To my wife, in matters of wheeling, dealing and striking a bargain, I am known as the "Colombian Negotiator." You see, in Colombia, bananas cost a nickel. Everyone knows this. Often, the first words Colombian children utter are "el gato esta en mis pantalones" which I have on good authority means "get your nickel bananas here." So, when I approached a vendor and raised my nickel's worth of pesos to him for a banana he said "bananas are a dime." I am good at geometry ( taught by the football coach), so I knew this was like 87% more than I paid for anywhere else at anytime else to anysomeone else. He was trying to get away with what I like to call "Gringo-nomics" a type of economics popular in South American countries in the 80s and still crops up today. Call it a tax on your accent.
I didn't tell him where he could stick his bananas ( his nose people!) because I was a missionary at the time, but all it took was me walking away for that 87% tax to vanish right where it came from ... out of thin air.
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