Some thoughts about it

My amazing friend from Mexico named Guangui Cruz, a professional graphic designer, modeled this fabulous carts for me in order to have a better grasp of its parts, design and technology.

I  almost feel ashamed that he put a lot of effort on the task. They are absolutely fabulous.

…however one thing is lacking here.

I’ll explain:

This is how a Mexican Sweet potato cart generally looks (the colors might be a little exaggerated though), but definitely being modeled by a computer takes a way part of the soul (yes I said soul). The computer created image makes it look static, immutable. Like a straightforward piece of technology who's only function in life is going through to streets selling sweet potatos; doing what it has to do, making money, and then leaving, without imprinting any mark on anything or anyone. A cold piece of metal with wheels. I was reminded of Tim Ingold’s form-giving ranting. The computer made image looks like an object, an object made by someone, imposed by someone with a particular motive in mind, to use it in particular way: to sell sweet potatos.

But a sweet potato cart is so much more than that. The sweet potato cart is a thing! A sweet potato cart looks alive (is alive), and is in constant flow not just a geographical flow, but embodied flow, material flow. It is evolving every time and leaving marks on its environment.

What type of marks? Any type of marks, but for now I can mention gastronomical satisfaction, desire, discomfort, memories…

 The small online interviews I did to people about this cart, revealed this marks very clearly. Almost invariably everyone said that it reminded them something. Usually something pleasant and far gone… “It reminds me of my grandmother”, said a friend.

Other person, in contrast, said to me that he was just annoyed every time he made that horrible noise. He couldn’t articulate why, but it made him very uncomfortable. 

Also, in the computer made image is difficult to notice the materials. The rustiness, the decrement, the passage of time, the scars, the tiny elements that keep it in constant evolution— every cart is unique (for this see the image gallery), even if, these carts seem to be made by just one person in Mexico, as I read in one webpage.

The design is very straightforward: an horizontal barrel with several holes to add the cooking implementations: the drawers, the chimney, the water container. An open frame at the bottom to put fire, 3-4 wheels, a handle bar and a wood compartment at the back (not every cart has a wood compartment). 

The varieties  that there exist  play with the materials and the form—- (the variety is so diverse that I really really doubt that there exists one constructor of carts as the webpage mentioned…but who knows)—instead of the metal water container (the round one at the back), they attach an empty bottle of soda that later fill with water that serves as a their container. Or sometimes even just a simple bucket. Others have a special container at the top of the barrel where the food is exhibited.

Others have a bigger barrel than others, but I also saw a couple with no barrel at all. Instead they look like a rectangles chest of drawers, but apparently the form doesn't matter that much to the cooking of the food.

Despite its variety of form , the product is always the same and it looks that it hasn’t evolved that much: boiled sweet potatoes and plantains. Usually served, as a topping, with a sweetened condensed milk called “La Lechera”. Other carts seems more adventurous and have added other toppings like: honey, marmalade, sour cream and chocolate. 

They usually sell and cook between 150 sweet potatoes and plantains per day. So they must cary a lot of things and probably that is why its vendors keep adding elements to it: an extra handle to carry the bag of plantains, or the cardboard plates to serve the food. 

About it’s rambling nature, I just can assume that they travel in very part of the city. I do not know their routes, and what do they are thinking when planning a route, but I would have loved to have this information. In what part of the city are they most popular?

They exists not just in Mexico City, but apparently in every state of the Mexican Republic. They actually are originally from the state of Puebla (the soccer team of Puebla is called “Los Camoteros" “The Sweet Potatoes”), so there is a strong presence there of them. 

If I where to do an ethnography or its history of this object it would probably have to start in that beautiful state that is very near to Mexico City, just 1:30 hours by car.

My hopes on finding a camotero cart in New York were actually fed by this fact, since Mexican immigrants in New York City are mostly people from Puebla. (*see the link of history at the bottom)

The information of the internet didn’t give me the details of the variety in its designs had a relation from the part of the Republic they were from. so I can not make this analyses, but this would certainly had given me clues on its evolution.