1. Operator: Mohammed
Location: Central Park & 5th Avenue.
Story: Mohammed is originally from Egypt, and works the push-cart on an occasional basis.
Difficulties: the elements: The weather as we all know it is not always pleasant outside, and working a push cart definitely exposes you to all the elements: cold winters, hot summers, and shaky spring and fall. The work by it's nature leaves the operator outside for a long period of the day, and over time, that takes a toll.
Currently, though Mohammed works the push cart for his owner, who is not physically present with him, but whom he obviously makes his accounting to. I asked him what he will do if he had the opportunity to work the cart on his own ( In other words, if he was the owner).
His response? I wouldn't find him on the streets. He'll choose a different occupation. So this led to my next obvious question: For what he would like to do? A chauffeur position with one of the hotels in Manhattan, where he gets to put on nice clothes, meet nice people ( as he describes it) and be indoors or inside a car almost all the time, away from the elements, was his preferred kind of work.
A better pay will come in handy, too, he added to provide for his 2 kids and wife. And speaking of his family, this is also a driving reason for working the pushcart in the elements to provide for his family.
2. Operator: Rita.
Location: Central Park and 5th Avenue:
Story: Rita's a young lady in her early twenties ( it seemed to me) and operates a push cart for www.wafelsanddinges.com, a Belgian pastry and beverage company.
"Two years," she said, when I asked how long she has been doing this. This made me ask a related question, as I thought of her youth and how easily a part-time college course seemed to easily fit into her life. Rita speaks Persian, Russian, and English, and was out of school for now, having enrolled in the past. I didn't ask why, as it seemed too personal a question, and she had customers to attend to.
Wafels and Dinges serves folks in the Central Park and 5th Avenue desserts, Belgian Waffles, coffees, tea & hot chocolate.
For what she enjoys the most: She talked about her joy of chatting with tourists who come to central park from all over the world, and serving them with whatever they will like to desired of their offerings.
3. Operator: Kalzang
Kalzang, whom I talked to a few minutes before Mohammed and Rita, shared with me his difficulty with conversing with American shoppers, though he had an easier time with foreigners. He found the accent of most Americans a little too "slippery" to keep track of. But this is understandable for him, who hailed from a nation outside the states and not quite used to the unique pronunciation of English words by most Americans.
Also, I tried to find out how he found the job, or where to find such an employment. From what he shared, there seemed a network of sorts that he knew of that brings folks like him into contact with push cart owners. And since he didn't own the truck, he often finds himself out of work for periods at a time, and was back to work now after being rehired by another push cart owner after his last.
Kalzang, like the others, also enjoyed chatting with his customers and serving them with whatever pleased them out of what he sold.
................
I did talk to a few other push cart operators in the Central Park neighborhood, and they had similar thoughts to share. Alex, whom I spoke to first on 60th and Columbus, shared his appreciation for his good positioning and the opportunity this job offers him to interact with customers of all kinds; and Abdul, an Egyptian, who would definitely choose a different location for the kind of traffic he gets if he owned the cart, but had no complaints now and seemed to joyfully serve his customers.
Yet what's the point in doing these quick interviews with these operators?
Well, first, they work in a different environment than most, who most likely work indoors in an office in a company or elsewhere. These push cart operators have to directly interact with customers of all kinds under different conditions, serve them well, and make a living. I wanted to understand that.
Two, though I did not expect this, I also found myself motivated to work harder on my projects, realizing how these guys simply got on with their work and found a way to put food on the table though they may not have the best of situations ( it seemed to me, at least). It got me stirred to look at my circumstances, and strive harder.
All in all, it gave me a quick look into a world I have walked past often when I found myself in Manhattan, and now had a better appreciation for their work and lives.
