06.27.06
Gettin’ Down In The Boogie Down
I’m about to broach a sticky subject. It might be a little uncomfortable for you to confront. Think you can handle it? Okay, here goes. Why do black people have so much trouble catching cabs?
I can’t answer that question for every city in America, but I know what New York City yellow cab drivers are thinking when they speed by black people who are clearly trying to hail them. Judging from my non-scientific study of cabbies with whom I work, the reason is not so simple as bald racism. Yellow cab drivers are not necessarily scared that black people will rob them, though I’m sure there are some weak-minded ones who do harbor that prejudice.
After spending many hours conversing with other cabbies waiting at the garage or lined up at the airport, I’ve come to a fairly simple conclusion. Because cabbies make their money by dropping off and picking up fares in rapid succession, they would always rather take a fare to a part of the city where another fare can be found quickly. This is the same reason they never want to go to Brooklyn no matter what race you are.
The racial profiling occurs when cabbies pass black people by because they assume black people are heading to a neighborhood far from the busy core of Manhattan. You might be heading to Brownsville, Brooklyn where the cabbie won’t get another fare for an hour, but the cabbie will stop for you if you are white because he assumes you are not going to Brownsville. If you are black however, even if you are heading to the West Village, many cabbies assume you are heading to Brownsville, and so they pass you by. It is a less vicious type of racism than people might imagine is responsible for this phenomenon.
Another more unpleasant stereotype that cab drivers attach to black people in New York is that they are bad tippers. The black people who live in rough neighborhoods far from the moneyed sections of Manhattan might ask for the 60 cents of change on a $12.40 fare. I have no problem coughing up the change in that situation since they obviously need that money more than I do (my problem is with Upper East Siders who tip 50 cents on a $5.20 fare by giving $6 and asking for a quarter “for the phone” which hasn’t been a quarter in a couple of years now). So the issue is more that cab drivers are intent on making as much money as possible than that cab drivers live in fear of black people.
I take pride in the fact that, like Travis Bickle, I run all over town. I’ve never once passed a person by because of the color of his skin. I was raised that way. I’m no hero though. If I had a family of 5 to support in Jackson Heights, and another family of 25 to send money home to in Karachi, I might not be so egalitarian. But I don’t drive for the money as much as I drive for the adventure of it all. So it wouldn’t make any sense at all for me to pass anyone by, because I might get a good story or a restaurant tip out of it.
A while back, I watched as 4 or 5 cabs passed a black couple on Broadway and 125th Street in front of me. Once they climbed into my cab, the man immediately put a $10 bill through the divider and said with a strong hint of exasperation in his voice, “THAT’S just for stopping.” So much for the tipping stereotype.
He was, however, heading to a neighborhood far from any place where I might find another fare: The South Bronx. It was late on a Thursday night and they were going dancing at a soul food restaurant slash lounge called Sam’s. He actually invited me in, but I regretfully declined because I needed to go back to work. I’d been there multiple times before to partake of their delicious bbq chicken on my way to Yankee Stadium just blocks away. But the night club concept fascinated me.
Yesterday I convinced my friends Jack and Lance to come with Melissa and me for a late night soul food session at Sam’s. We made it up there by about 2 a.m., so when we walked in the joint was in full swing. I like to think of myself as a man of the people, all the people, who isn’t constrained by social barriers. But I must admit that being the only white guys in a very crowded, sweaty South Bronx lounge made me a bit self-conscious.
We stood at the top of the stairs overlooking the dance floor feeling pretty much everyone’s eyes on us. But the tension was broken when the waitress introduced herself with a giant smile and led us to our table in the back. As we waded through the dance floor my own giant smile spread across my face because I witnessed some of the boldest dance moves I’ve ever seen. My favorite move involved a man slapping his dance partner on the butt so firmly that the smacks were clearly audible over the throbbing bass that was loud enough to shake the stools.
Late at night, Sam’s only serves finger foods so, being the gluttons we are, we ordered one of everything on the menu. That consisted of fried shrimp, fried fish strips, chicken wings, french fries, chicken fingers and plenty of tartar sauce.
The food was not as great as it is during regular dining hours, but we all agreed that our mini late night feast was downright phenomenal as far as meals served at 2:30 a.m. at dance clubs go. Even though we were just sitting in the back quietly enjoying our soul finger food, we had attracted a great deal of attention. Jack, a pale young man with wild golden locks falling about his shoulders, said that he has been to a number of foreign countries, but he had never gotten anything like the priceless and perplexed looks he got from so many of Sam’s patrons.
(Jack shows off his mop top as he attempts to dry his lap of a budweiser that was spilt at the edge of the rowdy dance floor)
But aside from our friendly waitress, our interactions with the locals consisted mostly of shy or confused stares rather than verbal communication.
Finally, an incredibly friendly (and incredibly drunk) woman stumbled over to our table after a trip to the bathroom. She introduced herself as Tracy, and she phrased everything as though it were a secret from everyone else at the table. Tracy took an instant liking to Lance and shot him a seductive smile.
(You can see what Tracy saw in Lance, pictured here looking at the napkin that came stuffed into his beer)
She confided in Jack that her children were being “pains in my BE hind, and they should know better because they are 22 and 24.” To Melissa she whispered, “Everyone in here is asking ‘Who dat? Who dat? She is beautiful.” And for me, she took about a full minute to get herself into this pose:
And then she shouted, “Don’t label that picture ‘Crazy Black Bitch’” as she scooted off onto the dance floor.
Melissa was clearly in the mood to dance too:
But I wasn’t man enough to take her out onto the dance floor, because I didn’t think I would be able to keep up with those Boogie Down moves. So we took our leave. We ended up dancing our way back across the dance floor anyway, because Tracy had broken the glass wall between our cultures. Everyone on the floor did at least a couple of steps with each of us as we danced through. Tracy got DOWN with Lance, and she freaked him until he was caught between her and the speaker. Then she took on Jack and me at the same time, and we ended up doing the bump with Tracy bouncing gleefully between us.
We handed our waitress the check with a 20 percent tip, and she acted like we’d made a mistake. “You gave me $7 too much,” she said. “No, that’s for you,” I told her. She raised her eye brows in surprise, and her eyes lit up. Apparently, that tipping stereotype holds true at Sam’s.
Sam’s Restaurant, 596 Grand Concourse, The Bronx
Visit www.famousfatdave.com for a belly laugh or to book an eating tour
DrywallBeeyatch said,
June 28, 2006 at 3:40 am
Methinks that Melissa will be plenty urked if you don’t remove that pic of her. I really enjoyed this blog. LOVED that Tracy story!!
Administrator said,
June 29, 2006 at 6:56 am
Dear Readers,
My stats say that this post got more than double the usual number of page views. Yet not one of you has left a comment thus far. I would like to know what you all have to say.
One of my readers (and a resident of the same Upper East Side that I knock in this post), sent me this link which is somewhat relevant. Maybe you’ll find it interesting:
http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/chr/news/pr.html?id=339
Thank you, come again.
~THC
G said,
June 29, 2006 at 6:58 am
I really enjoyed reading this, you’re an excellent writer!
Greetings from Holland
Administrator said,
June 29, 2006 at 8:15 am
Dear Readers,
You also might find this site enlightening:
http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com
Thanks,
THC
CV said,
June 29, 2006 at 12:54 pm
I think I can understand your out of place feelings. Dating someone who is immersed in the hip hop culture and having found a love of it myself, I’ve often looked around and discovered that my skin color has marked me as being a little bit out of place. But a love of the music (just like a love of the food, in your case) is enough to make me feel welcome.
If you’re ever back in NC (in the Charlotte area) I’ll be more than happy to give you an eating tour of some of our eating establishments and show you some REAL soul/southern food.
Chris said,
June 29, 2006 at 1:11 pm
I live in Greenpoint, and I always get in the cab FIRST before telling the driver where I have to go. The ones who don’t bitch and whine get a good tip. The ones that do get screwed.
That said, you’ve thrown some light on a rather gray area for some people that think that cab drivers are racist. The answer, in this case, is more subtle than that.
I’ve always found, though, that if you treat people with respect (black or white) you have a good chance of getting what’s coming to you, i.e., that black couple that stopped for you.
Question – Is there any parity in picking up a large fare going to the outerborughs with hopping around Manhattan? DO you en up making close to the same amount of money? If you had to give a percentage, how much do you lose with a large fare to Queens that takes 30 minutes vs. bopping around Manhattan during that same amount of time?
MC said,
June 29, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Awesome.
Natalie said,
June 29, 2006 at 1:37 pm
That picture of Tracy is awesome. Good read too.
Claire said,
June 29, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Your walking into the place reminded me of the scene in Adventures in Babysitting when the kids stumble into the blues club.
I found that Cornell study you linked to interesting, thanks for posting the link. This quote stuck out to me:
Calling for additional research on customer behavior in restaurants, Fernandez notes particularly that restaurants need to examine service issues from a minority perspective. He stated: “whether you agree with the research or not, black customers are not always receiving the service they deserve, therefore any effort focused on improving customer service should be supported by the hospitality industry.”
Guy said,
June 29, 2006 at 4:12 pm
Interesting observation about the cabbies passing over blacks. Makes sense in an economic way but there’s still that nagging underlying passive racism…or is it classism? What if a black couple was dressed very nicely and were hailing a cab coming out of The Four Seasons?
In the end I guess the lesson of the day is: stereotyping sucks.
Administrator said,
June 29, 2006 at 5:21 pm
Chris,
First of all, it is ILLEGAL for a yellow cab driver to refuse to take you anywhere in the five boroughs, the two neigboring counties, or Newark Airport. But always get in first (unless his off duty light is on and this doors are locked, in which case he can do whatever he wants so long as he’s written “off duty” on his trip sheet.”)
The only way it is more lucrative to take a 30 minute fare to Queens (and at least 20 minutes back empty) is if a) the fare gives a very nice tip (more than $5, not that I’m saying you should give more than $5, I’m saying that’s what it would take) or b) It’s late at night on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday in good weather so the cabbie would be driving around empty in Manhattan anyhow. Otherwise, it’s always more lucrative to get 5 or 6 $5 to $10 fares in an hour in Manhattan than one $20 or $25 fare to Queens.
I lose money going to the outer boroughs, but if you read my blog, I love going to the outer boroughs. It all evens out in the end moneywise I think. Plus it’s my job to go whever people want. Plus I learn all about the city and the food when I go to the outer boroughs.
~THC
Barry said,
June 29, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Michael Moore did a piece on the issue of black people not getting cabs in an episode of TV Nation. He had a white guy, a convicted robber just out of jail, scruffily dressed, hailing a cab. One stopped immediately. He then got the actor, Yaphet Kotto, in a very nice suit, trying to hail a cab. No luck. He then had Mr. Kotto holding a bouquet of flowers. No luck. He tried one last time, with him holding a realistic-looking baby doll in blankets. No luck. The power of humor and satire cannot be underestimated.
Marlena said,
June 30, 2006 at 2:34 pm
I think that we are all avoiding something really disturbing about this post. There is a huge elephant in the room and no one is brave enough to tackle it, apparently. Ok, I’ll be the brave one to do it: Dave, why did you post a picture of Jack’s crotch?
Really, though–good post, as I expect from you. Keep on not-disappointing me.
sarah said,
July 2, 2006 at 4:12 pm
This was really enjoyable, and thought-provoking. Initially, I found myself having liberal knee-jerk thoughts about the whole black people/cab situation, and roundly panning any sort of excuse for that behavior, but…..yeah. If I had multiple family members to support, I can see how certain tip-related assumptions might lead me to cultivate a more subtle (though, equally unacceptable) form of prejudice. And then, well, the picture of Tracy was just gravy.
oh, and, yeah. Lance is hot.
laura @ cucina testa rossa said,
July 10, 2006 at 8:03 pm
this is a great post! really brave of you to tackle this subject and beautiful way to show life in the south bronx – which sounds like much more fun than the upper east side. i hope your my cab driver the next time i’m in ny! laura
Ricky said,
July 31, 2006 at 3:41 pm
All I have to say is that Lance is a hunk… he can have all the beer and beef jerky he want as far as I am concerned.
Thanks for showcasing The Bronx in you fantastic BLOG. The Grand Concourse is coming back strong so – folks get your checkbooks out and start buying property.
Ricky
Mocha Socialite said,
August 5, 2006 at 12:14 am
Hello, I was doing some research for an upcoming article on wealthy black people who live on the Upper East Side when I came across your article. I have to say that although I’ve never lived in NYC, the tales of black people not being able to get a cab is legendary. (Remember the story about Samuel L. Jackson)?
Anyway, I appreciate your perspective on this disturbing phenomenon, and I applaud your (and your friends’) adventure into a different cultural experience.
I’m curious. In your experience, do you find that famous wealthy African-Americans (e.g. Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angela, Toni Morrison, etc.) also have trouble getting cabs, and if so, what do you think that suggests?
If these more established black entertainers don’t have trouble getting cabs, what about newer black celebrities like Halle Berry, Jaime Foxx, or rap stars, etc. In case you say they have drivers, I’d say I’m sure they do, but I also image that they may want to take a cab occassionally.
Looking forward to your response.
Truly,
Moi
The Hungry Cabbie: The Eating Adventures of a NYC Yellow Cabbie » A Theory Of Relativity said,
September 5, 2006 at 1:10 am
[...] My two favorite minorities in the world are the Kurds and fat people. Although I’ve never picked up a Kurd, I’ve been hailed by many, many fat people. Some cabbies have told me that they refuse to pick up obese people on the grounds that they take too long to get into and out of the cab. My response is that it is just as immoral to refuse fat fares as it is to refuse black fares. But I’ve found that those weak-minded cabbies who won’t take the big ‘uns, generally don’t take black people either. [...]
Famous Fat Dave: The Hungry Cabbie » Watch Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Again! said,
September 3, 2009 at 2:14 am
[...] Also, click here to read Gettin’ Down In The Boogie Down about Sam’s, the soul food restaurant Bourdain and I will be eating at on Travel Channel Monday night. [...]