It started with a childhood fear — the wet markets of Taipei, the animals, the smell, the blood, the sounds. Then came the pink-in-plastic years of suburban Los Angeles, where the supermarket erased all of that. The question that followed: what do we lose when we stop looking at what we eat? Sixteen years, 42 countries, 120 cities, two Hasselblads, and Ziplock bags full of film. The markets are a micro-universe of each culture — the cuisine a reflection of the national psyche, the vendors a window into lives organized entirely around feeding others. To understand a culture, start with the food. To understand the food, start at the market. Exhibited internationally, mentioned in The New York Times, and published in Gastronomica. A book remains the intended final form.