The Road to Shanghai

Last week, I stopped at our neighborhood bakery to pick up some bread. There are actually half a dozen bakeries within a 10-minute walk of our apartment, but we patronize this particular one because it caters somewhat to Western tastes in bread. Most Chinese breads are soft and sweet, but this bakery also has several styles that are firmer and not sweet, even a multi-grain bread and a partially-whole-wheat sandwish loaf. Also, we've gotten to know the owner, Ms. Chen, who worked in California in the 1990s and speaks English about like I speak Chinese. While paying at the check-out counter (and correcting the clerk's error in counting change), I chatted away with Ms. Chen. Finally, as I started looking around for my bag of two loaves and a pair of pastries, we all realized that a petty thief had taken advantage of our socializing and run off with my bag. Ms. Chen cheerfully refilled my order, but we all learned a lesson.

Last Saturday, Terry and I decided to eat lunch out, just before we did our weekly supermarket shopping. We intended to go to Da Niang Shui Jiao (Old Auntie's Dumplings), which offers delicious vegetarian jiaozi (dumplings). On the way, though, we encountered a sidewalk vendor frying up jianbing (think flat breads, which we have talked about previously). These really looked tasty. They had an egg fried onto one side and were then rolled up around some lightly sauteed vegetables. I asked how much, and the "xiaofan" (street vendor) replied 5 rmb (about $.65). That seemed a little high by Chinese standards, but still a bargain to us, so we ordered two. They were delicious. So, when I was out running some lunch-hour errands three days later, I retured to the same place. This time, a different woman was running the stand. Also, a mother and daugher were in line ahead of me. I watched the mother pay a 5 rmb bill for two jiangbing and get a 1 rmb coin in change. Aha! The other xiaofan "meng wo" (cheated me). My price was also 2 rmb this time. Now, I can't wait to encounter the first vendor and inform her that my price will be 2 rmb from now on!

My final recent buying experience involves a couple of key-chain "flash memory" devices. These are removable computer storage disks that can hold 32, 64, 128, or 256 KB of data and (as the name implies) are small enough to attach to a key chain. Terry and I have both been nervous about the data on our computer at home -- especially her genealogical tables and my scholarly manuscripts. (Almost every week, our Chinese teacher has a new story about a friend whose apartment has been robbed.) So, we decided we would each buy a 128 KB memory unit. Gu Peng, an office colleague, helped me select one at a shop near our office. I chose a SONY, even though at 408 rmb it was 25% more than the Chinese brands, because he said the quality was probably a little better. Terry tried it out, and it worked great. When I returned a few days later to buy another, though, this merchant was "mai wan le" (sold out). So, I went to another seller, but this one had an advertised price of 509 rmb. This time, another colleague Wang Zhigang was with me. He helped me explain my previous purchase (and show my receipt) and tried to get this seller to accept 408 rmb. The manager explained that it was impossible. He said the other seller must have brought his goods into Nantong from another city where the wholesale price was lower. He did agree to come down to 460 rmb, though. To verify that explanation, Wang Zhigang checked with the guy who sells us computer, and after a day he did in fact validate the second seller's story. So, the next day, I went by myself to the second shop. Since a different salesclerk was at the desk, I had to explain all the preceding in Chinese, and she had to go back through two levels of supervision to get approval for discounting the price to 460 rmb. It worked! The clerk's compliment of my Chinese ability was a bit overblown, but I was quite pleased with myself, nevertheless.

Moral of the stories (which all had happy endings): No, it isn't as simple here as "Yi shou jiao qian, yi shou huo"! -Norty