Regardless of where you are the market, any market, in any city is always fascinating. In this instance it is a neighborhood market where the specialty is 'spices' or the soul of Indian cooking. My Mentor was kind enough to show me not only the 'what' but the 'how' or 'how to select what' in this maze. While the stock is mesmerizing what caught my eyes was the process and it goes something like this.
* I was given a large, levy free, non-plastic bag
* I took what I need from the store and put everything in the bag
* at check out a shop-keeper appeared with a separate bag
* he moved the items from mine to his bag announcing item by item
* the cashier would enter an amount for each item on a pad
* not once did he look up or ask a question about any item
* once everything was recorded he started the arithmetic
* it was a short quiet chant to himself and I was shown a sum total at the end
* I would pay that scribbled amount no questions asked
This is indeed a universal skill .. my seafood guy in Wanchai do this, my vegetable auntie in Apleichau do this without any gadget and it never ceases to amaze. I wonder if they ever miscalculate. My guess is, they must, but who is counting?
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