Bring The Food To The People

Soooo I have decided to jump around now from thought to thought as I tend to do.  At the risk of having this blog considered spam I will write another.  I feel particularly compelled to share the Farmers Market experience...now please don't take this the wrong way I love attending them, checking out fresh baking, produce and ass'td crafty things. It is a great way to access your local artisan or farmer.  Being on the other side of that table though provided a new perspective for me....we don't do them anymore.
"Bring the food to the people" i was almost giddy and very nervous as I pulled into the parking lot in our freshly painted 1982 Ford laden with fresh vegetables...ok only carrots, my pop up tent and signs.....You know when you drive into a part of a city you shouldn't be in though, and everyone tries not to stare but you know they are.....hmmm...the Farmers Market Society, new people, curiosities, competition......me thinks I am out of my element.  Where should I park and set up...oh ya, way down at the end by the portable washrooms apparently you have to earn the good spots.  Right.
Undaunted I sat through many an early morning, rain or shine with a cheesy grin on my face schlepping our wares.  As the season progressed and the next year came our offerings thankfully increased and we had quite the competitive edge.  I loved our regular customers and on sunny warm mornings wasn't unhappy generally to be there.  But there is a dark side to the market...remember it is customer service.
After a few seasons of doing 4 markets a week, juggling a second third job one tends to get, well, OK a little cynical. No problem a little bottle of Baileys under the truck seat with help with that (ok don't judge until you have sat through a few markets yourself) What you realize is that though there are the people who are at the market to support local, get fresh and see what's new and then there are ....well everyone else.
There was the lady who purchased asparagus the previous week.  Now this was a time when line ups were at our stand, she waited with a bag and when it was her turn approached me and tossed the bag with a container in it at me.  I asked what it was and she very loudly informed me our asparagus was awful and tough.  I offered her the $2 back but she insisted I look into the container....really?  It was an unidentifiable mess of green mush, I asked her cooking method...apparently BOILING it for 20 minutes was her preferred culinary choice...ummmmm sorry I can't help you, you killed it.  Move on.
Or another vendor I will call Flower Pants..... Every market she would come by my booth and shake her crooked finger at me and yell that I poisoned my vegetables.....the Baileys is making more sense...no?

Picture the woman who holds up a cucumber and is haggling over the 25 cent price..really lady, take it for free. Move on.
Everyone wants something different until they are presented with it....no sir we aren't using spider DNA to get the carrots purple, historically they started that way, yes ma'am the gold beets are delicious....will they make purple borscht?  Move on.  You just can't fix stupid.
Friday evenings were always interesting as a whole new crowd showed up and often a girlfriend of mine with cider....it was nice to have company and someone to witness first hand with me the insanity.  I wasn't making it all up.
Getting to the market was always interesting as the people loading the truck weren't the ones driving it.....so light cases of herbs should not be on the top because when you go down the highway the wind catches them. You end up running around a major highway like an arcade game of Frogger at 6 in the morning gathering up packets of basil, thyme and rosemary....fun.  As well cantaloupe being round will roll out of an open container onto same highway....no point in stopping to get those though.  I think the people can come here and get the food now.
I wonder if old Flower Pants is still around?