I Want I Want I Want!

I want!

I want!

When I saw this Vespa rocking horse, my heart stopped. It is just too perfect—how is it that only now, today, this exists? I want it!

But not for Sasha. She can have a blow-up bouncy elephant or whatever toddlers these days are riding. I want it for me.

And that’s because I’ve given up riding scooters. I mean, I’ve never ridden one in the United States. But back when Theodore and I lived in Vietnam, it was how we got around, on our little 70cc or 100cc step-through Hondas and Honda knock-offs.

But when I had Sasha I thought that maybe, just maybe, she’d want me around for the next couple of decades. And, remembering all the near-death experiences I’d had on motorbikes in Southeast Asia, I decided never to ride one again. Or at least, not in any horrifically crowded urban center. On my last trip to Vietnam, almost a year ago, I actually managed to hew to my promise. I took only taxis.

So, fine, I’m going to try and acquire one of these fine rocking Vespas and I’ll rock on, at home, remembering my glory days. If Sasha asks where Daddy is, tell her I’ve hit the road.

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About Matt

Matt Gross writes about travel and food for the New York Times, Saveur, Gourmet, and Afar, where he is a Contributing Writer. When he’s not on the road, he’s with his wife, Jean, and daughter, Sasha, in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.

One thought on “I Want I Want I Want!

  1. I fight with my kids over our lego duplo. I have been buying bin after bin after bin … Craigslist.com, ebay.co.uk, yard sales, rummage sales, church bazaars … trains, planes, boats, tubes, and especially, especially, bricks, bricks, bricks!

    They call it Mommy’s Lego for a reason (and if you have some kicking around, I need it so feel free to send it my way!)

    karen in Vancouver (I’ll even put you up & feed you for payments of used lego … for the olympics?!)

    ps. Ride on, Matt, ride on!

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