Ascending on the bike trail is like staring at an old fashioned photograph or a black and white movie still of the pastoral South. Past the overgrown prairie and rust-covered freight trains and across the Hocking River Bridge exists a culinary delight a bit more personal than ordinary Court Street fare.

Pawpaws, a relative of other such wackily named plants as the sweetsop, soursop, cherimoya and ylang-ylang (pronounced EE-lang), arrive to adulthood in the Appalachian area, which apparently is enough of a reason to have a festival dedicated to them.

Athens food culture sometimes feels like Lady Gaga — a strange but successful blend of the mainstream and the innovative. These brick streets are home to both Chipotle and Big Mamma’s, Quizno’s and Bagel Street Deli, Donkey Coffee and Baker’s pseudo-Starbucks — so many options, so little funding. There is one restaurant that has recently reopened that does not have a mainstream counterpart: Salaam.

Despite the near-hurricane that deprived the happy-go-lucky moods of many, International Street Fair wanderers clenched their umbrellas tightly to get a taste of culture, traditional clothing and, most importantly, enough delicious food to drool a flood.

While it seemed like everyone else in Athens was basking in sunlight Saturday afternoon, I rode my K-Mart mountain bike to the Market on State Street parking lot for the weekly farmers’ market. Traditionally, I arrived a little late.

Zoe, a fine food restaurant on East State Street, lays the foundation for a romantic night out or a great way to undo last night’s bang-up, blowout with any given girl or boy.