Shopping with the family mutt
Published on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 by John OwenRead More Owen at Large
A sign posted over the fresh salmon stall at the Edmonds Saturday market reads, "Vegetarian: Ancient Indian word meaning Poor Fisherman."
It was good for a laugh.
So is a list of rules regarding admission to the market, which is supposedly limited to "Dogs with social skills."
On one recent Saturday dogs the size of Volkswagen busses roamed the aisles and I searched in vain for a market rep charged with checking canine social skills.
Those dogs could have been entered in the bareback riding competition at the Ellensburg Roundup.
Unfortunately, when the gates open there is no alarm bell or P.A. announcement like "Powder River, Let 'Er Buck."
The shoppers, including a number of elders, might as well be in a Monterey bull ring waving a plastic shopping bag, instead of a red cape, and skipping alertly over ropes and leashes of assorted lengths.
OK, I'll admit it. There are a lot of small, cute, well-behaved dogs at the market on the alert for a loose lamb chop or other small, cute, well-behaved dogs.
And their proud owners seem more interested in showing off their mutts than in locating the best produce at reasonable prices.
Eager eaters don't have the time or inclination to join the canine Easter Parade. We met a typical one at the Pasteria Luchese stall where exotic ravioli were being offered.
She told us excitedly that she had tried the duck-filled pasta the previous week, and found it made a terrific meal, when paired with a few handfulls of oyster mushrooms sauteed with a slurp of white wine.
So we went for the duck, my wife quickly discovered oyster mushrooms at a nearby stall and dinner was every bit as successful as we had anticipated.
The market is all about food and eating. You can't be dragging a doberman around while you are munching a dessert crepe with lots of whipped cream oozing out the sides.
How can you determine that the strawberries at this stall are bigger and and more flavorful than those offered just down the line when your pooch is lifting his leg next to a $15 floral bouquet?
And face it, very few of the dogs on display at our Saturday market hold certificates of graduation from Miss Manners or Paws Without Flaws.
If your dog is free of both flaws and fleas you don't have to take it shopping.
Just make a reservation for the "Dine With Your Dog Dinner" July 13 at the Barking Frog Restaurant in Woodinville.
If I'm late, start without me.
It was good for a laugh.
So is a list of rules regarding admission to the market, which is supposedly limited to "Dogs with social skills."
On one recent Saturday dogs the size of Volkswagen busses roamed the aisles and I searched in vain for a market rep charged with checking canine social skills.
Those dogs could have been entered in the bareback riding competition at the Ellensburg Roundup.
Unfortunately, when the gates open there is no alarm bell or P.A. announcement like "Powder River, Let 'Er Buck."
The shoppers, including a number of elders, might as well be in a Monterey bull ring waving a plastic shopping bag, instead of a red cape, and skipping alertly over ropes and leashes of assorted lengths.
OK, I'll admit it. There are a lot of small, cute, well-behaved dogs at the market on the alert for a loose lamb chop or other small, cute, well-behaved dogs.
And their proud owners seem more interested in showing off their mutts than in locating the best produce at reasonable prices.
Eager eaters don't have the time or inclination to join the canine Easter Parade. We met a typical one at the Pasteria Luchese stall where exotic ravioli were being offered.
She told us excitedly that she had tried the duck-filled pasta the previous week, and found it made a terrific meal, when paired with a few handfulls of oyster mushrooms sauteed with a slurp of white wine.
So we went for the duck, my wife quickly discovered oyster mushrooms at a nearby stall and dinner was every bit as successful as we had anticipated.
The market is all about food and eating. You can't be dragging a doberman around while you are munching a dessert crepe with lots of whipped cream oozing out the sides.
How can you determine that the strawberries at this stall are bigger and and more flavorful than those offered just down the line when your pooch is lifting his leg next to a $15 floral bouquet?
And face it, very few of the dogs on display at our Saturday market hold certificates of graduation from Miss Manners or Paws Without Flaws.
If your dog is free of both flaws and fleas you don't have to take it shopping.
Just make a reservation for the "Dine With Your Dog Dinner" July 13 at the Barking Frog Restaurant in Woodinville.
If I'm late, start without me.