Buying Pears

I've decided buying an asian pear in Vietnam is always an adventure. The first step is finding one. On daily travels around any city you pass countless fresh markets and cornerside fruit sellers who make their presence all to well known. However, the moment you make a premeditated decision that you feel like a pear, the fruit stands have somehow moved to the other side of town and you're left wandering aimlessely through streets filled with motorbike repair shops or displays of expensive silk handbags.

Step 2 is bargaining. After four days in Hanoi I felt like I'd become a clever buyer who'd made my way out of the land of tourist prices, having paid 6000 Vietnamese dong on day one (45 cents), and then slowly working my way down through 4000, 2 for 6000, and finally 2000 (what locals pay, according to one cafe dude). However, there is always variability due to factors such as location, time of day, and the seller's mood. High traffic areas are pricier. Early morning is cheaper than afternoon. And my favourite cornerside fruit lady who routinely accepted my 2000 dong, turned on me one afternoon and demanded 3000. When I put on a confused face and tried, "But this morning you sold for 2000...", all I got was a scowl and, "No! Pear in morning was smaller!" Em even ran into trouble in real Hnoi, outside tourist quarters. After much haggling and an agreed 2000 pricetag, Em handed the guy a 5000 bill... and got only 2000 back. Holding her shortchange and the pear, Em tried to get correct change but was denied. To respect the laws of fair bargaining, she said no thanks, put the already wrapped pear back in the pile, and walked away. It's the principle of things.

Step 3 is eating the pear. The rule "only cooked, peeled or washed" has to be applied to all street food and since we don't carry around a peeler, I just sacrifice some bottled water for a scrubdown (exfoliating bath gloves can also come in handy). Monday, however, I must have failed to reach the scrub level required (from now on, "rinsed" is an evil, evil word). I woke up at 2am to stomach cramps and nausea and spent the next 8 hours emptying ALL contents of my stomach via both ends. Then it was a day of bedrest and water for me, with some bread and a (peeled) orange when I got braver. It was only a 24 hour thing; one pear can't do that much harm. Then again, maybe it's time to invest in a peeler.

P.S. We actually have some photos of my day of fun, starting with me washing the actual pear in question (there was a cute kid in the background - good stealth photo op).