SC - My birthday present

[Philip & Susan Troy]

- -Poster: Jean Holtom <Snowfire at mail.snet.net>

In Wales we also had a man who came around sharpening knives and scissors and the like.  And 
although I lived in a rural area, we also had some interesting people who came to the door 
selling their wares.  In particular we had Indian salesmen who occasionally came to the 
door, completely outfitted in traditional Indian attire.  They sold things like silks, 
bracelets, etc.  And we also had a "peg man" who whittled "dolly pegs" (clothes pins).  
Usually "peg men (or women) were tinkers. 

BTW Milk, eggs, bread, and vegetables are still delivered to the door too.  I don't know if 
that's still done over here anywhere is it?

Elysant 
 

>> I know this used to be common in most towns, but it isn't now- do any of you
>> happen to have the acquaintance of a travelling knife and scissors grinder?
>> I'm lucky enough to know such a gentleman, and for a couple of dollars, he
>> puts a wonderful edge on my blades.

>We had one who used to drive a truck real slowly down the street,
>ringing a sort of gong made from old machine parts. The clapper part was
>attached to the gong by a frayed white nylon cord, as I recall. He was
>alive and well (and putting wonderful edges on blades) until we moved
>out of the neighborhood, but we haven't seen him or anyone like him since.
>
>On the other hand, we also used to have a guy who went around with a
>pushcart (and later a truck), singing (and rolling his r's a bit like
>Pavarotti), "STRRRAWWWWWWW-bed-dies........BLOOOOOOOOOOOO-bed-dies.......CHE-e-e-e-dies..."
>
>Sigh. Note that this was in New York City during my childhood, not too
>long ago, as I'm not one of the old geez...old codg...um, venerable and
>respected elders on this list. It seems as if a variant of one of the
>NRA's popular slogans applies here: when street commerce is made a
>criminal act, only criminals will practice street commerce. For
>practical purposes, it is, and they do. Although, actually, there's a
>good deal less of that, too.
>
>On the bright side, the Wafer Lady is alive and well, and doing a
>booming business, in her two stall locations in Chinatown. She has a
>semi-portable stainless-steel wagon thingy on the corner of Canal and
>Mulberry for weekday use, and her old wooden stall on Mott and Mosco for
>weekends (nearer to the dim sum houses and the churches!). Her irons
>have the kind of elegance only a quality tool can get after more than a
>century of nearly daily use (they look like they may have been brought
>from China in the 19th century), she always has a smile, and she now
>charges the scandalously high price of $1 for a bag of either "egg
>rolls" (rolled wafers made with an eggy batter) or egg cakes (little
>sweet cakes made with, and shaped like, eggs), said bag being about the
>size of your head. This lady probably put her grandsons through Harvard
>selling wafers, of course. 
>
>I'm always happily amazed at these little socio-economic atavisms you
>sometimes find in urban life, usually where you least expect them. Wish
>there were more of them.
>
>Adamantius
>Østgardr, East      
>-- 
>Phil & Susan Troy
>
>troy at asan.com
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