It’s 9 PM in summer: traditional time for the ice cream trucks to duel outside by the Movie Theater. Today is extra special, because a free, open air concert just closed up at the farmer’s market a block away. Instead of 2, we have 3 trucks.
One plays “Turkey in the Straw.” One alternates between “Those Endearing Young Charms” and “Camptown Racetrack.” And the third, and loudest, plays “La Cucaracha.” “La Cucaracha” is the one that continues playing long after the others have gone. It leaves me wondering:
- Who advertises food with a song with lyrics about roaches?
- Who _buys_ food from a vendor playing this strain?
- What does this say about my neighbors?
The trucks turn down the sound after around 15 minutes, leaving me to wonder what turkeys, straw, racetracks, Stephen Foster, and bugs have to do with frozen cream.
Odd links found while searching out the correct spelling for things:
NPR has done an article on a cartoon with the name “La Cucaracha” about Mexican Americans living in East LA. Check the article out here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=882141
And then there’s the Wiki with a broadside of the song (and translations): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cucarach
Sorry no pictures. 1: you can’t get pictures of an ice cream truck without someone being upset that you’re taking pictures of their kids. 2. It’s really dark outdoors. 3. I am not posting pics of creepy crawlies on this blog.
You don’t know how lucky you are! We had one truck, driving by occasionally, playing an electronic version of “The Entertainer”. They promised they would visit our neighborhood on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but since then, NOTHING.
Sure, I can get my novelty ice cream cheaper at the grocery store…but there’s something about getting it from the truck that takes me right back to childhood.
But yah, “La Cucharacha” is probably not the best advertisement for food stuffs.
Hm. Well, if I was getting ice cream from a truck, that would bring memories back to me of someone else’s childhood. I was that kid who never really got to run to the ice cream truck unless we were at the lake. Now, Good and Plenty candies really DO take me back to my childhood. But the advertisement there was train oriented. Can you get the jingle out of your head now? I know I can’t.
“Choo choo Charlie was an engineer…
Our ice cream truck returned last night, playing “Turkey in the Straw”! She gave me her card–no surprise, she does weddings and bar mitzvahs and such…but said I should call if we were having an “ice cream emergency”.
: )