Moving treats

I am in village –visiting the local market, sitting and having a drink, going for a walk – how do I buy my favorite things?  I keep my eyes peeled, and when the moment is right, I gesture as if I am waving to a young child – opening and closing my hand – to a young 12-15 year old who is walking around with my item of choice on his or her head.  “How much?” “Okay, four please.” “Good work, good day.”  Of course, this all occurs in French, and sometimes I buy one, other times I buy eight, but either way many of my favorite things are balanced on the heads of young adolescents. 

What are these ‘favorite things’?  Pineapples, oranges, spicy tofu, sticks of homemade peanut brittle…and in about 9 months, mangoes will be on this list.

My other favorite thing, of course, resembles ice cream.  This favorite thing is transported in a cooler, and the person selling and transporting is a man on a bicycle who indicates his presence by honking his bicycle horn.  There is a horn melody that all of these magical bicycle men seem to know – regardless of the location in Togo. 

The beauty of this system?  Items come to you.  Yes, it’s sometimes challenging to locate items that are on the go.  However, when you’re having a drink or walking around and crave some fresh tofu, your life is made the moment that kid turns the corner with your craving on his or her head.