Farmers Market vs. Supermarket

Last week, I happened to hear a report about the impact of supermarket invasion in developing countries from NPR news. With the fast development of global retail chains, traditional markets in developing countries are facing tremendous threat, as well as local farmers and agricultural producers. In some developing countries, supermarket is considered as a new shopping and living style. Although same products in supermarket are about twice price as in traditional market in those countries, more and more customers are attracted by the convenience provided by supermarket. According to the report, some new supermarkets offer customers store credit card which is really popular, albeit its high interests. It is a pretty interesting phenomena that when farmers market is again a fashionable life style in developed country like America, traditional local market are rapidly declining in third world countries.
Neophilia could be considered as a latent identity for most of human beings. Once supermarket becomes part of daily life, a weekend-only farmers market turns out to be a fashion. As always said, fashion has and will always repeat itself and come back after being packaged in a different way. Although supermarket is definitely an evolutionary shopping concept, farmers market is exactly a new look of traditional market. The popularity of brand new supermarket chains in some developing countries along with the prevailing farmers market best demonstrates the human nature of neophilia.
Moreover, the phenomenon could also be explained as a cultural transition. Culture evolves through the demands of society. When people in developed countries begin to care more about their life quality and food safety, their needs for fresher products increase. Although global trade, along with supermarket chains brings delicious fruits from the other side of the planet to our table and benefits our guts, we all know that they are neither environmental-friendly nor sustainable for our planet. Sometimes, the freshness of the products in supermarket is artificially created—some fruit and vegetables are coated with chemicals to look good. It is undoubted that our modern life is tightly connected with supermarket or hypermarket like Wal-Mart. It is impossible to get rid of it since it has been part of our life. So, honestly, what we can do is limited—going to a nearby farmers market every other weekend could be an option.
Overall, shopping supermarket and farmers market are both desirable living style for better life. I enjoy both ways of shopping—supermarket is neat and convenient while shopping farmers market is a pretty relax and pleasant experience.

Vocabulary:
neophilia: love of or enthusiasm for what is new or novel