Every once in a while, I “sneak” into the market and buy fresh veggies for my cooking adventures. Yes as sneaky as I can be. Well, I am afraid someone will recognize me and throw me again this annoying question; “Anu himo mo diri palengke doc?” (What are you doing inside the market doc?). Ugh, well I’m used to people asking questions they know the answer anyway. So I just snap my mouth shut and wear that snickering, dumb ass smile.
The gulayan ( vegetable section) often place me in some rather funny dilemmas. I’m used to going to the market during my yester years but boy, my white coat just really gets in the way sometimes. Like now, in the market.
Take the case of price haggling. While I am awed at Ligaya’s ease of pulling the price down, I’m totally dumb when it comes to bargaining. I swear I can swoon anyone with my talking ( with sincere words of course) but not this one veggie vendor. I couldn’t shave off a few centavo off the tag. Nyet!
Sympathy factor. I have the heart for the poorest vendor. Even if she/he sells the rotten produce, I am and is always tempted to buy from her/him. Same with the kid cellophane vendor, or that geriatric selling the yellow corn. Problema guid.
A corollary to above, the buy-something- from-me-because-I-you-know-me-somewhere. Which is something common for a small city like my place. You know everyone by face. There you know it. Why I have pineapple even if I don’t eat one that often!
The no small change policy. Yeah, the sheer impatience for waiting that I-don’t-know-where-Timbuktu you went for a 20 peso change. The cents add ups quite a bit in the long run!
The buy-all-veggies-try-to-cook-one-cocktail-of -leaves-later attitude. This unplanned buying spree transforms my ref to a greenhouse in one market visit. And then I get this all sorts of problem how to cook a combination of veggies into one edible food. I’m not even close to a vegetarian!!!
I’m pretty sure a lot of you are into the same quandry as I am but, men I gotta learn some marketing skills again. Or I will be stuck in my meaty diet!
Halp!!