Grateful Dumpling's Thoughts on the Local Market

Well, we made it through our second local market, and it was interesting for the Grateful Dumpling, to say the least. It was brutally hot, and setting up was a bear. The kids were hot as popovers, but they found refuge in the library. We also partially resolved our problems with serving pre-cooked dumplings. Last week we couldn't cook at the market because of rules and regulations, and had to cook beforehand and serve them hot. However, they really suffer when they're cooked too early, and become soggy and tough. You can't beat freshly fried food, just like mom used to make. Plus, the theatrics and spectacle of cooking are part of the whole experience.

Either way, this time around, we did it in shifts, and R went home and cooked a fresh batch about midway through. It worked out well, the dumplings looked and tasted a whole lot better, so now we know.

The market itself was really slow, and I wonder if people are on vacation, or just are not interested in the market. Nobody sold much of anything, and we ended up bartering with each other for food. Talk about survival.

And as much as I love the local market and seeing our friends and neighbors, it makes for an awkward situation. I know this flies in the face of my capitalist aspirations, but I find it difficult taking money from my friends, and I also do not like the impression that they feel obligated to buy something from their friends (i.e., us). I do think it's nice for them to come to the market and show their support, but I don't want them to buy our dumplings because they feel they have to. If they like them, great, but otherwise, no problem. We'll always made due in the big city.

Either way, I came away from it not as elated as the previous week, and we had leftover dumplings for the first time. Not sure what we are going to do with those. It was a little depressing, and I felt kind of down. For some people, they sold nothing, and that's a bitter pill to swallow.

Also, the band didn't show up. You realize that without the music, it's a little strange, it's so quiet. DC and JM stepped up at the last minute and did an impromptu jam, which was nice because they are great musicians. I'm guessing the market manager called them at the last minute and asked them to stand in. Once the music kicks in, the carnival atmosphere begins, but again, there was not a huge rush of people.

Should be interesting to see what happens next week. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Aneta Blaszczyk for the pic.