(609) Business acumen?

There were four people in my car. We were traveling between towns. Christine saw a jungle fruit called "petai" being sold. We were too late to stop there, as we were travelling at 60 Km/h. There after the driver slowed down to 50 Km/h and the rest of us scanned the roadside for such stalls. Ten minutes later we scouted one, slowed down and stopped.

I did not get out as I treasured the air-conditioning in the car. As I was listening to a radio station, the other three went to make purchases. When they finally came back, they brought back a huge bunch of "petai". And I mean a lot. Each stalk subdivides into eight to twelve branches. Each branch leads to a long pod. Each pod contains about thirteen seeds. We are talking about ten bunches multiply by let's say ten pods -- about a hundred pods and therefore maybe 1200 seeds!

In my heart I was wondering if they were purchasing gifts for kith and kin or they were thinking of reselling? Christine and Yoke Fong were asking each other about the amount being paid. Christine thought Yoke Fong overpaid the seller and Yoke Fong also thought Christine paid more than she should. Since neither admit the other is right, they took out their purses and counted what was in hand to see how much was paid. After much recalling and calculation, they realized that Christine paid thirty dollars and Yoke Fong actually paid nothing. The confusion arose from the seller refusing to divide the huge bunch. In the end both ladies agreed to each buy half a bundle. They negotiated down the price to sixty dollars. Each lady took out one 50 dollar note. Christine received twenty dollars in change. Yoke Fong's 50 dollar bill was returned as the seller did not have change. In between there were other customers and separate transactions. Some how, Yoke Fong thought she paid fifty dollars. She took the bunch and walked back to the car. Meanwhile, Christine followed and had a running conversation trying to figure out exactly how much money had been handed over.

My husband, who was looking at durian and mangosteen, thought they both paid and obtained their rightful change. We proceeded and were miles away when they were sure the seller made a very bad bargain by insisting that they bought the entire bundle. We laughed and laughed about the big confusion and how blur both ladies were. We felt very bad that the business owner unwittingly giving them another fifty per cent discount. After all, it would have been the easiest thing to untie the bundle, and divide it into two bunches of 5 branches.

When we reached home, my husband and I brought back a gift of one branch. The seeds were removed for cooking.  Ingredients used: chilli, shallot, garlic, dried prawns, onions. The first four ingredients were pounded into a wet paste and onions were sliced. Heat a spoonful of oil in a pan, brown the onion slices. Add the wet paste. Stir the mixture until fragrant, add the seeds. If necessary, add a little water to prevent food being burnt. Add salt and sugar(optional) to taste. Serve with white rice. These seeds could be eaten raw, therefore cooking time is up to personal preferences. In fact there are local who would shy from eating "petai", as it is actually stinking in terms of smell. Those who like it have acquired the taste like westerners liking blue cheese. For those who are knowledgeable, "petai" has medicinal value. It is supposed to reduce blood sugar level and good for cleansing the kidneys.