Lesson

Wander the isles and imagine a walk through the grand bazaar in Istanbul where fragrant spices and colorful rugs awaken the senses. This is not that place. Here, vendors peddle wizardry for salsa-making, foot massaging, and house cleaning. The booths number in the hundreds and fill two floors. People buy fudge chunks and then lie down to rest on mattresses they hope will comfort them better than what they have at home. My head turns left to right, right to left, as it catches the magnificence of a sharp blade chopping vegetables. The demonstrator wears a microphone to propel his voice over the crowd bumping elbows. Perhaps this blade has the edge that inspires me to be smitten with my kitchen. It could replace the light and agile knife that I left on the porch for its owner to retrieve a short while ago. The seller takes debit, credit, or cash, but my readiness slows. Next door a different carnival man hawks recliner chairs. I ease that direction, sit down, and put up my feet. This chair goes well with the organic bamboo blanket that I see several stalls down.