Moose of all Trades 5

Our deputy editor is a cotton candy vendor

Is it really worth coming all the way from Egypt to work as a cotton candy street vendor? That was the question resonating in my head as I was trying to convince my friend Ali Suleiman to let me take over his job for a few hours. Of course, I did not ask the question, since it appeared Ali was rather uncomfortable with discussing the details and circumstances of his unceremonious job. Hence, I decided to try to find out myself.

As I matched strides with Ali I eventually talked him into handing over the plastic stick. Ali has managed to turn his little stick into a mini mobile kids shop; in addition to the dangling bags of pink cotton candy there are a few balloons, water guns, and even one of these annoying whistles that announce his arrival into the neighbourhood. “It was just an idea I came up with to supplement my income,” Ali explained the reasoning behind the expansion.

Sharing a whistle with my new co-worker did not seem like the most hygienic option, so I immediately bought the one on the stick (and promptly filed an invoice to our NOX accountant). Now I have all the tools that I need for my new job.

It ain’t that sweet
Working the streets of a quiet neighbourhood on a sunny Friday morning is not exactly the optimum time or location for business. According to Ali – who by now knows how to pick potential high-sale areas at various times of the day – schools are his premium locations. “Sometimes I can sell my whole stock for the day in front of one school”, Ali replied to my slow-business complaints.

But on a Friday, it won’t be as easy, and despite the glaring sun, those are the days when Ali walks for 12 straight hours – street to street and neighbourhood to neighbourhood, trying to collect enough loose change to make it worth the full day of work.

As I blew in my whistle harder, trying to get creative with the tunes – to which Ali objected, “You have to generate that same known tune, otherwise people won’t know it is the cotton candy man!” – a kid approached me. I was so excited about making my first sale that I decided to give him the bag for free. He was so happy in turn that I decided for the rest of my shift – and to Ali’s horror – I would just giveaway bags of coloured sugar to all the kids I saw.

For some fat slob who sits behind a computer screen in an air-conditioned office for a few hours a day, handing over cotton candy to kids for two hours may have been an enjoyable “fun time”.  But the thought of having your livelihood depend on little kids sugar cravings was a scary thought. Whether this job offered more security and a “steady” income than sitting around a busy intersection waiting to be picked up by a contractor remains to be seen.

Evaluation
Hours lasted: Two and a half hours.

Difficulty: Endless walking, sweating and sun burns,
uncertainty of a daily income.

Money earned: Three JDs in the red – half a JD for the whistle and two and a half JDs f
or Ali’s time and free giveaways.

Career possibilities: Falafel shop guy is the Royal Court chief in comparison.
No future possibilities.

Market analysis: Cotton candy prices have survived the hikes in oil prices,
but with a reduced per-bag content as a side effect.