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National Geographic : 2002 Jul
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the barges after winding down. They ride home exhausted in company vans that bring relief crews. If the bargemen are much the same over the decades, the customer base is ever changing, says Sunny White, who runs Captain White's Sea food with his brother, Billy Ray, and Billy Ray's wife, Penny. The brothers come to work astride gleaming Harley-Davidson motorcycles to cater to seafood lovers of every culture. There is Saba Saba, a Greek who grew up in Syria and immigrated to the United States 35 years ago, buying a bushel of crabs to share with "two Greeks, two Germans, and two Swiss." The wharf, he says, "is the most interesting place in Washington. There is no place in America that looks like it. Even New York is not as colorful." There's Walter Gee of nearby Oxon Hill, Maryland, arriving from Sunday service at Springfield Baptist Church in a panama hat and crisp, tailored pinstripe suit to buy shrimp and fish for a family gathering. There's Hussain Allawi, lugging a ten-pound split carp he'll roast before a fire in the celebratory style of his Iraqi homeland. And Mai Anh, a native of Vietnam, haggling with one of Pruitt's staff over a hunk of mackerel, working the price down from $11.90 to $10. "I'm not going to argue with you," says the salesman, wrapping up the prize and handing it over with a mock-weary expression. "That's what we do," says Stewart Pruitt, looking on approvingly. "The supermarkets would throw it away rather than cut the price. We want to sell it, even if it is a teeny bit cheaper." The deal done, Pruitt's dark eyes dart to the next potential customer strolling down the quay. "Live crabs!" he calls out, carrying on the timeless tradition of fish mongers around the globe in this small, lively corner of the world's most powerful city. [] "When people see how I live', says a boater with a view, "I see the wheels turning in their heads:' ON OUR WEBSITE There's more on 20024 at national geographic.com/ngm/0207. Tell us why we should cover YOUR FAVORITE ZIP CODE at nationalgeographic.com/ngm /zipcode/0207 or mail your suggestion to PO Box 98199, Washington, DC 20090 8199. E-mail: zip@national geographic.com NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JULY 2002
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