Sketches From Life in Lahore (Posted by: A.)
i. Haggling
One challenge for many Westerners of living in the sub continent is adjusting to different cultural practices around paying for things. Back at home, there are posted prices that are nonnegotiable for almost anything under the sun, save, perhaps, your car and house. Go to the grocery store, and bananas are a dollar a pound... doesn't matter if they're rotting and swarming with fruitflies, they're a dollar a pound. If you don't like the price, don't buy them. Taxis run on meters, clothes have price tags, computers and cell phones have prices listed on websites or in catalogs.
Things couldn't be farther from the case in the subcontinent, which can lead to many an awkward experiences for immigrants to the USA. Even when prices are posted, they are almost always negotiable (electronics, CDs, clothes, handicrafts) unless they are at an upmarket boutique/store. Many second-generation desis I know have bonded over stories of mothers trying to haggle down prices of onions at a US grocery store, while their embarrassed children scamper to the next aisle and pretend they are unrelated. I remember an incident where my father valiantly tried and failed to negotiate a discount on a mattress for me while the salesman repeatedly told him the prices were set.
Flip the scenario and Westerners are equally ill-equipped to negotiate the kharidari (shopping) culture of countries like India and Pakistan. I remember how on my first couple of visits I was terribly uncomfortable at the mere thought of haggling. In countries like India, with a huge tourist industry, locals get used to Westerners willingness to pay the first quoted price on anything, and quickly realize a lucrative opportunity... instead of starting at a price 50 to 100% more, and then coming down to their actual price... they can start at triple, quadruple or 10 times the actual rate and make a pretty penny off Westerners too polite or clueless to ask about 'the discount'. In countries like Pakistan, it's a bit different. There isn't a large enough population of tourists for locals to have become accustomed to. Therefore, the experience can be the puzzling for both parties.
Some foreigner/tourists believe that, given that inequality in power/economic roles between traveler and local, it would be almost immoral to request any price lower than the initial offer while others ruthlessly argue over pennies (at various times living abroad, I admit having done both). Some, such as my sister who has a background in economics, call prices inflated for a certain group "discriminatory pricing", and explain that it is an inadequate way to address macro problems of economic inequality and can have larger and unforeseen negative market consequences. Lacking expertise in economics, we fall somewhere in between, engaging in the act of negotiating/haggling (in part because it is culturally expected) but also accepting/being willing to pay a somewhat higher price than locals.
Having lived in the subcontinent for a year, I've become a lot more comfortable with the culture of haggling, and have even come to enjoy it at times. At first, like many others unfamiliar with the practice, I mistakenly interpreted the haggling interaction as an adversarial one, walking away angry if we couldn't come to a mutually agreeable price. Over time though, I began to see it as a routine and sometimes playful part of a social interaction. Although I have the basics down (having a general sense of the local price, good-naturedly asking for a discount, making jokes at prices that are outrageously high, being willing to walk away), I'm still figuring out the subtleties of when negotiating is and is not expected.
Last night was a perfect example. Devin was famished and craving pizza, so we dug up the number of the pizza place and made an order. I was feeling proud of myself for conducting the entire conversation in Urdu (and in my fantasy world imagined I hadn't been discovered as a foreigner). However, we were both a bit surprised at the price of the pizza: 410 ruppees for a 11 inch. While the equivalent, 7 dollars, may not seem like a lot in the US... by Pakistani standards it's quite high.
When the delivery man arrived, Devin took longer talking to him than I expected, so I yelled out to ask what was going on. Turns out that the guy had taken pity on us for not knowing that we were supposed to haggle and gave us a 20% discount and free Pepsi... he went on to give Devin his personal cell phone number, saying that if we called him directly in the future, he could get us the same pizza for 210 rupees (probably expecting a small tip).
It made me laugh, because like so many things in Pakistan, there is always a back channel... even for pizza delivery. And also because it reminds me of other times when I haven't haggled but accepted the initial price. Of course, sometimes people are happy to take your money, but in several instances shopkeepers have looked at me uncomfortably and uncertainly... and, after shifting for a minute while counting my change, announced that they are giving me a discount (anywhere from 10-30% off). My interpretation being that by failing to negotiate, I've made a social faux pas... forcing them to overcharge me more than they feel is fair, and thus they give me a partial discount to maintain their own sense of business integrity. So, the lesson is, next time you order pizza in Pakistan (at least from Ginos)*, don't accept the first price! :-)
* I imagine this may not apply in the same way to transnational chains such as Pizza Hut, though who knows?
ii. Professional Pakistani Bartenders
You might imagine that they are few and far between in a country where the possession and sale of alcohol is illegal for over 95% of the population (all Muslims). And, you would probably be right. Sure there are a 3-4 formal bars in the fancy hotels around the city, but other than that, it's mostly a DIY affair. While the black market is extensive and thriving, and half the population seems to have a bootlegger, professional bartenders are another matter. . We met our first one today.
Walking home, an old man on the scooter approached from the opposite direction.
"What's your country?" he yelled as he slowed to a stop. Devin answered "USA" at the same time as he kept walking on. Devin especially (with his red hair and blue eyes) is accustomed to being chatted up by random people on the street, due to the lack of tourism and scarcity of foreigners in Pakistan, people are often eager to talk to someone from another country. For some reason, I stopped and turned to face the man who had a mischievous grin, a pakol hat, and the beginning of an underbite perhaps caused by a loss of teeth. He was frail but lively, dressed in a salwar kamiz with a vest buttoned over top.
"Ah, USA, I have lived there! Where in the USA?"
"Seattle, Washington"
"Oh, not there. I lived in Houston, Texas, beautiful place. then in New York." He flashed us another grin, "you know, I'm a professional bartender!"
"Really? Not so many jobs in Pakistan , na?"
"No," he scowled, "but I worked at the PC." (arguably the fanciest hotel in town)
He went on to recount his adventures in bartending, how he missed going out to get an ice cold one at the local bar back in the USA (making an exuberant gesture of cheering his imaginary mug of beer), and swore about this blasted country where you can't get a proper drop to drink. "It's like a graveyard here!" He exclaimed good-humoredly and proceeded to produce a business card.
"If you want a party at your house, call me (wink wink nudge nudge)... you want Johnny Walker Black? I've got it, Johnny Walker Black." Devin smiled, but politely declined the offer which was repeated several times, explaining that he had a liquor permit. The old man smartly shot back that even with a liquor permit you can't get the good imported stuff (true, imported stuff usually only comes on black market... with a permit you can buy deadly cheap, although mediocre, liquor made in Pakistan).
At that, we said our goodbyes and the old man sped away while we walked home smiling.
One challenge for many Westerners of living in the sub continent is adjusting to different cultural practices around paying for things. Back at home, there are posted prices that are nonnegotiable for almost anything under the sun, save, perhaps, your car and house. Go to the grocery store, and bananas are a dollar a pound... doesn't matter if they're rotting and swarming with fruitflies, they're a dollar a pound. If you don't like the price, don't buy them. Taxis run on meters, clothes have price tags, computers and cell phones have prices listed on websites or in catalogs.
Things couldn't be farther from the case in the subcontinent, which can lead to many an awkward experiences for immigrants to the USA. Even when prices are posted, they are almost always negotiable (electronics, CDs, clothes, handicrafts) unless they are at an upmarket boutique/store. Many second-generation desis I know have bonded over stories of mothers trying to haggle down prices of onions at a US grocery store, while their embarrassed children scamper to the next aisle and pretend they are unrelated. I remember an incident where my father valiantly tried and failed to negotiate a discount on a mattress for me while the salesman repeatedly told him the prices were set.
Flip the scenario and Westerners are equally ill-equipped to negotiate the kharidari (shopping) culture of countries like India and Pakistan. I remember how on my first couple of visits I was terribly uncomfortable at the mere thought of haggling. In countries like India, with a huge tourist industry, locals get used to Westerners willingness to pay the first quoted price on anything, and quickly realize a lucrative opportunity... instead of starting at a price 50 to 100% more, and then coming down to their actual price... they can start at triple, quadruple or 10 times the actual rate and make a pretty penny off Westerners too polite or clueless to ask about 'the discount'. In countries like Pakistan, it's a bit different. There isn't a large enough population of tourists for locals to have become accustomed to. Therefore, the experience can be the puzzling for both parties.
Some foreigner/tourists believe that, given that inequality in power/economic roles between traveler and local, it would be almost immoral to request any price lower than the initial offer while others ruthlessly argue over pennies (at various times living abroad, I admit having done both). Some, such as my sister who has a background in economics, call prices inflated for a certain group "discriminatory pricing", and explain that it is an inadequate way to address macro problems of economic inequality and can have larger and unforeseen negative market consequences. Lacking expertise in economics, we fall somewhere in between, engaging in the act of negotiating/haggling (in part because it is culturally expected) but also accepting/being willing to pay a somewhat higher price than locals.
Having lived in the subcontinent for a year, I've become a lot more comfortable with the culture of haggling, and have even come to enjoy it at times. At first, like many others unfamiliar with the practice, I mistakenly interpreted the haggling interaction as an adversarial one, walking away angry if we couldn't come to a mutually agreeable price. Over time though, I began to see it as a routine and sometimes playful part of a social interaction. Although I have the basics down (having a general sense of the local price, good-naturedly asking for a discount, making jokes at prices that are outrageously high, being willing to walk away), I'm still figuring out the subtleties of when negotiating is and is not expected.
Last night was a perfect example. Devin was famished and craving pizza, so we dug up the number of the pizza place and made an order. I was feeling proud of myself for conducting the entire conversation in Urdu (and in my fantasy world imagined I hadn't been discovered as a foreigner). However, we were both a bit surprised at the price of the pizza: 410 ruppees for a 11 inch. While the equivalent, 7 dollars, may not seem like a lot in the US... by Pakistani standards it's quite high.
When the delivery man arrived, Devin took longer talking to him than I expected, so I yelled out to ask what was going on. Turns out that the guy had taken pity on us for not knowing that we were supposed to haggle and gave us a 20% discount and free Pepsi... he went on to give Devin his personal cell phone number, saying that if we called him directly in the future, he could get us the same pizza for 210 rupees (probably expecting a small tip).
It made me laugh, because like so many things in Pakistan, there is always a back channel... even for pizza delivery. And also because it reminds me of other times when I haven't haggled but accepted the initial price. Of course, sometimes people are happy to take your money, but in several instances shopkeepers have looked at me uncomfortably and uncertainly... and, after shifting for a minute while counting my change, announced that they are giving me a discount (anywhere from 10-30% off). My interpretation being that by failing to negotiate, I've made a social faux pas... forcing them to overcharge me more than they feel is fair, and thus they give me a partial discount to maintain their own sense of business integrity. So, the lesson is, next time you order pizza in Pakistan (at least from Ginos)*, don't accept the first price! :-)
* I imagine this may not apply in the same way to transnational chains such as Pizza Hut, though who knows?
ii. Professional Pakistani Bartenders
You might imagine that they are few and far between in a country where the possession and sale of alcohol is illegal for over 95% of the population (all Muslims). And, you would probably be right. Sure there are a 3-4 formal bars in the fancy hotels around the city, but other than that, it's mostly a DIY affair. While the black market is extensive and thriving, and half the population seems to have a bootlegger, professional bartenders are another matter. . We met our first one today.
Walking home, an old man on the scooter approached from the opposite direction.
"What's your country?" he yelled as he slowed to a stop. Devin answered "USA" at the same time as he kept walking on. Devin especially (with his red hair and blue eyes) is accustomed to being chatted up by random people on the street, due to the lack of tourism and scarcity of foreigners in Pakistan, people are often eager to talk to someone from another country. For some reason, I stopped and turned to face the man who had a mischievous grin, a pakol hat, and the beginning of an underbite perhaps caused by a loss of teeth. He was frail but lively, dressed in a salwar kamiz with a vest buttoned over top.
"Ah, USA, I have lived there! Where in the USA?"
"Seattle, Washington"
"Oh, not there. I lived in Houston, Texas, beautiful place. then in New York." He flashed us another grin, "you know, I'm a professional bartender!"
"Really? Not so many jobs in Pakistan , na?"
"No," he scowled, "but I worked at the PC." (arguably the fanciest hotel in town)
He went on to recount his adventures in bartending, how he missed going out to get an ice cold one at the local bar back in the USA (making an exuberant gesture of cheering his imaginary mug of beer), and swore about this blasted country where you can't get a proper drop to drink. "It's like a graveyard here!" He exclaimed good-humoredly and proceeded to produce a business card.
"If you want a party at your house, call me (wink wink nudge nudge)... you want Johnny Walker Black? I've got it, Johnny Walker Black." Devin smiled, but politely declined the offer which was repeated several times, explaining that he had a liquor permit. The old man smartly shot back that even with a liquor permit you can't get the good imported stuff (true, imported stuff usually only comes on black market... with a permit you can buy deadly cheap, although mediocre, liquor made in Pakistan).
At that, we said our goodbyes and the old man sped away while we walked home smiling.