Back to School, Try to Stay Cool

The Thursday market at SDSU was a whole different animal.  After getting through the rigorous application process, Kate & I thought we just had to show up on time & do what we always did: make great grilled cheese sandwiches & serve them with a smile.  But, going back to school always sounds easier than it really is.

First, we had to stop at Smart and Final to buy more ice.  After a hot day at OB, we were running low.  

Then, we arrived an hour early to unload off the student promenade & carry the tent & coolers up a half flight of stairs to our spot on the concourse.  When our SUV was empty, Kate had to drive it down the hill to park in a specific vendor parking garage that charged us $10 for the day.  

After she walked back up the hill, Kate helped me get the tent up.  The setup on the Mesa required us to keep our grill uncovered from any tent structure (in case of a fire, even though we had paid extra for a "fire-retardant" tent canopy).  

So, I lit the grill out in the already blazing sun in a barricaded off section behind our tent.  It wouldn't have been so bad, had they not extended the market an extra two hours this year from ending at 3pm, now going until 5pm, the hottest part of the day.  

Students began to discover us & place their orders with Kate right around the time that a member from the SDSU Health Department decided to inspect our booth.  She was nice & did the usual thermometer checks on our meats & cheeses.  

"Your cheese isn't cold enough.  You'll have to send someone to go get more ice," she said.  So, Kate ran off to the concession area at the arena to grab some more ice.  

There was never enough ice out on the Mesa.

The campus also enforced a rule that none of the vendors could sell canned or bottled soft drinks, because they had a contract with a Pepsi-Cola distributor that stipulated that they be the only provider of soft drinks.  Of course, we were free to make our own juice, tea or lemonade- but the students would want that cold as well- so even more ice!

I stuck to the shade as much as I could that first day & admired the other vendors manning their hot grills from under straw sun hats & long sleeved shirts.  

The heat made it feel like a longer day than it really was & even though we had a lot of extra loaves of sourdough at the end, it was a still a good day after all of the expenses (market fee, parking, ice, etc.).   

Some adjustments would have to be made, but that's how it went with a new market.  You don't know until you go.