On Saturday, I met a legend. It was not a day unlike any other. I got off of the R train at Prince Street and I was ready to do a little shopping with friends in Soho. And as soon as I got to the top step and walked out to the sunny sidewalk, there he was: the made-famous-by-various-reporters (including one from Vanity Fair) man selling potato peelers. The spread in April issue of VF was simple, but the writing was moving. It told the story of a man who sells potato peelers on the streets of New York while demonstrating his product. (Since the article has hit newsstands already, he gives a mini-copy of the story to anyone who buys 4 peelers.) He sells the peelers for only $5, but he claims that it’s the most honest sale in the city. For five dollars, the peeler is not a phony. He sits on the street, hunching over his cutting board as he slices potatoes and carrots into fries, stars and shreds. He’s a craftsman and a showman. I could have watched him peel and give his schtick for hours–it was truly hypnotic. He’s the first celebrity I’ve seen in New York, and I know he will be the most impressive.
March 20, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I too was in New York last April and I purchased a carrot peeler from Carrot Man outside of a market on Broadway on the Upper West Side. Believe it or not I had been thinking about buying a carrol peeler instead of purchasing shredded carrots for salads.
A week later there’s a story about him in Vanity Fair!
By the way, the carrot peeler did not work well for carrots as demonstrated but works really well for peeling apples.