We parked at the top of the hill. Beautiful views. Quiet. Warm. Wandering down a dry narrow steep path we emerged at street level into the grassy gardens of an art gallery.
As we dropped onto the street an old lady in a sunhat said
"You have to pay you know"
4 wristbands later we were looking at our first stall. "Day dream believer" by The Monkees being played by 5 pensioners on eukeleles.
So we had face painting , balloons, bouncy castle, recognised a couple of people from the evening do last week. Blueberry icecream blended in front of us. Thai chicken kebabs and Paua or Puau patty. I didnt know what the last thing was but many were being bought. As we all sat on a wall to let the kids eat their slushies a hunchbacked bespectacled old man next to us was half way through one.
"Is it any good?"
'I've never seen them like this before they are big infact exceptional value for money" (he was well spoken)
So I realised it probably wasnt a vegetable at this point.
'Its shellfish. Aparently the Chinese cant get enough of them'
So then we lapsed into the where do you live, what are you doing here thing again. And he also opined that Maoris were lazy. Very lazy. Then he said something about immigrants claiming benefit and the govt having to tighten the rules.
Well... this was not the first nor the second time I have heard the lazy comment.....but as someone who had to sit through a weekend of counselling training about culture and race; ten weeks of a 'diversity' module and every two? years online training in this subject through work place assessment.....well...its not black and white its grey. Many many shades of grey. I think its been trained out of me to "call a spade a spade" or to jump to conclusions. Or to counter an opinion out loud....
So I end up wondering about the context and background of whom I am listening to instead. And dont offer any opinions back. And wonder why they need to say this to me and why now...
The only thing I consciously remember from the trainings is that there is "more difference within culture than between culture"
Overall the festival was great. Not too busy. Mostly locals on stalls. Locally made stuff.
Xxx
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