The Bread Man Alarm Clock

Outside my window I hear the tiny monkeys that squeal to each other as they run along the telephone lines in the street. 

These tiny monkeys, micos, scamper along the cables, constantly calling to each other with squeals so high-pitched they are only just audible.

And then there is the snippet of Beethoven’s Für Elise that is blasted out by the guy who drives round in the morning selling gas cannisters for cooking. I have to confess I find this one rather annoying as, having heard it once during breakfast, I go on to spend the rest of the day humming it back to myself. For me this is undoubtedly what the Germans rather splendidly call an Ohrwurm,an Earworm or (I just found this one on Wikipedia) “tune wedgy”.


And how could I forget (deep breath) the dogs? Have I told you about the dogs that start their enthusiastic barking at around 5:30 am? Yes, yes I have, OK I won’t go on about it. 


But there is one sound that stands out from all the others. Although it wakes me up almost every morning, I have come to like it. In fact, when I manage to sleep through the dog chorus, it acts as a rather wonderful alarm clock for me. First have a listen to the sound:

This is the sound of the guy who sells bread (I imaginatively refer to him as The Bread Man). Each morning he wakes up super-early, collects a couple of hundred bread rolls and puts them in his massive basket. He then carries the basket on his back and walks up the very steep hill on which we live. And as he walks, he calls out to let people know he’s coming. I think his call could be roughly translated as “Hey! Baker!”


He is well known in the neighbourhood and I often see old ladies pop out to pick up some bread and have a chat. I enjoy watching his customers who live on upper floors – they lower down their money in a basket on a rope and then lift up the bread that he puts in. It is a slick operation and the speed with which the basket goes up and down makes it fun to watch – I will try to get some video for a future post. 

Ô-Paaaadddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiro – here comes the bread man!

Is there an official term for shouting to announce the product you’re selling? Until someone puts me right, I’m going to go with ‘Sales Cry‘ Street Cry. Street cries like this are very common here in Brazil – many of the beach vendors selling beer, açai and other snacks, have their own trademark call. Next time I go to the beach I will see if I can record a selection as some of them are great. 


Anyway, I think the Bread Man has a great street cry – distinctive but not annoying. And (perhaps this will sound mean) I like watching him slowly make his way up the hill with that big load of bread on his back. He’s always there, rain or shine, and it’s an impressive sight. I often find myself wondering about him. How early does he have to get up in the morning? How long has he been doing this? Does he enjoy his work?


City dwellers will often see the same people every day of their life without knowing a thing about them and I’m sure we’re missing out on many interesting stories and friendly encounters. So this morning I finally banished the reticent Londoner in me and decided to find out a little more. In my next post I’ll tell you how it went…