It took a New York City transplant to jumpstart a surprising, and surprisingly divisive, debate. They posted this video on TikTok, asking if fruit sold by street vendors is safe. Wine by Marielle, who lives on the Upper East Side, was skeptical. She’s concerned whether or not New Yorkers are truly buying fresh produce from the merchants who have to roll out their stalls on a daily basis along the city’s busy streets.
The now-deleted video caused an uproar among New Yorkers. They fought tooth and nail for street vendors, making the case for their important contributions to the city’s rich cultural tapestry. Though it may seem like an odd scene, many viewers noted that wherever you buy your fruit from, washing them before eating is a must! Tensions flared when the discussion turned to this sensitivity. Others fervently insisted that all fruit and vegetable stands bring the same health benefits as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, just packaged differently.
In her video, the TikTok user claimed that transplants view New York City as a “doll house” and suggested that they “get to play dress up and not live in the real world.” This statement only served to stoke the backlash, as outraged viewers lambasted her ignorant attitude towards the city’s vibrant legacy of street vending.
Historically, street vendors in New York have deep roots, with Italian, Irish, and Jewish immigrants selling goods on the streets since the early 20th century. As time passed, some of these vendors developed into local culinary institutions. Russ and Daughters, the iconic Jewish deli, began as a peddler. Joel Russ sold his “schmaltz herring out of a barrel” on the Lower East Side.
The TikTok post turned into an avalanche of responses from New Yorkers who clamored to come to the defense of their local food purveyors. Baffled by the SFMTA’s attitude, one user tweeted, “You guys are totally disconnected from NYC. This is an embarrassing response to such a stupid comment. And another quickly chimed in with a snicker, “Just wait until she finds out that fruit grows in soil!” It was such an ironic premise for questioning the cleanliness of produce sold on city streets.
Some respondents expressed the hypocrisy around how transplants view food safety depending on where it is. “She would not have challenged the health department if it were in Italy or Paris,” wrote one social media user. A different user quipped, “If you stamp farmers market on it, she would gladly pay triple the cost! She’d gush about how ‘charming’ it is.”
Scores of other New Yorkers testified how legalization of street vendors would make their city a richer, diverse cultural center. As one person put it, “It’s as if they don’t consider the people here to be human beings. They are committed to providing opportunities for small businesses to thrive. She crosses her arms and explains their special interest in inviting vendors peddling fruit at busy intersections.
People’s reactions to @wine_by_marielle’s video speak to a larger conflict happening between New Yorkers born and raised in the city and those who are relatively new to it. Challengers claim that most such transplants don’t understand the challenges of urban living or the beauty of its cultural mosaic. One commenter was my favorite in capturing that sentiment. They said, “And this is the what’s so wrong about these yuppies that are moving into New York City.”
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