Mr. Monday and other tales of Jewish Amsterdam

36 Adr. Monday and Other Tales of Jewish Amsterdam

even as an exception. This is because the tout's main function is to address potential customers, and that is what no respectable lady would do. He has to induce them to stand still before the shop-window.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" he says, addressing a passerby. "It really does not matter if you look, just looking will not cost you a cent. Who knows, maybe there's something here for you, or for someone in your family. Or for a friend."

The person halts in front of the shop, not knowing that he's already lost half of the battle. The tout speaks with a tongue of velvet. He may never become rude, because chutzpah makes people stubborn.

There are touts who can sell someone a set of false dentures at the beginning of the street, and are capable of buying it back at the end of the street at half price. However, such tempters are avoided like the plague. People then would rather make a detour than pass that shop again, because those touts are like tigers lying in ambush. Because touts mainly work on commission, an arrogant one is a bad wage earner. The good tout must be able to pull a face dripping of good fellowship. When he is nice to young children, the mothers must have the proud feeling that he isn't pretending.

"Och, what a schatsie (little darling)," he will say, patting the little girl on the head. "Would you believe it, every day thousands of children pass this way, but such a beauty? No, you see that only once in your life."

The most famous tout of Amsterdam is Joseph Italiaander. In Damstreet he sorts out the passers-by with a roving eye