"Ah!," he exclaimed in broken English, "I've been waiting for you!"
I have bothered this gentleman on several previous occasions, demanding access to the special pastes and treats he keeps hidden away from caucasians, so I assumed he just wanted to find out how I'd got on with my most recent purchase. But turns out he'd seen me on the television doing a stand up gig in which I mentioned a long standing friendship I'd had with a Cambodian street sweeper in Hamilton.
He seemed a bit worried that I was taking the mickey out of Cambodians, and who could blame him. Even people who speak English as a first language tend to assume that if you're talking about someone in a stand up gig, that you must be making fun of them, so god knows what this poor guy thought. Anyway, after making me promise that I wouldn't use him in my act he agreed to sell me some fresh spring rolls. Didn't promise I wouldn't use him in my blog though.
The Avondale Market is open Sunday mornings, and its very popular (with people who aren't white), so parking is a bitch. You can find this guy (his name also sounds a bit like "guy", if that helps), in the second row on the right as you walk from the carpark.
There are good pork buns there too; I'll talk about them another time but for now here is a photo of one.
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