Fourth Market for the Grateful Dumpling

We survived our fourth day of the market, and the Grateful Dumpling came away from it with mixed reviews in terms of our mental, physical, and emotional POVs. It was a bit brutal, and did not help our frame of mind going into our local market, which is today, but suffering is an integral part of the journey, is it not?

For starters, the weather was brutally hot when the sun came out, which was thankfully not constant. An occasional cloud and breeze offered respite from the intolerable heat, but it was uncomfortable for most of the market, especially when you're slaving over a hot stove. I wonder if Martha Stewart started out this way.

To make matters worse, perhaps due to the heat, sales were on the slow side, and for the first time, we came home with product. Don't get me wrong, we did okay, but not phenomenal, which is what you hope for. I'm guessing when it's intolerably hot, people want ice cream, not fried food, though you gotta eat something substantial before digging into the good stuff.

Also, for whatever reason, our cooking seems to run into problems. For the life of me, I can't figure out what is going on, but at some point, the dumplings don't seem to cook as well in one of our pans (the same pan). Maybe the pan is getting coated and isn't heating the oil properly, but we end up turning it off and using just one. This would normally not be a problem if we had adequate stocks up and running, but that is rarely the case, and though the market was slow all day, it picked up in the last half hour, just as our operation was falling apart. Funny how that works. So we had lines of people waiting for dumplings and we didn't have the capacity to fill the orders. That's when things get stressful. Factor in the heat and the fatigue, and you have a nightmare scenario being played out. People are either patient or simply move on to greener pastures. I can't say I blame them.

There were positives to the day, however. People were coming up and mentioning that they'd heard about the dumplings and wanted to give them a try, so we may very well be developing a reputation. Also, the neighbors that we thought hated us showed up and it turns out don't hate us after all. In fact, N even asked if we missed her, to which we replied with an emphatic "Yes." She is so nice to the kids, she lets them help out and work with the materials (she is an alpaca farmer) and even rewards their efforts. She told me that they she thinks they're a joy, and I can't tell you how much we appreciate her letting the kids take part. What a great experience.

As the market progresses, we tend to see more and more of our friends from the University and the Hospital, and they all trip out on us and give us looks that scream, "What the #$%# are you guys up to?" I can't say that I can adequately answer that question, and again, in a business setting, it's always awkward dealing with friends, but what are you going to do? Besides, it's so busy there is no time for idle chit-chat or neurotic insecurity, the people must be fed.

And finally, in what is maybe the biggest bright note of them all, N has made a buddy who came over to our booth and called for him. It brought a tear to my eye, his little friend and he took off running and were playing the grass. That's what life is all about.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have dumpling to prepare for tonight's market. If I can only improve upon my disposition, we'll be in business.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Marjorie Manicke for the pic.