May 25, 2009
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Is that your best price?
It seems to be getting more and more difficult to write regularly. My work continues to spill into my personal time. If I haven't visited your Xanga lately, I hope you'll understand. I've left a few comments here and there. I kinda envy those of you who manage to carve time out to write daily (or close to it).
I accompanied my bf who had to pick up his nephew at an anime convention. It was interesting watching all those people (mostly teens) dressed up. There were a few folks in their mid 20's who were also dressed in costume and other regalia. I can only say this was one of the few times live that I've felt so ... normal. I was impressed with his nephew though. He takes after my bf. He's careful with his money and bargains for deals from the vendors. When he can't get the deal he wants, he walks away. I didn't even know how to bargain until I was well into my adulthood.
My bf treats bargaining as an inherent right. If you dont' - you left money on the table. He does it with banks to reduce mortgage rates, car dealers, home repairs ... He may not get what he wants but the price he settles for is always less than the original price. Heck, in this difficult times - you got to look after your dollars. Of course, you don't want to bargain so hard that the vendor is about to wring your neck.
Some food pics.
Whole grain pasta with veggies and shrimp. It's easy and fast to make after work.
Rice noodles with pork, bitter melon, red peppers and black bean.
This took over an hour to make.
I purchased this Bánh mì from Chinatown. (oh yeah... I ordered one with hot peppers once by mistake, whoo.... it was hot!)
Baby bak choy with oyster mushrooms. (Another simple stirfry).
So what was the last purchase you bargained for and do you have any
bargaining tips you want to share?
Comments (23)
dang, banh mi. i'm inpressed
@alchemystfury - oops... I purchased it, I don't know how to make banh mi.
I never really bargain for anything. I might shop around a little, but when it comes to haggling, I'm lost. On the other hand, I love food. You've always got the best food pics. I just ate, and I'm already hungry.
I am much like my friend Erik above me. I'm don't usually go to places where bargaining is an accepted way to purchase things, but it would be fun to know the tricks.
I will also agree with him about your food pictures, but then I've said it before.. ha.
Have a smashing week Matt, be well,
*~matthew~*
@Esbartman - hahaha... thank you. There are many around here with lovely food porn.
@bleuzeus - I just think of the money that can be saved. As long as it's done in a civil manner, I think it can make shopping a bit more interesting. You have a great week too.
mmmmm! bak choy w/oyster mushrooms. I made that few nights ago. I know its very un-asian but I drizzled truffle oil over it.
oh, and yeah...there's no reason to pay retail price for anything nowadays
I love Vietnamese sub !! yum...
Sorry your work is so busy, Matt. Hope it can get shoved back into the cubicle where it belongs - and stay there! Wonderful food pictures; I love the simple pleasures of stir fries and banh mi.
Bargaining isn't my strong point, mostly because I'm at a disadvantage language-wise. I can ask for a discount but I can't bargain very persuasively. Most of the time, I ask for a little bit of a discount and tell the vendor - in Thai - that I deserve a break because I went to the trouble to study Thai. That usually gets a smile and a bit of a cut in price.
People think I am a good bargainer, but actually I suck at that. My technique is first to firm in my mind how much I am willing to pay, then offer a price lower than that but not too low. Then bargain back and forth, and pretended to walk away at critical time, I even bargain in foreign coutries where I do not speak the language, hehe. It is always easier to bargain early in the morning, when most merchants (esp Asian) think they need to make the first deal of the day as it reflects on the carma of the rest of the day, hehe.
One time I bargain so low that my friend felt sorry for the merchant and he pay that guy more than the negotiated price. I guess I am good enough in bargaining, but probably not anywhere close to the skill of your bf. Hope you can share some of his bargain techniques with us.
i suck at bargaining and maybe i show it too well, so the seller just knows i'm gonna give up. but i really admire the people who can do it.
mm... food looks good. don't feel bad about not posting anything; i haven't posted in several weeks also!
i'm not good at bargaining; i would just rather pay a fair price than have to haggle with the vendor over what price i should or shouldn't have to pay. i hear you can bargain for pretty much anything, though, but i've certainly never tried it.
@caihwei - that sounds interesting, I'll have to get some truffle oil from the store down the street. (they specialize in olive oils)
@zozoyork - I toasted this a bit too and it was very good. I had it with some sugar cane juice.
@christao408 - do the vendors key in a price on a calculator and give it back to you to enter your price? I think your low key approach is pretty good and disarming too.
@stevew918 - gee... you and my bf are alike when it comes to bargaining.
@carpe_diem99 - I should lend you my bf so that he can teach you some tips.
@kunhuo42 - I can't wait to sell something to you. hee hee...
@ElusiveWords - Sometimes they use the calculator but most of the time we just bargain in Thai. More fun that way!
I want to learn how to bargain... :-
I am too shy and self conscious. I feel like people are all staring when I do that...
"It seems to be getting more and more difficult to write regularly. My work continues to spill into my personal time. If I haven't visited your Xanga lately, I hope you'll understand. I've left a few comments here and there. I kinda envy those of you who manage to carve time out to write daily (or close to it). "
BTW, that's not referring to me is it? I envy them too. I am so busy in Taiwan eating and walking to places that I am to tired to blog too.
@Wangium - I'd stare too to see if you got a better deal than I did.
ryc - nope, it was just me, just struggling with work life balance.
I have been falling behind on Xanga too. :'( I'm gonna make a concerted effort to blog and read your Xanga more regularly!!
@brooklyn2028 - hahaha - don't worry, we know you're quite busy - especially with your new job and school. I miss the routine of writing everyday (not reports). But writing for myself.
Food looks excellent as usual Matt. I bargain, evrywhere, here in the antique stores, in India, and in Dubai. I did some bargaining in Thailand and in Singapore also.
@christao408 - I enjoyed the bargaining game with the vendors at the Silom night market!
Matt, there's a decent Vietnamese store here in LA which sells 'banh mi' exclusively. I found the bread crust is much harder to break than those in Vietnam. But the ingredients are very tasty, and there are lots of choices as well!
relax, you write on xanga more than i do.
@ZSA_MD - it's fun knowing that you're shopping and saving money.
@curry69curry - I toast mine a bit first. I like the crust to be crispy (but not too hard).
@rudyhou - but you post more pics than most of us.
Comments are closed.