The Christmas market in Bolzano was bustling last week. Although they weren’t sporting the usual snowy covering, the wooden hut-like stalls still gave that mountain cottage aura.

The food stalls were doing a brisk trade selling local delicacies. There were steaming dumplings in broth or butter, a variety of spicy sausages and sauerkraut, hunks of pink speck, cheese and potato tartufline and blissfully – not a chicken nugget in sight. The apple strudel was the tartest, sweetest, least anodyne I’ve ever tasted – a million miles away from the bland, frozen, mass-produced desserts that turn up at restaurants so often these days.

The wares on sale were delightful too. Glass-blown ornaments were packed next to carved wooden toys and individual crea­tions. In the artisan section of the market, there were photographs and videos showing the artisans at work in their studios. I examined several of the pieces on sale. None had the generic look or feel of the mass-produced souvenirs crowding our shops. Later I read that a commission had the job of scrutinising prospective stall-holders and their wares and ensuring that they would be selling genuine, crafted products. “Made in China” tat was excluded. They tried to ensure that.

The difference between this and a couple of outdoor Christmas markets held locally couldn’t be greater. There was one market that was extensively advertised which I found nearly amusing in its ludicrousness and totally lack of association with anything Christmas-related.

The wares on sale were household goods. No Christmas carols were played. The food on offer consisted in the rather blah run-of-the-mill hotdogs. The banners festooning were solely those of the company sponsoring the event.

We get what we settle for – from overpriced food, bad service to graver concerns such as bad governance – we get what we accept rather than that which we deserve

It was an altogether cobbled-together affair and not remotely Christmas-themed. People were turning up, looking around in a puzzled manner, making a quick circuit of the haphazard stalls and plumping for a boring hot-dog to justify the outing. It was a totally dismal experience.

I got to thinking why some of our markets and organised events are such pathetic affairs. Why is it that – more often than not – they offer such an unimaginative array of products? Why are we repeatedly presented with tired, poor-quality products similar to those that can be found at every pound shop in every big city around the world? Why is the food the normal kiosk fare or junk food variants of it? Shouldn’t there be anyone ensuring there’s some form of quality control? Why wasn’t there some authority overseeing these kitschfests?

But then I looked up and realised that the hot dog stand was doing a roaring trade. There were no Christmas ornaments on sale, so people were filling their bags with cheap detergent. Basically they were buying whatever was on offer, notwithstanding the fact that it was an unseasonal mix of stuff that could be found at any bazaar. It wasn’t particularly good value for money, it wasn’t enticing or appealing – but people were lapping it up. Whatever was strung up on those awful makeshift stalls was being sold.

It’s no wonder that there is no incentive to provide better quality goods or to organise more imaginative events – as a rule we are non-discerning customers who shop and dine just for the sake of it. If there is no insistence on quality or genuine products, sellers will not go out of their way to offer improved items. Why should they? If we settle for mediocrity and continue giving our custom to these merchants of tat, we shouldn’t moan when we continue to be served with it.

That applies to all spheres of life. We get what we settle for – from overpriced food, bad service to graver concerns such as bad governance – we get what we accept rather than that which we deserve.

So here’s to not settling for less.

drcbonello@gmail.com

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