A costermonger who sold asparagus
street seller · London, England · 19th century
A London vegetable seller. He bought asparagus at market and trimmed it for sale with the help of the children in his court. His name has not come down.
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c. 1850 · A costermonger who trimmed and sold asparagus. When Mayhew explained how it is eaten, he replied that he had supposed it was swallowed down like the macaroni he once saw eaten on a stage. The costers called asparagus “grass”.
“Well, now, sir, about grass, there’s not a coster in London, I’m sure, ever tasted it; and how it’s eaten puzzles us.”
Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, vol. 1 · the costermongers
1 in 100 Billion · The social network of those who came before us