Page 283 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Descriptive Essay 1

The writer of this essay describes a store’s produce department.

Notice the imagery appealing to sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

A Garden of Temptation
Harry’s Farmer’s Market is more than just a grocery

store. It is a storehouse of temptation. At Harry’s, a

shopper can find breads and pastries, ethnic delights

from a variety of countries, and a selection of candies

that would unravel the strongest will. But when it comes
to temptation, nothing at Harry’s can rival the produce

section.

The vegetable bins at Harry’s are a feast for the

senses. Row upon row of green, musty-smelling cabbages
temptingly hint of cabbage rolls and coleslaw to come.

Beyond the green cabbages are bins of the purple, curly-

leafed variety, piled like basketballs in a sporting

goods store. Next come potatoes in all shapes and sizes.

Large, long Idahos weigh in the hand like a stone and

bake up fluffy and dry. The yellow-fleshed Yukon Golds
can be sliced into golden medallions and topped with

cheese. Farther along the aisle, carrots beckon like

slender fingers, and plump squash nestle comfortably in

neat bins. At the end of the aisle, mountains of waxy

purple eggplant lie in lush array. The vegetable bins at