Habib, Midtown West
Originally from Afghanistan, Habib Nazarwal is a genius for languages. He interacts with customers in Spanish and Russian, his English is flawless, and naturally he speaks both Pashto and Dari; add Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Hindi and Polish to the mix. This resourceful vendor turned his breakfast cart into an all-day cart a few years ago when both competition and costs rose. In addition to morning pastries and egg sandwiches, he now sells gyros, chicken on rice, and curries until the drunks go home--meanwhile, he's nearly vegan himself and raising his three children as vegetarians. He started vending in the mid-90s, when it was still possible to own a cart permit, albeit with a long wait. These days, due to the strict capacity set by the city, permits are rented on the black market for up to $25,000 for two years. Spared this massive cost, Habib has the option of changing his cart from standard coffee-cart commissary offerings to ones that reflect his healthier preferences; his concern would be finding enough like-minded customers.
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Hi friends! Are you on Instagram? If so, please follow me @nancyc_huang (www.instagram.com/nancyc_huang/) for photos that are about 95% different than what I post here on Flickr. I'm currently working on a long-term project on the stories of immigrant street food vendors in New York, and will be sharing a few of the photos I've posted there. I have a description & essay format on nancychuang.com/streetvendors.html , but I really hope you'll join me over on Instagram for newer images & continuing progress.
Habib, Midtown West
Originally from Afghanistan, Habib Nazarwal is a genius for languages. He interacts with customers in Spanish and Russian, his English is flawless, and naturally he speaks both Pashto and Dari; add Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Hindi and Polish to the mix. This resourceful vendor turned his breakfast cart into an all-day cart a few years ago when both competition and costs rose. In addition to morning pastries and egg sandwiches, he now sells gyros, chicken on rice, and curries until the drunks go home--meanwhile, he's nearly vegan himself and raising his three children as vegetarians. He started vending in the mid-90s, when it was still possible to own a cart permit, albeit with a long wait. These days, due to the strict capacity set by the city, permits are rented on the black market for up to $25,000 for two years. Spared this massive cost, Habib has the option of changing his cart from standard coffee-cart commissary offerings to ones that reflect his healthier preferences; his concern would be finding enough like-minded customers.
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Hi friends! Are you on Instagram? If so, please follow me @nancyc_huang (www.instagram.com/nancyc_huang/) for photos that are about 95% different than what I post here on Flickr. I'm currently working on a long-term project on the stories of immigrant street food vendors in New York, and will be sharing a few of the photos I've posted there. I have a description & essay format on nancychuang.com/streetvendors.html , but I really hope you'll join me over on Instagram for newer images & continuing progress.