under the guise of research

Oh the things I can make myself do gracefully under the guise of Research!  I can coax myself into all manner of greater patience if I think about some things as potential story- or blog-fodder.  

In my dotage, I find this works for parties, too, even those where I don't know anyone -- I can make myself less nervous and awkward by approaching the whole thing as an interview. Who knows what I might learn.  If my notebook and pencil are in my hands, then so much the better.  

Just that little bit of observer-distance creates a buffer that makes otherwise nerve-wracking activities (and me) more pleasant all around.  You know, practicing detachment and all that shit.

Seriously, this may be as Buddhist as I get.

So it is with the Marin County Farmer's Market held on Sundays at the Civic Center just one mile from my house.

Normally I avoid that Market like the plague.  Like a plague of strollers pushed by zombies, to be exact. I've never been so jostled by pregnant bellies in all my life as I have been at that Market, where the prices, for my pocketbook anyway, are obscene.  Fastest way I know of, besides shoes, to blow through $100.

But the food is gorgeous.

And there are items there that you can't find in stores.

And there's lots of honey.

This past Sunday's foray to the Farmer's Market was ostensibly a research trip with two aims. First, I wanted to see how much honey sells for.  Looking ahead to my next Honey Sale, I thought I'd conduct a little market survey, see what the market can bear.  Second, I was trying on a new attitude: going to the market as one farmer supporting other farmers.  If I really do host a pop-up farm stand in my driveway, what can I learn from these farmers who are already doing this, at least once a week?

That made it possible for me to wait patiently, no gesticulation or rude curses, for a parking space and brave the crowds.  Because on a sunny Sunday morning in July, it seems the entire Bay Area (and their double-strollers) is crammed into the tiny space the Farmer's Market occupies.

I filled my bag slowly, I took notes, I filled my bag with delectables that I mostly couldn't have found anywhere else.  Later, at home, I had a delicious lunch with a friend: local mozzarella and fresh bread and cream from the Market, plus tomatoes, cucumber and basil from our own homestead.

And I didn't lose my temper.

Not even a bit.  I learned honey goes for a lot more than I sold ours for, but I kinda knew that already anyway.  I suppose I didn't realize by quite how much I underpriced ours, but then again, I don't have the overhead of being at the market, so there's that.  And I'm not trying to make a living at it (yet), so that's something else.  Still it was good to see the range, even at the fancy Market, in presentation and pricing.  $11 buys you a whole lot more honey at the stand at right, than it does at the Marshall Honey people one row over.  But I didn't see a whole of action at this cheaper stand, so hmmm....

I wandered, asked questions, took notes, bought, all the time feeling like I wasn't just doing the shopping.  I spent $6 on fresh cheese, $10 on a half-flat of organic strawberries, $20 on a rabbit, tasted sorbets, enjoyed slices of perfect nectarines.

Research results?

For once I managed to come home from the Market not feeling totally ripped off and irritated, but actually really happy, excited about the bunny people from Nicasio who provided the base of a really delicious and new Sunday dinner for us (lapin a la moutarde, oh yea), thanks to cheese people from Point Reyes, the salame guy, all of it.

But mostly, let's be honest, all thanks to my switch in outlook.  I can do pretty much anything comfortably if I take notes, if I make it about learning something, telling a story later.  Apparently, I can bear any amount of jostling with good humor, screaming toddlers with aplomb, and still carry on a conversation, letting my curiosity and my appetite lead me around.

I don't want to push my luck, but I might try it again this Sunday.  Who knows what I'll learn this time if I just go in with the right frame of mind.  I think that makes everything more delicious. 

later on: the berries & creme fraiche atop Honey Polenta cake, yum!