The Market was the perfect place for Scarlett to begin the life of a Charleston lady. The Market was an outward, visible distillation of Charleston’s essence. From the city’s earliest days it had been the place where Charlestonians bought their food. The lady of the house–or, in rare cases, the man–selected and paid for it, a maid or coachman received it and placed it in a basket hung over the arm.

From Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley