넥타린 (복숭아)

넥타린들
4,000 원
트럭 (명동)

A basketful of nectarines costs 1,000 won less than a basketful of plums; or does that farmer, in whose truck I find all this delicious fruit, set the price by the swarthy visage of his customer?  If the latter is the case, then is it possible to bargain with the dude?

What lends credence to the bargaining idea is the lack of conspicuous price tags on the various items in his truck, as though the fruit in his truck were used cars in a parking lot just waiting for the right price-insensitive customer to walk by.  Indeed, I have seen price tags on other trucks in Seoul, so my suspicions have been raised.  I'm going to consult several of my friends tomorrow on this matter - the investigation continues!

Peanuts, Plums and 사 과

Bag of peanuts (3,000 원)
둘 사 과 와 한 basket of plums (7,000 원)
Truck (명 동)

I finally found fresh produce; and experienced first-hand what my friend had complained about earlier in the day: price shock (x_x).

Can you feel the electricity? Perhaps my wallet alone can sense that eery tingle after dishing out $8USD for two apples, a bag of roasted peanuts and a basket of plums. That for that price I could either buy those items, or dine-in on 둘 돌 솥 비 빔 밥 strikes me as strange, somehow. What's more, the smell of burnt leather is in the air.

The extortion, however, should end soon if my friend is correct. What with the fleeing of the rural youth to the cities, my friend opines, the ultimate generation of Korean farmers, along with a ridiculously sheltered agricultural industry shall pass away into the quietude of the past. I concurred with his prediction, and then wondered aloud how many more years it would it take for the government to offer seductive enticements to lure the young people back to the countryside to farm!