132
without the requisite paperwork, funding, transportation and/or supplier contacts typically
peddle their goods at the edges of the markets or otherwise drive around in trucks selling
whatever they can street to street. This latter selling strategy is particularly Romani; that
is, roving produce sellers are almost always Romani and have been for generations. The
image of the dented Toyota or Datsun pickup, weighted down by produce and several
members of a Romani family rolling through residential areas, loudspeaker beckoning
shoppers, is common to nearly every part of Greece - a truly unifying national symbol132.
The sound of the advertising over the loudspeaker, usually consisting of a rhyme or
clever phrase, is especially significant. On the one hand understanding the screeching,
distorted message spoken in stylized Greek requires not only a strong grasp of the Greek
language, but also a familiarity with various regional and local accents, Romani
vernaculars, and phraseology that traces its roots back to the post World War Two era or
before. The roving Romani produce salespeople maintain a distinct linguistic
phenomenon with important connections to popular memory. On the other hand, the call
to purchase vegetables can be likened to the call to pray in Muslim countries, not because
it has any religious significance, but in the sense that these calls fill the air during
predictable times of the day, evoke a common memory and experience among the public,
promote a feeling of unity (national and/or communal), and link food to this broader
sense of unity, memory, and identity. Going to the street to buy a watermelon or garlic
from a Romani vendor was described to me as a quintessentially Greek experience.
132 In fact, the image of the Roma street vendor was used during the opening ceremonies of the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens. It is also important to note that the Roma were also seen as a national unifying
force during the period of Ottoman rule. Some scholars have suggested that traveling Romani entertainers
maintained a sense OfHellenism across the country by bringing to villages and cities distinctively Greek
stories and songs from across the country.