This Little Piggy Went to the Market

Started as an open air marketplace in 1840, Cleveland's West Side Market houses over 100 vendors representing a panoply of ethnic foods. The yellow brick markethouse, shown here on the left, was designed by Benjamin Hubble and W. Dominick Benes, was built in 1912.

Growing up in Cleveland, the market was a place that we would occasionally venture to as a family and later, when I was a young adult, the place that I went for my weekly groceries. When I was in town over the holidays I stopped in at the market for New Year's Eve dinner.

Of course, there are some things that I'm just simply not going to eat. Take the pig head, for example. That was one particularly delicacy that I wasn't going to have wrapped to go. I couldn't help but to take a picture of him. Despite the somewhat grotesque nature of the image, it brings a smile to my face. As a young child (and teen, and young adult) my mother would frequently chase me around the grocery store with all manner of animal parts. Not paying attention? A pig foot would scratch my the back of my neck. In a good mood? Perhaps a floppy cow tongue might start telling jokes.

The least I could do is take a picture of porky the pig and smile a bit remembering my mom's antics in the grocery store. Clearly, this little piggy that went to the market is not going to be going wee wee wee all the way home.

Rumor has it that the animals are butchered right under the market. My high school horn teacher, Sandy Baxter, had a variety of interesting jobs that helped supplement her musical career. She once worked in the basement of the market butchering pigs.

Thankfully she never chased me around with pig parts when I played wrong notes. Here are a few more pictures I took at the Westside Market when I was their this New Year's Eve. After the page break you'll find some links to newspaper articles that collect shopper's memories as well as a couple of YouTube clips.

 

1930s -- Oil cloth shopping bags, live chickens and free weiners for kids. (Note: is free stuff at the market a Cleveland thing? Whenever I went to the grocery store with my mother I'd get a free cookie, slice of cheese, or other piece of deliciousness. Did this happen everywhere? Does it still happen?)

1940s -- Ice cream on dill pickles, dad's Limburger, and a free lunch.

1950s -- Seeing whole rabbits, finding a port in a storm and eating fresh break and butter while riding in dad's '51 Chevy.

1960s -- How grandpa loved brats, how Carl Stokes shook a hand, and how squiggly the fish looked.

1970s -- Johnny's hot dogs satisfy countless shoppers.

...and a couple videos for those of you seeking extra edge in all things related to Irreverent Psychologist Trivia.