“Here your ice cream. Tootsie-frootsie ice cream.”
… the memorable line in the Marx Brothers’ ‘A Day At The Races’. Chico poses as an ice-cream vendor, as a cover from the cops, when he is actually selling racing tips. In probably the funniest scene in the movie, Chico gives Groucho a tip on a horse, but in code, so that Groucho has to buy book after book from Chico to decipher the code.
I’ve always loved the Marx Brothers’ movies, they’re so funny- so many memorable scenes and one-liners. Surprisingly there aren’t many people under 30 who are fans, and I get excited when actually I come across someone who’s ‘into’ them. The plots and scenes are always unbelievable and far-fetched, as in they couldn’t happen, but that’s part of the humour.
In Rome there are these street vendors walking around with assortments of glittery, shiny, and noisy wares hanging from every extremity… necklaces dangling around their arms, annoying magnetic stones that make a noise and aggravate everybody around, items such as back rubbers that they will use on you without asking… and every kind of useless rubbish in-between. I can hardly believe anybody ever buys that garbage, and I get a sense of ‘unreality’ and being in a different world when thousands of these little street dwellers seem to make a living, and seem to be completely tolerated by Italians at large! I can’t believe or understand how anyone buys that stuff, enough to make a living for all these guys, and how much the Italians will put up with.
To give you an idea: We were in the Pizzeria with Alessandro, eating our tootsie-frootsie ice cream, as you do in Italy, the home of ice-cream. And it was like I had warped into a parallel dimension as impervious street trader after street trader entered the restaurant, greeted by the owner, and proceeded to harass everyone at our table with an assortment of cheap Chinese garbage, including extremely bright lamps that blinded us, and the trader imperviously interrupted any conversation with impunity. I’m reminded of what Chico said in that scene in the movie: “Don’t worry I get us some money, I find us a sucker someplace. Scram, I think I see a sucker coming now!”
I could go into a list of run-ins I’ve had with these street traders, including having a curse being placed on me, being descended on by a large group like a bunch of rats after I told one to politely go away (an English euphemism for something slightly stronger) on the Spanish Steps, and an honest invitation for sexual relations in a nearby dark alley.
So…. the pizza was nice, anyway, and so was the ice cream. And this is San Lorenzo, where apparantly it’s traditional to have street traders walk into a restaurant and harangue and cajole you into buying some flashlight that clips onto your cap. Just so you can see what you’re eating better, you understand. Of course I’m jesting (joking) in this recount of the way of life in Rome. But Rome has always been a trading city, and don’t ever expect to pay the sticker price, you’re supposed to bargain in Rome, otherwise you’ll be paying way over what you should. And it’s always been overrun with immigrants, as it’s so close to Africa, and for other reasons. It’s all part of the atmosphere and cultural life in Rome. I like it for the differences between here and home.
