There are some stereotypes that are harsh and rude. There are other stereotypes that exist for a reason. Old people complaining about prices falls into the second category. A couple of weeks ago I got on the bus and sat a couple of seats back from an elderly gentleman and a friend of his (whether a bus friend or an old friend it was unclear). He spent the entire bus ride griping about the cost of fruit. He is boycotting strawberries at the local supermarket. Apples are far more expensive these days than they used to be and they’ve gotten worse.
People talking about food on transit: What you taco ’bout
A couple years ago I was riding the c-train. Chatting across from me were a couple of unforgettable guys. Or more specifically one unforgettable guy. It was spring so he was lightly dressed in a t-shirt or a wife beater and jeans. He had a backwards baseball cap or a scruffy hairstyle. More than anything in the world he wanted a taco.
This was not just your average food craving. He spent upwards of 15 minutes telling his friend that he had to have a taco. There was something in the way he said taco over and over again. Ta-c-o. The intonation was either stoned or skater dude. He repeated the word enough times to set a world record.
Across from him on the train I pictured him with a taco in a speech bubble above his head. I still can’t strike that image from my head. So I’ve decided that when a moment like this happens I will draw a sketch of it. The food the person was talking about will sit nicely in their speech bubble like a day dream.
