another week gone by

Sorry it's been a week since I wrote last!

Here's a story from the past week:

Tuesday I was out eating in the night market with my friend Zack. We go often to the night market, which is easier for us Chinese-impaired guys because pointing is as equally useful as language in ordering what you want. It is usually a fairly peaceful time out (considering you are sitting on tiny stools surrounded by lots of Chinese people!) and we have privacy to talk.

So I was taken aback this Tuesday when we were approached by an older couple mid-meal. The man was wearing a green uniform jacket, the type that is not unusual for older men around here. The lady, who I can only assume was his wife, had a guitar around her neck. She quickly asserted herself as the leader of the operation, and stepped forward.

Without speaking a word (probably because she figured we wouldn't understand) she pointed to her guitar and held her hand out. I immediately cringed, wondering what was going to happen next. Zack, being a music lover and a kind-hearted soul, reached into his pocket and laid a couple kuai in her hand.

With a smile on her face, she expressed her gratitude. My mood lightened, as I realized that we were going to be treated to some Chinese folk music. What would it be like?

Then suddenly, they made a move to leave. Zack reached out, and pointed to her guitar. He had paid to hear a song, after all! She paused for a moment, then plucked the E string on her guitar two times. With a hearty laugh, she moved off to the next table with Zack's kuai in her pocket.

Feeling surprised and taken advantage of, we continued to watch the couple work their way through the crowd. We heard them play a short song a few tables away - the woman half-heartedly strummed no chord in particular, while singing a mumbled, off-key diddy.

Then, at the table behind us, we caught on to what was happening. They approached a lone woman, who was innocently munching on pickled animal parts while reading a magazine. The lady held out her hand, as she had done with us. The diner motioned her away with her hand. The woman the began to play. The sound was not pleasant. The diner buried herself further in her magazine and attempted to ignore the couple. The song stopped, and the lady plowed forward in a long spiel that I can only assume was a further attempt to extricate some money from this woman. Still getting no response, they resumed the music. I cheered silently when they finally moved on once they recognized that this diner was resolute.

That's when I realized the strategy: they were not asking for people to make donations in order to hear a song...they were asking you to pay them to KEEP them from subjecting you to their music. Personally, I think it is genius.

And I'm really glad Zack was willing to pay so quickly.

-alan