Möllevångstorget

Möllevångstorget, a cobblestone square characterized by The Honor of Work, a giant statue of men and at least one woman holding up a giant rock embossed with the image of an industrialized city, is its own center of Malmö.

A hundred years ago, this square, surrounded by new factories and recently urbanized residents, was the birthplace of the Labor Movement in Sweden. You could even say Swedish socialism has its roots here. Today it is still a working class neighborhood, a multicultural hub, a living testament to the extent of immigration in Malmö, a place you can Google on YouTube and see a pandemonium of illegal fireworks from last New Years Eve.

I go there to buy cheap fruits and vegetables, and I love it.

A couple of weeks ago I braved the unknown and rode my bike to Möllevångstorget on a quest to find the farmers market. When I got there I was shocked by how much cheaper the vegetables and fruit were there than in the regular Swedish grocery stores. They were even cheaper than produce in US grocery stores.

In southern California going to the farmers market is a wonderful experience, but it is hardly cheaper than shopping in the national chain grocery stores. Last time I went to the farmer’s market in Santa Monica, I don’t think $10 bought more than a handful of apples and a couple of avocados, maybe a head of lettuce.

No she is not Sweden’s first female prime minister. The 100kr bill celebrates this classic Hollywood movie star who was born in Stockholm.

Today I spent 100 kroner, currently worth about $12 and got 2 onions, 6 potatoes, 8 lemons, 4 tangerines, 3 apples, 3 avocados, a bag of green beans, a bunch of bananas, 30 eggs and a giant head of lettuce. I don’t think it is all organic, and given the state of sunshine in Sweden, probably not all local either. I have yet to see a banana farm in Skåne. But it is fresh produce, whole foods, and a whole lot better than frozen pizzas.

When we visited Malmö for the first time last April, the hotel desk clerk told us not to go past a neighborhood called Davidshall. He specifically said not to go to this farmer’s market, so in my mind it was on the “no go” list.

It should not have been.

Möllevång is a colorful place at the crossroads of busy bicycle paths where more people commute on two wheels than four. Traditionally ethnic Swedes and more recent immigrants mingle in the farmer’s market.  Most of the vendors converse in Arabic to their clients in hijabs, Swedish to everyone else. I like it because I have to remember my basic numbers in Swedish as the vendors often do not speak English.

The neighborhood surrounding Möllevångstorget is an “ethnic” food lover’s cornucopia. Restaurants from every Asian and Middle Eastern variety crowd the streets leading up to, and surrounding, the square. Indian, Lebanese, Persian, Chinese, Vietnamese are all well represented there. Last week we had Thai, not exactly like our beloved Thai Town in East Hollywood, but not bad for northern Europe. I would go back.

Like so many hipster neighborhoods in US cities, Möllevångstorget also has the atmosphere of a community on the verge of a vibrant economic upswing. I get the feeling that younger Swedish workers live there, ignoring the graffiti and double locking their bikes. One of our single Swedish neighbors told me she plans to buy an apartment near Möllevångstorget next year.  And I can understand why. It is affordable and it feels alive. It is easily one of my favorite Malmö surprises.

Pippin is curious, always curious.