By Every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Long Beach State students are invited to lighten their workload with a variety of freshly cooked food and chilling drinks at the Friendship Walk Farmers Market.
The market, hosted by Associated Students Inc., makes its weekly returns to campus to showcase healthier food options to students while supporting the community’s local businesses and farmers.
On Tuesday, Sept. 3, the brick pavement of Friendship Square was filled with friends and classmates lined up for items including fresh fruits, pupusas, loaded quesadillas and agua frescas of all flavors.
For some students, the market is a new experience on campus, including fourth-year mechanical engineering major Keaton Safu.
While interested in exploring all that the market has to offer, Safu was ultimately drawn to the Loaded Potatoes Vendor to satisfy his love for tacos and Mexican food.
“I’m excited, I love stuff like this. Just little things to add to campus life and campus culture,” Safu said. “Just stuff to spice up a day in the life of a Long Beach student.”
Pupusas Salvadorenas, another stall at the market, had a line of students waiting to try their various types of pupusas including their vegan option. The booth strives to share an authentic taste of Salvadorian food with its customers.
“We do multiple markets, so that’s what brings us in, to serve the students our traditional food from El Salvador,” owner Yeni Gonzalez said. “We have a lot of support from the students and they love our food, which is great.”
While their stall has been a part of the campus farmers market for years, their experience dates back to 1996. Gonzalez said they worked at a variety of venues, markets and festivals, including Coachella and Stagecoach.
On the opposite end of the walkway, students looking for lighter options could find organic fresh fruits and hummus. Freshly-grown fruits including strawberries, blueberries and raspberries could be found from HB Family Farm, a newer vendor to the university with the slogan “We grow what we sell.”
Beside HB Family Farm was Brothers Products, returning to the Beach campus to offer a variety of items including hummus, chips and dips.
The ASI Farmers Market is open to students, faculty and the general public every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market is set to be held all school year, excluding both fall and spring breaks.
