If you want to know more about Odessit’s humor , go to Privoz. Colourful local language can be heard on all sides.

It is inseparable with the image of the city and of its dwellers that are called ‘Odessites’ as well as famous age-long chestnuts in the streets of the city and the most well known Deribasovskaya Street and Potyoimkin Steps.

It’s a picturesque place and all guests of our city visit it at least once during their stay. It’s a sort of a ‘city’ inside the city that lives its own independent life. The life of the ‘city’ named “Privoz” looks like a big anthill. All people are busy choosing, tasting and bargaining. Various people are trading there. You may buy sweet like honey and fragrant melons, dried apricots, raisins from Uzbeks, sweet and astringent juicy pomegranate from Azerbaijanians, piquant seasoning out of carrots, stuffed spicy eggplants from Koreans. Here rosy-cheeked Ukrainian women are selling sour lettuce, soaked apples and pickled cucumbers. The choice of fish in the fish store can satisfy any taste. The special food that is popular in our city is stuffed fish. This food is cooked on very festive occasions and the fish for it is chosen only in “Privoz”.

When you enter the dairy store the head starts whirling with tasty smells coming from homemade smoked sausage, fresh milk and sweet-scented honey. It’s impossible to go away from there without buying anything.

Some finesse go to “Privoz” to have breakfast or lunch. They are wandering, tasting sausages, thick homemade sour cream, sheep’s milk cheese, smoked meat. They pretend to bargain, choosing and … go away. They leave the market place having refreshed themselves a great deal with delicious food.
Here in the market the true nature of ‘Odessites’ is seen. They are generous, lively and open hearted. Our sense of humor is known far beyond the city territory.

It is the place where many anecdotes and humorous stories are born. It’s not necessary to invent them. They are taken from life. It’s enough to stop and listen to a talk of two ‘odessites’ or the talk of a customer and a seller. Here is the example. A customer asks: “Is the fish dead?” -“No, it’s sleeping…” Reconstruction and redecorating in the market mean that little of the old “Privoz’” remains.But the Odessan character cannot be reconstructed or destroyed,so it’s worth visiting ‘Privoz’ market,if only once ,just to look around-so that later you will have something to tell your grandchildren about.