My neighborhood is a community made up of Hispanics and Latinos. There are vendors who go around selling potato chips, shaved ice drinks, and corn, which are some of the popular snacks in the Mexican culture.

One of the vendors is called the Corn Man; for those who don’t know, he’s called Corn Man because he sells corn. Most people in the community know them by “el elotero,” which means corn man.

The Corn Man is known for his corn that is $1.50 with mayo and powdered hot peppers. His mango with powdered chile is also one of his best sellers at $1.50. Also popular are his mangoñadas that are $3; they are a mixture of shaved iced and mango juice. His other shaved ice drinks are $1.50 in different flavors. Chicharones with chile and limon are $1.50. Last, his potato chips, the size of a sandwich bag, are for $2. If you find one or know a Corn Man say hi to him.

In my neighborhood, the Corn Man has been around for longer than I can recall and I’ve been living in the same neighborhood for over 15 years. He became part of the community as he passes by every day. Corn Man isn’t always making money; there are days he sells out but also days he sells almost nothing. Those days are usually cold, cloudy, or raining days. The rain doesn’t stop him from working, but it does stop people from buying.

On a regular days, every stop he makes can earn as little as $3, but that’s not the case on my neighborhood. In a regular stop in my community, the minimum the Corn Man makes is $20. I live in a neighborhood with big families, most who are Mexican. I appreciate his hard work. He walks 5 hours or more a day. I asked him why he does this job, and he said, “Lo hago por necesida.” Translation: I do it for a need.

It’s sad how people would even think about robbing him. He mentions to me how other corn men around other communities have been robbed. It’s sad how we can’t even trust people in the community.

He tells me that when he doesn’t work, on the days off he goes to the clubs in Los Angles to blow some stress and have fun. He is a very good salsa dancer; he even offered to give my friend and me lessons. The first time I saw him dance I was playing salsa music on my boom box and he passed by pushing the cart and dancing. Corn Man has talent.