Krumpira! Luka!
March 6, 2010 – 3:38 am
There are men who walk the streets of Zagreb bellowing “Krumpira!” at the top of their lungs. They are potato hucksters, and some of them may also offer onions (”Krumpira! Luka!”). When two of them cross paths in the same territory, their ululations remind one of a call-and-response field holler. I asked a woman in the Trešnjevka-Voltino neighborhood of Zagreb if there is an affectionate term for these potato-mongers, such as ‘krumpirac’ (potato man) or another colorful nickname signifying the community’s affection. She answered in lovely English, “No, he’s just that fucking guy who wakes us up yelling ‘krumpira’ on Friday mornings.”