Organic food markets..dangerous to your health!

Ottawa is blessed with a variety of farmer's markets one of which is the organic farmers market.

The organic farmers market is crowded and inefficient with produce on the ground or the floor. The customers are the most unhealthy looking and sorry collection of individuals, with masks, complaints of allergies to the air, trees, gluten, milk etc etc. They complain, never smile and delay the already long lineups by reciting their litany of health complaints to the vendors. I am sure most of their health problems are because they are so unhappy. They blame the food and the air and the trees but they have to look to themselves.

There are a few meat sellers but they are pariahs as most of this pasty and flabby crowd are vegetarians. I brought my dogs and was told it was offensive as this was organic food. I was very tempted to say that organic means natural fertilizer and it is likely that the lettuce has cow manure on it and they should not worry about a few dog hairs. But these folks are allergic to life and for the most part miserable!

The vendors for the most part are also unfriendly, all the while selling their goods at inflated prices. I go to the farmers market to purchase milk and eggs but cant wait to get out of there! I find myself tense and impatient waiting in line with these people. The atmosphere I swear was dangerous for my health and I will not be back!

What a relief to attend the market at St. Paul university. Here the vendors are friendly and cheerful. The customers are pleasant and purchase their strawberries or cheese without a long litany of woes of what they can and cannot eat. The customers bring their children and their dogs...(I bring mine as well) and you can engage in conversations and learn about organic farming. Yes they have organic farmers as well.

The produce is well displayed, there is none on the ground, there is face painting for the kids and the atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. Oh and the dogs? They were given cookies and admired by the vendors and the customers alike.

How is it that by calling something organic, without proof, strewing a few weeds on the floor and by being surly inefficient slow and unfriendly can you charge so much for your 'products?' How is it that customers come at all for such an unpleasant atmosphere?

The moral of the story for vendors is as follows, call yourself organic, be slow, disorganized and inefficient. Call some miserable people to tie up the lines and complain and then triple your prices. You don't need extra staff, even cleanliness. It is all in the attitude~