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| Street vender of fresh sweet fruits, related links and recipes below |
As a
graduate student at Syracuse University I wrote dissertation on the social
history of the railroad and banana industry in Guatemala at the turn of the
century. The project required several months of archival research at the
national archives in Guatemala City the capital of the country. My first month
in the city I rented a room in a hotel and settled into a routine of a 20
minute walk to the archive and purchasing fruit from a young female street vendor
in her late teens on the way. Over time I got to know the street vendor whose name
was Roxanne. Overtime our daily interaction helped me feel apart of the community I had moved into as the newcomer from New York. She answered questions I had about the city helped get by barrings. Street venders, particularly the sincere and engaging ones who
set up in the same place like Roxanne, become a part of a community. When they are
gone members of the community notice and inquire about their whereabouts and well-being.
I imagine the same goes for the customers that a vendor has had for a long
time. Roxanne I recall sold some of the sweetest fruit I have ever had in my
life! In part I imagine it was sweet because
she was a very sweet person. Many female entrepreneurs in history started off
like Roxanne selling fruit, baked goods, and other food on the streets. Through
producing a great tasting product, savvy marketing, hard work, great customer
service, and relationships with the connected, some would expand their corner
operations into restaurants, catering services, and or other food related
businesses. Over the years I’ve come across many of these stories which I've
documented in my books and this blog.
Fresh Fruit Related Stories with
Recipes: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=Fresh+Fruit
My Guatemala Stories with
Recipes: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=Guatemala+
Street Venders Series with
Recipes: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=Street+Venders
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