This is a picture of a different market from the one below, obviously. You can tell by the different style of the tiles. If you look carefully at the picture below of the "New Market" there are green metal stands on which people sell their products whereas here the market has cement stands with some tiles left remaining. I think there is a book here in the making for economists concerned with subtle market details (tiles versus green metal?). In this shot, you can see an elderly pensioner in the bottom right hand corner - she is the person the economists missed while they were talking about tiles. She sits here in the market most days asking for handouts since her pension no longer covers basic food. Meanwhile the government has decided that these tiles look bad - they are falling off, so there is serious construction going on in other parts of the market to tear out the old cement and tiles, and install new tiles from Europe. I cannot imagine how people managed to sell things on these old tiles. They do not work as well as prettier newer ones - especially high quality imported ones - they sell more faster.
On the top of the counter in the market is a selection of chocolates in boxes for sale. In spite of the appearance, the chocolates are actually pretty decent. My first Russian teacher told me that the best chocolates and caviar in the Soviet Union used to be wrapped in plain paper, why would you need to decorate something that is already good - you do not eat the wrapping, you eat the chocolate.
Over the past 13 years, the cash-strapped governments (the ones now focusing on new tiles) have been unable to take care of public spaces like this one and it looks perhaps worse than it would have prior to 1991. Around the corner from here is an isle with wine and beer on tap, and not far from there are rows of new stalls for people to sell their goods from rather than in the open like here.
There is no Starbucks here - yet - or Second Cup. But do not worry, markets take care of themselves. A seller will come around with a small cart and sell coffee, tea, drinks and you can buy a plastic cup from the seller or do what most environmentally sensitive people do here - bring your own cup. In spite of the fact that this place looks different, and the people speak a different language and have, according to some economists, a Soviet Mentality, the fact is that most people do not like shopping without the convenience of a cup of java. Java sellers will find their way to people, whether the tiles are pretty or not.
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