Market Mayhem

(Melbourne Design Market in the Federation Square Parking Lot: ML)

As I wandered around Melbourne, I couldn’t seem to escape the massive amounts of markets. It was as if the entire city was for sale all at once.

First, on the way to Federation Square, Melbourne’s newest and most prominent art center, I passed by an arts and crafts fair setting up for a 9 am opening. Although I’m much too boring to buy anything, the aboriginal art and glass mushrooms were far more interesting than the Federation Square book fair I sprinted through.

I found myself at the twice-a-year Melbourne Design Festival which had engulfed half of the Federation Square underground parking lot. Nestled into the cement confines was an array of goods from clothing to specialty prints to lighting fixtures that looked more like glowing sculptures. Children scampered through the galleria with “Melbourne Design” balloons while trendy Melbournians purchased the latest in design to trance music that was pumped through speakers completing the modern art, multi-sensory experience.

(A vendor sells tights balled up in stunted parfait cups: ML)

Needless to say, I was, once again, too boring to purchase anything. Instead, I hopped on the free bus shuttle to the most famous and largest market in all of Melbourne: the Queen Victoria Market.

To be honest, it was like any open market buzzing with both locals and tourists alike. Think the International Marketplace in Waikiki except instead of dolphins there’s Kangaroos and instead of ukuleles there’s boomerangs. Further along there was a meat and fish market, cheese and wine market and fresh produce market similar to Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but the Chinese butchers yelling, “Good meat! Half off!” at anyone and everyone was pretty entertaining.

(Loads of delicious cheese for tasting at Queen Vic Market: ML)

Suffice it to say, the Queen Victoria Market was nothing special. It was then that I stepped out of the produce aisle and into a street where wafts of fried, doughy goodness filled my nostrils. A sweet odor led me around a corner and through a fabric vendor and into the sunlight, and there it was.

The Holy Grail of Melbourne’s markets: the American Doughnut Truck. Nearly 60 years old, the American Doughnut Truck serves up light, crispy, sugar-coated balls of deliciousness for 90 cents or six for five dollars. Airy, yet quite the opposite of Krispy Kreme, the center holds gooey raspberry jam that compliments the doughnuts fried shell.

(The Famed American Doughnut Truck: ML)

With the ingenuity of a taco truck and the move along of the Soup Nazi, it’s no wonder this find is a crowd favorite. Despite instantaneous service, the line often remains 20-30 deep.

(Raspberry jam fills this fried, little puff balls: ML)

As I exited the Market, I discovered on the far side the American Doughnut Truck’s obvious competitor: The Spanish Doughnut Truck. With genius come copycats, I guess. However, despite hip Spanish music pumping through a stereo, corny, oversized Christmas lights and its best efforts, the Spanish Doughnut Truck just couldn’t deliver. Slow service, higher cost and the fact that these “Doughnuts” were actually freakin’ churros ended in high marks against them. Just call it a “Churro truck.”

(The Spanish Donut Truck: ML)

So, kudos to the American Doughnut Truck for fast service, a great price and a delightfully crispy product.