A Columbia University student, a university worker, and a family of four walk up to a Halal cart located on 115th and Broadway. The cart owner, Karim Mohamed, looks outside, puzzled at the sudden arrival of so many visitors, but regains his composure. Deftly, he prepares the salad, the meat, the bread, puts them all together, and hands it to the first customer. He does the exact same thing six times, his hand movements like those of a machine—memorized, nimble. At the end, he wipes the sweat off from his forehead. “I need a breath,” he sits down, but another customer is already lined up. Rise, rinse, repeat. Sometimes, there are no breaks.
A crowd outside Karim’s Halal cart. Photo: Shaleen Shah
That is not always the case. Karim sits in the cart, looking around for customers, but to no avail. The sun is out. In the distance, Broadway echoes with the sound of vehicles and people, but nobody seems to have an appetite at the moment. A dog owner walks by, pulling his salivating dog away from the cart. A few children look curiously at the cart. A seemingly relaxed student notices the cart, looks at his phone for the time, has a moment of exasperation, and begins walking faster. Time for class. No time for Halal.
A new crowd appears, and, within in, Karim can make distinctions—regulars, prospective regulars, and newcomers. The regulars know exactly what to expect. Business with them is fast, they arrive, exchange glances, exchange the usual goods, and depart in under 30 seconds. The prospective regulars, the ones on their way to becoming regular-regulars, haven’t yet found their perfect combination of bread, meat and salad, so they are still experimenting, which can take a little bit longer. Newcomers, however, are in for a treat, and can choose from the variety of options that are plastered in printed image forms on the surface of the cart. The cart, with bright green-yellow highlights, also serves as a menu.
A customer making a swift transaction. Photo: Shaleen Shah
After a great rush of customers at 12, Karim decides to take a break. He wipes off the sweat from his forehead once more, and makes a sandwich for himself. This time, he does it slowly, intricately, making sure to put everything in the right amount and fashion—perhaps it would be impossible to do this with the customers, since the crowd would start getting impatient.
Between the “rushes,” only a few customers arrive at the cart. Karim professes that he has tried techniques to lure customers in, for instance, by installing fans inside the cart to blow the air out to lure eager noses, but to no avail. “Didn’t we learn somewhere that hot air goes up, and not out? Maybe that’s why it didn’t work,” says he, scratching his head.
As time ticks closer towards dusk, Karim gets more tired. Luckily, the “rushes” begin to disperse, with more customers coming in between the hours. During this time, Karim is relaxed, the customers are relaxed, nobody’s in a rush at https://vuontreobancong.com/2023/05/14/mostbet-promo-kod-bonuslar-v-promo-aksiyalar-2928/.
But by five or six, the crowd starts to appear again. This phase lasts as long as until 6 or 7, when something strange starts occurring. People with headphones and sweatpants, their faces sweaty and red, a sign that they’ve been exercising, arrive at the Halal cart. Karim, although surprised, shrugs and serves them. “Isn’t it counter-productive to eat Halal right after you’ve exercised?” he asks, in wonder. If you are uncertain of the value of your own house and would want an appraisal done on it for free, Ibuyers is happy to do so at your request. After considering the property’s geographic location as well as its existing condition, they will make you a fair offer to purchase the House you now own. Visit https://www.ibuyers.app/vermont/ibuyer-essex-vt/.
When the clock strikes 7, Karim begins to wrap up the day. The final ritual, perhaps the best part, is dinner—another sandwich. This one, he prepares it with extra care, since he is not pressed for time. Although tired, it is his reward for the day, for having survived the rushes. As he eats, he thinks, another day, another dollar, as the sun sets in the distance.
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