Monday, October 19, 2009

The Dry-fruits Vendor



I see this gentleman almost everyday while rushing off to work. His is always the only shop that is open at that time of the morning, and though I have never seen a single customer stop by that early, he is always open.
Sometimes I wonder if he opens early so he can savour the newspaper before the customers start coming in. Or does he read the newspaper merely to pass time?
Whatever the reason for his opening so early, it is always a pleasure to see one bit of perfection in the chaos of the railway station!

16 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Isn't it nice to have some constants in our lives? Very comforting.

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

joe doaks-Author said...

Early birds have an advantage…I’m told. What’s he selling? Whatever it is, it’s colorful. Last thought: I wonder if has any suspicion he is now known worldwide? You should tell him he’s made the internet.

Best Regards, Galen

Imagineering Fiction Blog

Lisa said...

I love his hair color :-).

Jan Morrison said...

excellent picture and lovely thoughts. Ordinary magic.

Hart Johnson said...

I bet he is savoring the quiet before the chaos (possibly escaping home chaos--i sometimes come to work early for that reason). I also love the things I can count on though, that are just a little more colorful than normal.

Natasha said...

@ Elizabeth - absolutely

@ Galen - I should, shouldn't I? Maybe I will, if I can figure out which language to converse with him in. The stuff you can see is called 'seviayan' - a kind of noodles fried in calcified butter - you cook it with milk, add sugar and have one of the tastiest desserts this side of the Arabian Ocean.

@ Lisa - raw henna applied to the hair and allowed to stay for about an hour - supposed to be a conditioner too. Islamic tradition, which is fast dying out :-(

@ Jan - thanks!

Natasha said...

@ Tami - we posted simultaneously, I think. In the fantasy I have created around him, his house is a bedlam, and he comes here to relax.

Anonymous said...

or maybe he is even a closet reader, gobbling words up quickly before the rest of the day's worries take over his time/thoughts :-)

Thanks for dropping by my blog. You have a lovely space yourself :)

Rads

Elspeth Futcher said...

I like the idea of him enjoying a quiet minute before the hustle and bustle of the day. He's positioned his chair in a way that is best for his reading and his legs are comfortably tucked beneath it. I'd bet he sits in the same position every day.

Elspeth

Natasha said...

@ Rads - making up stories about total strangers is great fun, isn't it?

@ Elspeth - you are right, he does sit exactly like that every day (and in the evening too). Unless he is at his other store, where he has to sit crosslegged because there isn't enough space for the stool.

dipali said...

It's a lovely photograph, and I like your fantasy too.
Except for the "calcified butter" in your reply to Galen's comment
Clarified butter, also known as ghee.
( I have the soul of a proof reader, what to do?)

Natasha said...

@ dipali - thanks for catching that. I knew it was not quite the right word, but for the life of me couldn't find a word that sounded more right.

Anonymous said...

Love it! A few minutes of rest before the hustle and bustle of the day.

And isn't his hair glorious!

Natasha said...

@ Fiona - the hair is gorgeous, isn't it? Pure white, coloured with henna in the glorious tradition of his religion.

CA Verstraete said...

Great pic! Nice to see snapshots that show the flavor of another country.

Natasha said...

@ Chris - thank you, and welcome to the blog.

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