Adventures of a Tofu Slut

Yesterday vestra and I went to the Vegetarian Food Fair. It's a very fun event - there are cooking demonstrations, and seminars, and free samples of various products, plus all sorts of things to buy, food and otherwise. And, of course, the 50 cent Tofutti cuties, which are so very addictive and always the highlight of the day. This is my third year going; the first year I was completely excited that such an event even existed, and I remember being shocked that it was actually busy. Last year we went a little crazy with the purchases, buying bread, spreads, organic ketchup, soy products, jam, and all sorts of other things.

This year, though, it was a little scary. It was so crowded, there was barely room to move. The booths outside at least provided extra space to walk, but getting anywhere near the booths was exceedingly difficult, and forget getting at a booth with samples: you'd think they were giving out $100 bills, not pieces of veggie dogs. The inside display areas were even worse; from above they would have looked like a completed mosaic without even a space to put the grout. No matter where you were trying to go, there was no easy way to get there, and I am usually a master crowd weaver. I saw one woman actually shove people out of her way as she walked in a straight line from one end of the room to the other, with no attempt to find the spaces.

I don't know if we even lasted an hour. It was overwhelming and exhausting, and this for something that was supposed to be a fun outing. Maybe it was busier this year, or maybe I'm just getting more sensitive to crowds, but it was too much.

One of the first things that made Toronto feel like "The Big City" was how well attended every event was, even things, like the Vegetarian Food Fair, that would seem to have a fairly limited audience. Every free festival, street fair, celebration of any kind is completely packed full of people. At the time, it was exciting to see all these people out supporting something that I myself was enjoying, but the excitement has definitely worn off. More and more I find myself looking at events with disinterest, even dread, because of the thought of trying to have fun while manoeuvering through all the bodies. I think I just have to admit to myself that I will gladly pay a few bucks to have a few less people and a little more breathing room.