(no subject)

My university has started hosting farmer's markets. I want to be cynical about that-- but I just can't.

The reason I want to be cynical is that recently my university has been making decisions based less on what it would make sense for a university to do, and more on what would make it the most money. For example, it recently knocked down a lot of its central buildings and rebuilt them. And completely ignoring all the other reasons the reconstruction was annoying-- They knocked down a set of large lecture theatres, and replaced them with a cinema. (Because it's not like a university would need large centrally located lecture theatres?) They stopped renting out restaurant space to the cheap'n'cheerful food-on-the-go-places, and now there are fancy (and expensive) cafés and poke bowl places instead.

And they increased the price to hold a stall on the grounds, to an amount that a student club could not hope to afford, but an AcmeCorp recruiting event totally could.

Before and during the reconstruction, there were weekly markets. They weren't anything fancy, but that didn't matter, because they were aimed at university students and students don't want fancy+expensive? There were usually a couple second hand book stalls (one for non fiction, and one that sold old sci fi and fantasy paperbacks for $2 each) and a second hand clothing stall. Someone might be selling hand made jewelry. Those sort of stalls.

But once the reconstruction was finished-- no more markets. They stopped. There was annoyance. Outcry. Talk of 'is this the because of the fucking absurd stall fees?'

But then the administration listened! The markets would be back! ...as farmer's markets. Because artisanal cheese* is really aimed at the student demographic. And the 'all things must be handmade' edict sounded like it would stop my beloved second hand bookstall with too many Anne McCaffreys from attending, and that stall was the highlight of the markets for me.

It was the fancy nonsense that the university is starting to pull, and I should be cynical.

But then market day rolled around. Firstly, the second hand bookstall was there! (And the second hand clothing stall, too.) Hooray!

But also-- one of the artisinal food stalls was a cannoli stall. That sold cannoli in multiple flavours. Unusual flavours, like 'chocolate orange', as well as your more traditional 'vanilla cream' and suchlike.

...did you know that the way to my heart is passionfruit cannoli? I didn't know that until recently either.

(I had two cannoli: one in the morning and one in the afternoon, because what if this was the last time the cannoli stall was ever there? I got a 50c discount on the second one, presumably because it was noticed I bought two? I was instantly charmed. Thank you, cannoli man, for the 15% discount on your delicious baked goods.)

I just can't be cynical about book stalls and cannoli. It's a character flaw.

*I shouldn't be too cynical about the cheese either. I bought some at my mother's request, and it was good cheese. Bizarre decision to try and sell it at a university, but good cheese nonetheless.