The arabbers of Baltimore.

October 12, 2006 11:19 AM

"Holler, holler, holler, till my throat get sore.
If it wasn't for the pretty girls, I wouldn't have to holler no more.
I say, Watermelon! Watermelon! [Also see the other pic links to the left.]
Got em red to the rind, lady." - Earl Dorsey, Arabber
Descriptions and pictures of Baltimore's disappearing horse and cart arable goods vendors.
posted by OmieWise (9 comments total)

Of course anyone who remembers the first season of Homicide remembers Bayless's first case, a Red Ball.
posted by OmieWise at 11:21 AM on October 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

I remember them from when I was a young kid. We used to buy soft-shell crabs from them, among other things.
posted by me & my monkey at 11:27 AM on October 12, 2006

They continued to come thru my neighborhood until last week, when I noticed that they now use a pickup.
I recommend "We Are Arabbers", a documentary interviewing and following arabbers as they struggle to make a living and maintain their unique culture.
posted by Heatwole at 11:31 AM on October 12, 2006

Yeah, I haven't seen the documentary yet, but it's the fifth link.
posted by OmieWise at 11:37 AM on October 12, 2006

This is too damned cool.

Excellent post, OmieWise!
posted by jason's_planet at 1:08 PM on October 12, 2006

I remember being so confused by this when I first moved to Baltimore. "Shouldn't this be down by the Inner Harbor? What's this doing in my down-at-the-heels 'hood north of Patterson Park? Huh?" The coolest thing is that it's certainly not a tourist-type deal. Saw one just yesterday at Charles and North Ave.
posted by zoinks at 2:03 PM on October 12, 2006

Excellent post, thank you!!
posted by sidereal at 5:40 PM on October 12, 2006

Well, to quote Jonathan Richman:

...I wanna keep my place in this old world
Keep my place in the arcane design
And I still love the '50's and I still love the old world

It's nice to know that there are yet traces of the arcane design out there.
posted by y2karl at 9:04 AM on October 13, 2006

Of course anyone who remembers the first season of Homicide remembers Bayless's first case, a Red Ball.

But what's the brand of dope that the modern-day arabbers are selling in the current season of The Wire?

Big Yellow Bird?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:54 AM on October 14, 2006