I was heading home yesterday when a little girl selling plantains pleaded with me to buy from her. I decided to get two sets, and when it was time to make payment, she asked me to transfer the money to the woman selling beside her. As I was doing that, I told her to pack the plantains for me. After completing the transfer, I thanked them and left, only to get home and realize she had removed one plantain from each set.
A similar thing happened when I accompanied my aunt to the market, but that time, the seller was an elderly woman. I was on my phone while my aunt was trying to withdraw cash to pay, and when the woman thought no one was watching, she sneakily cut off one plantain from the bunch. I let her know I saw her and asked her to add it back.
I didn’t think I needed any level of vigilance when buying from a child.
Now I wonder if this is what people mean when they brag about being "streetwise" in this state. This isn’t being smart; it is THEFT. And when the young and old begin to see deceit as a skill, it says a lot about where we’re headed as a society.
Culture is everything.
The probability of a Japanese butcher doing this is low.