Brooklyn vendors’ ice-cold battle
IT’LL BE a cold day in the greenmarket before these two hardnosed vendors quit.
Apple seller Yeshe Wangdi and bread and pastry peddler Gabriel Musacchio battled to a draw for last man standing during Tuesday’s snowstorm outside Brooklyn Borough Hall.
As the wind blew snow sideways and temperatures dropped to 12 degrees, the steely salesmen staked out their tents during an ice-cold game of chicken that lasted most of the day despite a serious shortage in foot traffic.
“We’re competing with this guy,” said Wangdi, 27, gesturing across the quad to Musacchio’s tent. “We’ll see who wins.”
Wangdi had the benefit of a cider-heating stove in his tent, but Musacchio had plenty of resolve.
“I need work,” the 54-year-old said. “I have a family.”
The snow piled over the gallons of apple cider and swirled beneath the pastry cases as shivering businessmen and women hustled past. Only the most loyal of regular customers paused long enough to buy anything.
The temperature was 21 degrees when Wangdi arrived at 6 a.m., he said, and it had fallen to 12 by 2 p.m.
Few of the normal vendors, who typically work until 6 p.m., had come to the farmers market Tuesday, and it was only the apple picker and the baker who remained by lunchtime.
As the wind continued to blow and the snow grew deeper, Wangdi and Musacchio seemed to come to an unspoken truce.
Shortly before 3 p.m., they pulled down their tents, packed up their wares and climbed into their box trucks.
Game on, next week.