How we eat: a Market romance with Ana and Chris from Market Lotto & News

Husband and wife team Ana and Chris Haritos run Market Lotto and News. They met 38 years ago when they were both working at the Market - Ana flipping burgers and Chris filleting fish. 

Ana: I used to work at the burger place. It was out the front, near where Simply Spanish is now. Chris worked with his cousin Ange* at his uncle Theo’s place. There was something about his stretch Faberge jeans and big white gumboots that got my attention. I would walk past the back of the fish shops. 

Chris: There was three of them then all next to each other. They were small, all the same size.  

Ana: Back in the old days you used to be able to smoke inside and the boys would be sitting there having a cigarette. I would walk past and wave at Chris. Except sometimes I would wave and then realise it was Angelo. They both looked the same back then – same jeans, same mullets. 

*Yes, the very same Ange who runs Aptus Seafoods.

 “Food is the way to man’s heart” is a cliché for a reason. 

Ana: When Chris came to get a burger I would double everything. Double cheese, double egg, double bacon. But I would only charge him for plain burger. That’s bad isn’t it!? If I want to cheer him up I’ll make him pork – anything pork. 

Chris: Remember back in the day we used to drive to yours in the fish truck? 

Ana: Oh my god, yes! On the way home Ange would drop Chris off in his stinky fish covered clothes. I would make old school Breville toasties, the triangle ones. Sometimes I’d add an egg, sometimes bacon. 

Going out to eat good food is their perfect date night – ideally followed by some opera. 

Chris: Our first date was at this Chinese place in Chinatown. Village something? It’s still there.  

Ana: Fortune Village! 

Chris: that’s right, Fortune Village! Do you remember that?  I thought I would impress her – it had this walk-in entree section where you would sit and drink cocktails on couches and then you’d go into this big square room with fancy carpets. But I can’t remember what we ate. 

Ana: You would have had shark fin soup for sure. 

Chris: We would also go on date nights to Bergeracs. We loved French food. I would teach her the culinary flavours of the world. And about opera - we had a season pass.  

Ana: And there was that Mexican place where we’d drink Matues Rose, the one with the round bottle. We thought it was so fancy! 

When it comes to cooking at home, Ana rules the kitchen.  

Chris: You have to understand, Ana is the superlative female being, a superwoman. From the outset I would offer my services in the kitchen and would be kicked out. 

Ana: I don’t like people in my kitchen. And I don’t know how to make just one dish - if make food it’s enough for multiple families. But you used to do that one chicken dish that I liked. Do you remember? 

Chris: It was a casserole. You’d flour and then pan fry some chicken, then add some red sauce, beans, that’s about it. It’s a classic Mediterranean dish. 

Ana doesn’t eat red meat so Chris is always happy to fire up the barbie to get his fix. 

Chris: We had two barbeques on the Webber this week. I cooked up some meat and some asparagus and mushrooms on the grill.  

Ana: I marinated the mushrooms with some chilli, vinegar and bit of butter. And I did some kipflers. I boil them first then season with some salt, pepper and oregano, then put them in some oil and bake in the oven. They’re soft and squishy on the inside and firm out the outside.  

These days they don’t do much for Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean the romance isn’t still alive  

Chris: We had our 30th wedding anniversary during lockdown. I wanted to do something special so I set up a surprise restaurant in the garage. I did the table cloth, napkins, the whole thing. I got dressed up in a suit and told Ana to get dressed up. 

Ana: I still had my uggies underneath! We had Asian from Uber Eats, surrounded by boxes of our stock. It was great! 

Market Lotto and News can be found at Stall 122 on the corner of Centre Aisle and Aisle G. They have a great range of cards for Valentine’s Day and of course nothing says “I love you” like a Quick Pick.