St. Louis is often thought of as a city compartmentalized by race, ethnicity, social class and (for natives, anyway) even which high school one attended. But on Saturday mornings Soulard Farmers' Market is one of the few places in the city where people of all backgrounds can be seen together shopping, socializing, trading recipes and preparing for the week ahead. Said to be the oldest farmers' market west of the Mississippi (established in 1779), Soulard retains a lingering nostalgia and historical significance that tends to trump some of the usual social barriers found in the city.