At the free Gil Scott-Heron show this evening there was a woman dressed in a white blouse and mustard-colored shorts weaving through the crowd with a black plastic bag at her hip, selling Nutcrackers. I am only mildly embarrassed when I tell you for an instant I thought she was indeed selling mechanical devices for which to crack the shells of nuts, though I wondered why there was such a demand, and why the sales had to be made on the sly.
A few minutes later, when she circled back to the area where I was standing, a guy flagged her down. He began to dig some bills out of his wallet while she looked over her shoulder and cautioned him to be careful. The woman in front of me was questioning Ms. Nutcracker as to the contents, price, etc. “It’s eight dollars” she said, “because I had to use the big bottles.” Here she produced from the black bag a label-less plastic juice bottle, its contents bright pink in color, which she handed to the man in exchange for his cash. “I’ve only got vodka and gin, but it’s the good gin, expensive. Fifteen dollars a bottle. It comes in the one about this size.” And here she indicated with her hands the approximate size of the bottle of gin. Then, with her bag again clutched close and low, she started to work her way through the crowd again, casually offering her wares to anyone within earshot.
(According to a source in this article, the drinks, which are frequently sold at bodegas, “are the new liquid loosies.” I am relieved to know, and yet feel so out of touch with the kids these days.)
