Farmers' Market Outsider

Yesterday I went to a farmers' market for the first time ever. Glasier Farm, the farm that actually runs the market, is only a few minutes from my house; you can call in your order and they get it ready for you to pick up in 3 hours. But, I decided to drive across town to their farmers' market to have the farmers' market experience. Plus, I wanted to get a look at their products before ordering sight unseen.

The fruits and vegetables were all organic, and they also had several vegan and raw products that they prepare, including nut milks, salads, and raw pies. Everything looked delicious, and I actually bought a small container of avocado salad, which I would definitely purchase again and again.

The vegetables that I purchased filled one brown paper bag, and I spent about $50, which is about how much I would spend at Whole Foods for the same amount of food. I was very impressed by the quality of the food that was available. But, once again, the food isn't exactly what I want to talk about today...

There definitely seems to be a farmers' market culture that exists, with two distinct groups. I didn't fit into either one:

1. Group #1: The long-flowing-skirt-wearing, nature-loving, my-boyfriend-has-dreads and we-don't-use-deoderant group. (Phew!)

2. Group #2: The I-drove-my-Benz-and-parked-it-on-the-good-side-of-Coconut-Grove-and-walked-over-on-my-designer-shoes group.

EVERYONE was blonde or bleached-blonde. I guess blondes are more health conscious???? Well, I take that back. There was ONE little old Asian couple at the market. It might sound like they don't belong to either group, but they do. They belong to group 1--no designer jeans, lol.

There I was, in my Walmart jeans and t-shirt, with my curly brown hair and glittery flats. I stuck out like a sore thumb. At one point I tried to ask one of the cashiers a question, and he looked at me as if I were from another planet. I didn't even finish my sentence. He wasn't actually being rude. He said all of the polite customer service type things that a cashier is supposed to say. But, I just couldn't get past that first look that he gave me. You know, the one that said, "Woah! What is she doing here?" 

I did experience one redeeming moment that made me feel like people can  be real at the Farmers' Market. There was a Group #1 member that caught my attention. She was a young woman who was carrying her baby. As she walked through the aisles, I heard her saying to her baby over and over, in that mama to baby voice, "Look at all these yummies." She really wanted to inculcate this love of healthy foods in her baby from a very early age. I thought that was a really cool thing to witness, because she was real...this is her way of life.

As for me, I think I'll just order from the farm from now on.