Thursday, June 28, 2018 6:05 AM

A man leaps out from behind a purple curtain on a panel truck and lands in a superhero crouch. Standing, he turns and pulls a flat of apricots from inside. I walk ahead of him into the produce market. Fresh figs and lychee nuts have just come in. Spotting the small pears that I like, I yank a clear plastic bag from a hook on a pillar. The whole hook comes down. "No problem," the shopkeeper says. He bends and picks everything up with one hand while handing me a red bag with the other. "These are better for you. They're smaller." I get the figs and the pears. They don't have other things I had hoped to find. Produce here is seasonal. When it's gone, it's gone. Stepping outside after paying, I pop a whole fig in my mouth. It is sweet, tender, and warm. I pause by a wall, eyes closed, and relish the texture and flavor, then head next door to get my laundry.