"Duo shad qian" is all you need to know. How much is it? The seller will whip out an old-fashion calculator, punch in her American dollar amount and hand it back to you. (Before that they used bead boards).
You say no, no, no and put in a lowball price. Then the haggling and fun begin.
My wife and I mined the fabulous markets of Shanghai in search of one item: elephants. It is important you have such a set goal or you will be lost in an ocean of things and people.
Once focused on your prey you zen for the purchase. I play the dumb American (which comes naturally) and try to get the seller down as much as I can. Then my wife comes over and says "no way, get real". We haggle more. All the shops and people become a blur, and you go into another world with the seller (Shatner does this ALL the time). It's not just numbers now. I say, "I think I see a little nick here". The seller makes up a story about how this elephant came from Tibet. You make freinds and share the sale.
Finally, I say O.K., but another little elephant has to be thrown in, which she agrees to. Of course then you have to buy it. Then you own the experience and the elephants own you. Captain Kirk is still out there somewhere exploring new universes, but elephants never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment