"These are just right," said a smiling Cheryl Crain of Crain Fisheries in Corning, handing a customer a white plastic bag that was fighting back.

There's nothing like a farmers market, and nothing quite like the Old Oakland farmers market every Friday near Chinatown, one of the oldest in the Bay Area and considered one of the most diverse — "culinarily" speaking.

A downtown, lunchtime, workday farmers market is a little different by nature — an energy distinct from that of lingering on the weekend with a latte in one hand, a free sample apple segment in the other.

Here, people move a little faster. They bump into each other more, and don't seem to notice. They have to get back to work.

But they have to have their bundle of fennel.

"I come here a lot," said one woman who works in a coffee house downtown, and was rushing back too fast to give her name. "There's a sweet pepper sauce I have to have, and I can't find it anywhere else."

To accommodate the lunchtime crowd, the two-block market along Ninth Street between Broadway and Clay Street runs a little later in the day than many farmers markets — from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday.

And it really gets mobbed around noon, clogged with people with little pull carts. Especially during the spring and summer months.

"Soon, we'll have peaches and nectarines," said market manager Charlie Smith. "Just wait till fruit season kicks in. We'll really be busy."

Because this market also draws customers from the large Asian population in Oakland's Chinatown, there's a broad offering of exotic Asian produce and herbs. Leeks. Lemon grass. Jumbo salted duck eggs for 75 cents.

The Asian crowd is the reason Crain Fisheries is here. "This is the only farmers market I go to," said Crain, wearing a yellow Gorton's fisherman-style coat and pulling a flopping catfish from a large stainless-steel water cooler. "I mostly do grocery stores. But I come to this market mainly because of the Asian population and the demand for really fresh fish."

But cultural variety runs the gamut. Billal Sidiq was vigorously working the crowd, offering free samples of spinach flatbread with garlic cheese and sweet jalapeno sauce at the East-and-West Afghan/Italian Gourmet Food booth.

The East-and-West crew from Concord works about 35 farmers markets a week, he said. He likes this one, but says timing is everything. "It depends on the day, maam," he said. "If I can pull 'em in, it's good. Would you like to try a free sample?"

In a blink, you're holding an Afghan baklava. "It's the same, but made with pistachios," he said. "No butter, just olive oil. And just honey. No sugar, like some do."

Mmmm. Mang ooo mewie muff. (Translation: Thank you very much.)

Past a stand of fennel, leeks and kale, there's a booth of beautiful orchids that can't possibly be real, but are. Whoops, watch out for the little kid waddling along with a bag of kettle corn that's as big as he is.

At the midway point, in the intersection at Ninth and Washington, The Season of Us is playing — a soothing combo of flute and guitar. Nearby is the Crepe & Brioche Bakery stand from San Francisco. The white Italian bread with mixed dried fruit is one of the most popular items. "We call 'em fruit pretzels," the vendor said.

Back at the Roli Roti truck — the one with the giant chicken on top — little, golden, naked, chicken bodies were spinning on the rotisserie.

Don and Marie Kloss of Wisconsin — in town to visit their daughter — were in orbit around the mutant, big-as-your-fist strawberries at the CJ&J Farms strawberry stand, shaking their heads.

"They don't grow them this way in Wisconsin," Don said.

For more information on the Old Oakland market, call 745-7100.

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