Again I'm combining recent observations with some previous ones to describe an aspect of life in Mexico, that of encountering people who are selling various things in various locations that would not be recognized as retail outlets in the US. I was thinking of a subtitle along the lines of "the good, the bad, and the ugly," but actually needed more than three categories, so I'll add a fourth, "the benign".
What I am referring to here is inclusive of:
--a guy on a bicycle cart with a loudspeaker and a recording touting various food offerings;
--a small child going table to table in a restaurant with little packets of chewing gum (chicle);
--a truck driving through the neighborhood sounding a sort of pinging or whistling chime;
--a person (usually man or boy) trying to polish your shoes, even while you are walking and saying "no!";
--a man with a cart with fruit, moving along the sidewalk and calling out the names of the fruit;
--people with various jewelry, toys, baskets, trinkets, either in stationary locations or approaching tables in restaurants;
--people going through cars on the subway (Metro) selling chewing gum, candy bars, candy, multi-part puzzle toys, snacks of various sorts, CDs (bootleg? recordings of their own music?);
--people going among vehicles stopped at a stoplight selling much of the same stuff as on the metro, but also including newspapers, refrescos (bottled water or softdrinks), bagged cotton candy, fruit;
--people delivering their own live performance, vocal or on various musical instruments, with varying quality and length of performance.
I have to say that my categorization of almost all of this was for a long time "bad" or at least "annoying". When I had an opportunity to spend more time in one location and in residential neighborhoods in various cities (notably Cuernavaca, Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas) over the past several years, however, I came to see that much of this is actually just the way certain things are sold. In fact, some of it is very much a service that consumers want and need. For instance, the trucks going through neighborhoods with loudspeakers and or chimes are the way in which cannisters of gas (for cooking, heating water, etc.) are delivered. These suckers are about three feet tall and quite heavy, I imagine. I know I wouldn't want to carry one! These trucks are also the way in which purified (drinking) water is delivered in five-gallon bottles. In some locations, there are even water tanker trucks that fill tanks on the roofs of houses with water for washing, bathing, flushing of toilets. Obviously, I would have to categorize all of this as "good". This is the way people get things that they need on a daily basis.
The people with carts, bicycle or otherwise, who are selling food items like fresh fruit or various cooked items (such as burritos, tamales, oaxacaquenos--whatever that is--and several other things that I haven't yet been able to understand) are a service that at least some people seem to want. There is one type of cart that has a steam whistle (do not be standing or walking nearby when it is blown!) and the person is selling baked/steamed sweet potatoes and baked/steamed plantains, so we are told. This cart goes around the neighborhood where we live in the evenings. I have heard the steam whistle as late as midnight. The burritos-tamales-oaxacaquenos cart starts sometimes around mid-day. I have bought fruit from the fruit cart, but not any of the cooked items yet.
People do seem to occasionally buy snack items, gum, or newspapers from the vendors moving among stopped vehicles. I wonder how lucrative it is to sell things this way, but that's another matter I guess.
The children/adults coming around to tables in restaurants trying to sell handicrafts, gum, candy, I still don't like. Especially the really young children--as young as four or five. It seems like glorified begging at best and extremely exploitive at worst. I do understand that the actions are probably associated with extreme poverty and I certainly don't blame the people who are doing this, but I don't think that my participating in this type of commerce is an appropriate response to allieviating poverty. So I am always warm and polite but also firm that I'm not buying whatever it is.
The stationary stands, carts or collection of items displayed on a sidewalk, whether I'm interested in what's being sold or not, seem more benign than when people are actively approaching me. These I can take or leave without my space feeling invaded.
Just so you know, I'm sure that a great influence on my categorizing these types of commerce as "good" vs. "bad" has to do with the concept of personal space, which is largely culturally determined, or at least highly culturally influenced. Thus, as someone from a WASPish US upbringing, my concept of personal space is such that I don't want to be approached; I want to be in control of seeking out what I want and ignoring what I don't want. Someone approaching me sends "danger! warning Will Robinson!" signals. I'm trying to learn which of those initial appraisals is accurate and modify my appraisal process as needed for this different cultural setting. Someone playing music on the sidewalk (or in other places in subway or train stations) who has an instrument case or other container for contributions invades my space only with the music. That's usually okay, even if I don't contribute or like the music. I don't feel threatened. Someone playing music for a short time in a restaurant and then going table to table for contributions, feels like more of an invasion into my space, although not really a threat. We are trying to figure out our system for participating in contributions in this type of situation. Many of the local people ignore or say no to contributing. But then there's the organ grinder, which is apparently fundraising by and for people with disabilities. One of my Mexican role models does give a small amount of change to these folks. There also is the occasional really good musical performance of a greater length in or outside a restaurant--I don't have a problem with this invading my space; I give more to these performers. Someone trying to polish my shoes as I am walking and saying "no!" is clearly over the line--my line, at least.
I have more to say about commerce and the economic situation in general, which I will save for another time. Thanks for reading my narratives, musings, and introspections. If you have comments or questions, post them here--if you are able to (I've had trouble myself)--or e-mail me!
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