Things Are Picking Up at the Grateful Dumpling

We spoke with our neighbor at the big-city market and she said that two weeks ago was traditionally the busiest week, and then things taper off until the market ends. We have not necessarily found this to be the case, though in all fairness, it has only been one week. We just did a huge market, and it was amazingly busy. So much so that at points we literally had to keep cranking out dumplings non-stop just to keep pace, and even then we failed at that.

In the past, we found that customers came in waves, with long lulls in between that allow us to play catch-up. This was not the case this past week, and there was a steady stream of people from the get-go. We got to see lots of our regulars, and I think we developed new loyalties. You have to love making connections with people. Believe it or not, the crowds are increasing and school has not even started yet. It will be interesting, to say the least, once the students return.

Now being so busy is a double edged sword. We appreciate the business, no doubt, but it also means that we need to make more dumplings. This, as you might have guessed, is not as appealing, and means more hours down in the salt mines making the dumplings. Oh well, who needs a life.

We also have to decide where to put our earnings. We are able to use the proceeds to buy the raw ingredients for the treats, but what to do with the money after that is another story. We're planning our big trip at the end of the season, and who knows, maybe we'll splurge and buy new shoes or look into getting a couple of bistro sets for the new house we're building, or rather, trying to build in-between the making of dumplings. We'll have to consult with my my mother-in-law, JR, to see what she'd like.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the local market. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Christian Ferrari for the pic.