Memorial Day at Union Square was a relatively tame affair. Shoppers were sparse, farmers even sparser. But the market was not, thankfully, lacking in strawberries. Nature’s little red package of sweetness, neatly topped off with a respectable hat, it’s as if the strawberry stopped just short of JFK’s biggest fashion statement.

• At Maxwell’s Farmstand: mint, thyme, oregano, sorrel, sage, tarragon and garlic, $1.25/bunch; chives and mizuna (use in stir-fry or sparingly, raw) $1.50/bunch; leeks, $0.75 ea; strawberries, $4/pint, $6/quart.

• At Phillip’s Farm: baby arugula, $12/lb; parsley, $1.50/bunch; radishes, $2/bunch; asparagus, $2/lb; greenhouse tomatoes, $4/lb.

Finally at the Greenmarket there are reminders of spring spilling over every farmers’ table: arugula, baby carrots, asparagus and of course rhubarb.

I grew up with wild rhubarb growing in the woods behind our house. Our neighbors used to make it into pie and crisp and bring it by on Saturday afternoons. For me, there’s little better than a seasonal fruit crisp, served warm with ice cream. But when I’m in the mood for something a little lighter, I turn to rhubarb in purer form.

Strolling down grocery store aisles with cathedral-like ceilings does make one feel quite regal. Balducci’s Market, on the corner of 14th and 8th in New York City, is by far one of the most beautiful places to get milk and butter checked off your list.

Those of us who work at non-profits might find it hard to shop regularly at Whole Foods. While their dairy is often cheaper than other stores', it's the produce, meat and fish that dig into the wallet a little too deeply.

Occasionally, though, when you're not in the mood to get run over by strollers at Fairway and you didn't plan ahead for FreshDirect, the behemoth that is Whole Foods bekons.

This week's Foodie At Large is a fellow non-profiter from Brooklyn.

Name: Cara
Lives: Bed-Stuy
Age: 26
Occupation: Fresh Food for All Coordinator, Just Food
Buying: risotto ($4.99), asparagus ($3.99/lb.), leeks ($2.49/lb.), 365 organic chicken broth ($2.49), sea scallops ($16.99/lb.), red leaf lettuce ($2.49)
Favorite cookbook: How to Cook Everything (Mark Bittman)
Favorite veggie: leeks

Union Market isn't the type of food market that inspires warm and fuzzy feelings (take Sahadi's or Bierkraft, for example), but it's not for lack of trying. Maybe it's the slick-looking brushed steel that lines the store, the impeccable produce aisle, or the pristine organic rib eye steak ($23.99/lb.), but generally my favorite people (and food places) tend toward the less kempt side of things.

When I wanted to make cactus salad for a friend's dinner party, after a string of phone calls, Tehuitzingo was the first place I found that carried fresh cactus ($1.59/lb.). It may not be the most glamorous Mexican goods store, but it’s utilitarianism at its best.

With Univision blasting a telenovela in the corner, the rest of the small space is stocked with plenty of tortillas, pork rinds, and hot sauces. But there are other reasons to go to Tehuitzingo, and a few reasons, besides the cactus, to go out of your way.

Names: Micol and Dino
Live: Uptown
Occupations: Micol and Dino run an Italian cooking center for cooking classes, wine tastings and culinary tours to Italy. Visit Rustico Cooking.com for more info.
Buying: Thai basil ($1.50), lemongrass ($1.50), cha um ($2) which looks a bit like a hairier version of dill, chilies ($1), and galangal ($2).

Tonight Micol and Dino will make curry and stir-fry. For a break from Italian cooking, they visit Bangkok Center Grocery (104 Mosco Street, between Mott and Mulberry Streets, New York, NY) every week. Nong, the owner of one of Manhattan's few Thai groceries (for a listing of others, visit Thai-Food.com,) greets visitors with a sing songy Swatdee Kaa.

Whole Foods is a mixed blessing in my mind. While it helps solidify the suburbanization of New York, I’ll admit that it’s aisles of attractive packaging and beautiful pieces of fish are hard to resist.

Foodie At Large

Name: Nina
Lives: Midtown
Age: 20
Occupation: NYU student studying drama and business with career aspirations of working in the entertainment industry
Buying: wild gulf shrimp
Other shopping bag items: tomatoes, onions and garlic for a tomato salad
Future goals: Nina would like to open her own restaurant in Houston, where her family currently lives

Despite its slightly inflated prices, Kitchen/Market is still a great resource for hard to find Mexican ingredients.

It's also a good place to start when you want to make something like mole, which has been on our Recipes To Tackle list for a while now. The staff was not supremely friendly nor very knowledgeable about the chiles but the ancho ($3.60 for 2 oz.) and guajillo chiles ($3.20 for 2 oz.) needed for red mole are easy enough to find among the over 30 varieties.

The Karamouzis Brothers opened International Grocery amid scores of Greek stores over fifty years ago. Now the area, across from Port Authority, looks nothing like it did then.

On the same block as Sea Breeze fish market and near several butchers and a green grocer, the area can seem at times like it forgot that it is now 2007.

Be aware: reusable canvas bags, overpriced strollers and organic produce shipped across the country, this is not. You might have to dodge some of the less savory characters that (thankfully) still dot Manhattan, but that’s all part of the experience of this part of town.