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“They’re a damn nuisance, they
are,” offered the man as we walked toward a group of tourists excitedly
shooting pictures of two African Penguins
standing silently in a drain pipe.
A nuisance? We were among dozens of tourists from
all over the world walking toward the Boulders in Simon’s
Town to see–the Boulder Colony of African Penguins.
The Simon’s Town local is certainly entitled
to his opinion, but as he told us, “If you come to look at them once in
your life, they’re cute. But if you live here, they’re noisy,
stinky pests,” he was standing in front of a gelato cone stand (single
scoop 20 Rand, double 25) located in what looked to be his backyard.
Now it’s possible he and his wife could sell a
cone or two without these “pests,” but it’s doubtful. All
day long, visitors walk down the residential street to The Boulders to see
the cute little penguins.
The penguins make enough noise to be also known as
Jackass Penguins, but anyone making a few rand from people going to see them,
shouldn’t resent the cute little birds. After all, no one is walking
down that street to see he and his wife.
However, the guy reminded me of Las Vegas locals who
constantly complain about the tourists who come to Sin City, spend their
money, and drive the economy. During the Comdex convention, Las Vegas locals
complain about computer geeks. During the National Finals Rodeo, the cowboys
are ridiculed by locals. And so on.
Perhaps the cone curmudgeon honestly believes that
it’s the quality of his gelato that is driving his traffic, but
it’s not. He had the entrepreneurial chutzpah to recognize the needs of
customers walking by his house. He should remember what brings the customers
to him.
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