly food (that is REAL and honestly produced) is my sensory happy place. It's what makes me look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and also nourishes me with energy to explore and enjoy.

Goodness is also in the embracing of what life has to offer us.  Whether it be cross-stepping to the nose of my longboard, connecting with people around the world, or having a really good cup of coffee; the act of experiencing is always far more fun than the sum of its functioning parts.

You recently did a most magnificent blog on Orange Grove Markets for which we thank you.  How did you first come to hear of us and did you come with the specific intention to write a blog

I used to live close by Orange Grove Markets and it still holds a special place in my mind.  I am a strong believer in supporting food producers who take pride and care in their produce.

AND I had a little stall myself at Riverside Organic Markets called Spring St Chow while I was studying!  We sought to bring all the goodness we could find and share it in the sunshine wit the community.

Constantly travelling, I have come to the realisation that Australia is a pretty gosh darn unique and amazing place. With incredible land, things like farmers markets help to funnel all the produce goodness into a kind of culinary Disney Land.

How would you sum up the world of Ponytail Journal in 5 words

Hunting for goodness and adventure

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And on that note we would like to thank Ponytail Journal for not only writing an incredible blog on our Orange Grove Markets (which you can read "here"), but for also being a stallie at one of our other markets during her studies, and wish her luck on her quest to find all things good and real!

Dear Asparagus

We LOVE the title of your Blog. What were the reasonings behind it

I don't remember exactly how I came up with "Dear Asparagus".  I think I just wanted something quirky and food related, and that seemed to fit.

How long ago did you join The Land of Blog and drew you to it initially

I had been reading blogs for a while and loved seeing what everyone was cooking & eating and where they were eating out, so decided to start my own as a procrastination from the HSC (which was a few years ago now).

On of my friend started getting bored when I continually told her what I was eating for breakfast etc ("and I soaked the oats overnight"...) so I decided to have my own outlet to write all of these things that perhaps others might want to read.

I don't particularly mind if nobody reads it though.  For me it's there as a diary and I can refer to it, or look up a recipe I've written.

At the same time, it is nice to have followers and comments and it's like, "hey! Somebody likes to read what I write!"

Do you find yourself easily distracted during your day job (and study), wanting to simply drown yourself in food and all its glory

Haha!  Food is very distracting, especially when you work at a food market!  I suppose lots of my study breaks are for eating purposes and I always find myself the night before an exam preparing more elaborate meals.

Surely it counts as food chemistry study!?!

During every interview we have had for our own blog, we have noticed that the number one all time fave vegetable is kale.  What (in your opinion) is it that keeps it consistently at number one on the organic hit parade

Yes, kale is everywhere!  You walk through the markets and everyone is carrying bunches of it.  I love kale for its versatility: whether it's the base for an omelette, added to a minestrone or baked as "chips".

Quick tip: roughly tear the leaves and "massage" them (yes! that's right "massage them") for a minute with sea salt, olive oil and lemon.  They soften and taste less bitter (see recipe here: Kale Chips).

If you could sum up Orange Grove Markets in 5 words what would they be

Molives, community, early starts, friendly, you-must-try-the-pork-or-beef-roll-from-the-butcher's-lunch

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Huge thanks to Dear Asparagus for not just writing INCREDIBLE blogs but there are some sensational recipes just a waitin for you to try!

Dear Asparagus "Eat Your Freaking Vegetables"

Seana Smith

We love that you share your love of our Frenchs Forest Markets in your blogs.  When did this love affair begin?

We moved to the Frenchs Forest area about 6 years ago and found the markets soon after that.  Quite a few friends of ours had told about them before, but we never made it there until we moved close by.

Being a busy mum with blogs continually on the go, do you find that our Frenchs Forest outings can  hinder personal time or is it a natural Flow. 

By that we mean: you go to have a good time, you try, you buy with the intent to go home, stock up the pantry, get the meal ready for the evening only to find you have an little voice inside saying "time to Blog Seana, time to blog"

The absolute best times for me to go is really early in the morning, and that's generally the time I have to drop off my teenagers off for a 7am shift at Beacon Hills McDonalds. Then I can whizz back to the markets and browse joyfully before the big crowds get there.

Otherwise I tend to go mid-Sunday morning and take my 7 year old twins with me. They do get in the way of my browsing and they're always asking me to buy them things!  But at least they can help me carry the bags.

Through your blogs and outings to our markets have you noticed the way people view the markets.  Instead of simply rushing in/out with said groceries and list ticked off, they take time to sit back, relax, catch up and get to know the traders etc.

I see lots of families all sitting around and relaxing but I never get to do that as much as I'd like.  My kids are totally active, a bit wild even and they are NOT good at sitting still!

Do you have an all time number one top recipe that you make with the produce you buy?

No top recipe with the things I buy, but my children do have some favourites: lemon tart from the tarts and pies stall 

and salty pretzles from one of the bakeries.

I love that there is heaps of vegetarian food on offer as my husband is totally veggie and we eat heaps of veggie meals. He loves a felafel pack

I like to wander around collecting together whatever takes my fancy.  Then when I get home and unpack it, I can write a menu plan for the week using what I've just bought.

What 5 words would you use to encourage other families to come, sit a spell, kick of their shoes and relax a while at FF markets?

Love the fact that the foods are fairly locally grown and seasonal

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We would like to thank the amazing Seana for not only blogging about us, but sharing a part of her busy life and her photos with the OFM crew.

You can check out more of Seana's fab blogs here:

Sydney Kids Food & Travel Seana Smith

The Mum's Diet

Seana Smith (Author) Facebook Page