Weekend Market Encounters

It was a crisp and sunny Saturday morning when Julia and Emma set out for Tymo Turgus, the local farmers’ market nestled between Vilnius’s Old Town and the Neris River. Elena had mentioned it earlier in the week, describing it as “the only place in the city where you can still taste bread that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen.”

They strolled along the cobblestone path leading toward the river, following the distant hum of conversation and the clatter of wooden crates being unpacked. Soon, rows of white tents came into view, each sheltering colorful displays of produce, baked goods, and handmade items. The scent of sour rye, honey, and fresh dill hung in the air.

“Smells like half the city’s breakfast is being made here,” Julia said with a laugh, scanning the booths with interest.

Emma slowed her pace as they passed crates of wild mushrooms, baskets of foraged berries, and loaves of dense, dark bread wrapped in paper. She paused when she spotted a booth tucked slightly away from the main path, not the most crowded, but neatly arranged with care.

“Wait—look at that one,” she said, gently tugging Julia’s sleeve.

The table was covered with a linen cloth, upon which sat jars of vibrant jams, thick slices of rustic bread, and a small stack of folded paper zines. A blackboard sign stood behind the table, hand-lettered in chalk:
“Renata – Homemade preserves & stories from the Lithuanian kitchen”

Behind the table stood a woman in her thirties, casually dressed with a patterned scarf around her hair, wiping a tray with practiced ease. Her movements were calm, and her presence felt warm, familiar.

“She has a tagline,” Emma whispered with a grin. “She might be one of us.”

Julia smiled. “Or at least someone we should get to know.”

They hesitated just a moment before stepping forward—drawn not just by the rich colors of the jams, but by something about the table’s quiet charm, as if it offered more than food. The woman looked up, meeting their eyes with a welcoming smile.

“Good morning! Would you like to try the sour cherry jam? It’s this season’s favorite.”

Julia stepped forward with interest. “It smells amazing. Did you make it yourself?”

“All of it,” Renata said proudly. “Picked the cherries in Dzūkija, cooked it in small batches, no preservatives—just fruit, time, and a bit of luck.”

Emma and Julia each took a small wooden spoon of jam, savoring the rich, tangy flavor.

“This tastes like something you’d find in a fairy tale forest,” Julia said with a smile.

Renata chuckled. “Well, that’s how we like it. I’m actually working on a video about regional jam traditions—I’ve got a little YouTube channel where I talk about food, memory, and Lithuanian countryside life. It’s mostly in English, so expats and curious souls like you two can enjoy it too.”

At that, Emma’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful. We’ve just started living here and we’re trying to learn more about local food—without being tourists, if that makes sense.”

Renata nodded. “You’re scholars, right? I can always tell. Curious, but a little sleep-deprived.”

Emma laughed. “Guilty.”

Julia pointed to the small paper zine tucked beside the jars. “Are these recipes?”

“Yes. Well, a mix of recipes and stories. Some of them come from my grandmother, others I’ve collected from women in small towns—things that don’t show up in books.”

週末市集的邂逅

那是個陽光和煦、空氣清新的週六早晨，Julia 和 Emma 決定前往 Tymo Turgus 農夫市集，這個市集位在老城區與涅里斯河之間，是 Elena 在週中提到過的地方。「那裡的麵包還能讓你想起你祖母家的味道，」她笑著說。

她們沿著通往河邊的鵝卵石小徑散步，遠處傳來人聲鼎沸與木箱碰撞的聲音。不久，成排白色帳棚映入眼簾，每個攤位下都擺滿了繽紛的蔬果、剛出爐的麵包，以及手工製品。空氣中混合著裸麥酸麵包、蜂蜜與新鮮香草的香氣。

「這味道聞起來像整座城市的早餐都在這裡煮出來了。」Julia 笑著說，目光在攤位間穿梭。

Emma 的腳步漸慢，路過一籃又一籃野菇與莓果、紙袋包裹的深色麵包時，她突然停下來，眼神落在一處不那麼顯眼、卻格外整齊的攤位上。

「等等——你看那一攤。」她輕輕拉了拉 Julia 的袖子。

那是一張舖著亞麻布的長桌，上面擺著鮮紅、琥珀色的各式果醬罐，幾塊厚切的鄉村麵包，以及一疊摺好的小型紙本刊物。桌後立著一塊手寫的黑板，上頭用白色粉筆寫著：

「Renata：自製果醬與立陶宛廚房的故事」

桌後站著一位大約三十多歲的女性，頭上隨性地繫著印花頭巾，正在擦拭木盤。她的動作平穩，整個人給人一種溫暖、親切又自然的感覺。

「她有口號欸，」Emma 低聲笑說，「搞不好是我們同類。」

Julia 也笑了，「起碼，是個值得認識的人。」

她們遲疑了幾秒，便走上前去——吸引她們的不只是果醬的顏色，而是那張桌子散發出來的靜謐與故事感，好像除了食物之外，還有什麼在等著被發現。那名女子抬起頭，微笑迎接她們。

「早安！想試試看這款酸櫻桃果醬嗎？這是今年最受歡迎的口味喔。」

Julia 有興趣地向前一步。「好香啊，這是你自己做的嗎？」

「全部都是我親手做的，」Renata 自豪地說。「櫻桃是在 Dzūkija 採的，一小鍋一小鍋慢慢熬，不加防腐劑——只有水果、時間，還有一點運氣。」

Emma 和 Julia 各拿了一支小木匙，品嚐著果醬那濃郁又微酸的滋味。

「這味道好像童話森林裡的東西，」Julia 微笑著說。

Renata 輕輕笑出聲。「我們就喜歡這種感覺。其實我正在拍一支影片，介紹各地的果醬傳統——我有一個小小的 YouTube 頻道，會分享食物、記憶，還有立陶宛鄉村生活的點滴。大部分內容是英文的，所以像妳們這樣的外國朋友也能看得懂。」

聽到這裡，Emma 的眼睛亮了起來。「太棒了！我們才剛搬來這裡，正在嘗試更深入了解當地的飲食文化——不是當觀光客那種。」

Renata 點點頭。「妳們是學者吧？一看就知道。很好奇，但看起來有點睡眠不足。」

Emma 笑出聲來。「被發現了。」

Julia 指著擺在果醬罐旁邊的小紙本刊物問道：「這是食譜嗎？」

「有一些是。其實是食譜跟故事的混合。有些是我外婆留下來的，有些是我從小鎮上的老奶奶們那邊聽來的——那些在書裡找不到的東西。」

An Afternoon Conversation by the Market

After buying their jam, Renata pointed toward a nearby stall selling herbal tea and Lithuanian-style rye coffee.

“Do you have time for a quick tea? I usually take a break here after the morning rush,” she said, already walking ahead with two jars in hand.

Emma and Julia exchanged a glance and smiled. “Perfect. We were just thinking about taking a break ourselves,” Julia said.

They settled at a small wooden table near the market’s edge. The surface was a bit worn, but the spot was bathed in gentle sunshine, capturing that relaxed feeling of an early summer afternoon.

Renata ordered chamomile tea, Emma chose rye coffee, and Julia tried a hot berry drink, a local specialty. The drinks arrived in mismatched vintage porcelain cups, adding to the charm of the scene.

“So, where are you two from originally?” Renata asked, gently stirring her tea.

“England and Canada,” said Emma. “We’re here for research—just for a few months, but we’ve really started to enjoy it.”

“I knew it!” Renata grinned. “Your English is too natural for tourists.”

Julia laughed. “You’re not doing too badly yourself.”

“Thanks—I’ve been practicing. I actually lived in Toronto for six months. And before that, in London for a year when I was younger. I worked at a bakery in Camden. Not glamorous, but full of stories.”

Emma’s eyes lit up. “Really? I used to hang out in Camden all the time when I was in grad school. You probably saw more of it than I did.”

Renata nodded with a nostalgic smile. “London is overwhelming, but I loved the energy. Still, I missed this place—the forests, the berries, my grandmother’s bread. That’s why I started making jam and writing about it. It’s my way of keeping everything alive.”

She paused for a moment, then added, “And honestly, that’s also why I love talking to people like you. You remind me how fascinating this place can be—when seen through different eyes.”

Julia smiled gently. “And you’re reminding us that culture isn’t just in books or maps… it’s in breakfast too.”

They laughed together, their cups warm in their hands. Around them, the sounds of the market softened, replaced by the rustling of leaves in the breeze. In that quiet corner of Vilnius, three women from different places found an unexpected connection, woven together by food, memory, and conversation.

在市集旁的午后談話

買完果醬後，Renata 指了指市集旁邊的一個小攤位，那裡賣的是花草茶和立陶宛風味的黑麥咖啡。

「有空喝杯茶嗎？我通常都會在早市結束後來這邊稍微歇一會兒，」她說著，手上拿著兩罐果醬，已經邁開腳步。

Emma 和 Julia 對看一眼，笑了笑。「太好了，我們正好也想找個地方坐一下，」Julia 回應。

她們選了市集邊緣一張小小的木桌，桌面雖有些斑駁，但陽光正巧灑落其上，讓整個空間洋溢著初夏午後那種慵懶、溫暖的氛圍。

Renata 點了洋甘菊茶，Emma 點了一杯黑麥咖啡，Julia 則試了當地特有的熱莓果飲。飲品端上來時還冒著熱氣，裝在各式各樣不成套的老式瓷杯裡，別有一番市集的隨性感。

「你們原本是從哪裡來的呢？」Renata 一邊攪拌茶，一邊開口問道。

「英國和加拿大，」Emma 說道。「我們來這裡做研究，會待幾個月，目前才剛開始，但真的很喜歡這裡。」

「我就知道！」Renata 笑著說，「你們的英文太自然了，不像觀光客。」

Julia 笑了出聲，「妳的英文也很不錯啊。」

「謝啦，我一直有在練。我之前住過多倫多半年，在那之前還去倫敦待了一年，那時年紀還小，在 Camden 的一間麵包店工作。雖然不算光鮮亮麗，但有很多故事。」

Emma 眼睛一亮。「真的嗎？我念研究所的時候很常去 Camden 誒，說不定妳看到的比我還多。」

Renata 點了點頭，臉上露出懷舊的笑容。「倫敦雖然很壓迫人，但我真的喜歡那種活力。不過⋯⋯我還是很想念這裡——森林、莓果，還有我外婆做的麵包。這也是為什麼我開始做果醬、寫東西的原因吧，對我來說，是一種讓這些味道和記憶活下去的方式。」

她頓了頓，又說道：「老實說，我也很喜歡和像你們這樣的人聊天。你們讓我重新發現這個地方，從另一種角度看，原來可以這麼有趣。」

Julia 輕輕一笑，「而妳讓我們想起，文化不只是藏在書裡或地圖上⋯⋯它其實也藏在早餐裡。」

三人相視而笑，手中的杯子溫熱，心情也變得柔軟起來。市集的喧囂聲漸漸遠了，只剩下風吹過樹葉的沙沙聲。在維爾紐斯的這個角落，來自不同地方的三位女性，透過食物、記憶與一場平凡的對話，交織出了一段不期而遇的連結。