Americans Abroad

If I really could understand Korean, then I would have known, but since I don't, it was only good for shock value as far as I could tell. I got my money's worth on that score, but as for the rest, that would depend on to what extent they had been talking about me before I spoke up, and that, my friend, is something I will never know.

Culture and appreciation of same is SO important when meeting people of others than your own. Some you can read about, but some you have to learn about from the people themselves. I remember about reading in "Tai Pan" that the Chinese have a superstition that if you don't complete your first deal of the day, the rest of the day is ruined. Clavell described it in such detail, I suspected he hadn't made it up. So, when I was in Hong Kong, and saw a frog (the symbol of my wife's home town of Quakenbrück in northern Germany) carved out of green malachite, I looked at it in the late afternoon but didn't buy it. I was quoted $2000 (outrageous) but told that "today's deal" was for half price. Yeah, right. I passed, but was back there at 4 minutes to nine the next morning when they opened their doors, and asked to see it again. I told them I was quoted $1000 but it was too high for me. They asked what my price would be, and I said $400. The sales woman gulped, and came down slowly in $100 increments, but I stuck at $400. At $600, she was reaching the end of her limit, at least for a "gwei-loh" like me. She finally said $500, and I thanked her for her time, but I just couldn't justify it, and started to walk out. Sure enough, she wouldn't let me leave, saying "no! You are the first one today!" To-jieh sai, Tai Pan! I settled on $450. Probably only 10% less than they really wanted, and I never let on that I had read of their little suspicion (have to save face, after all).