Today I had a meeting with a stranger and found the whole thing fascinating. I want to buy a fish steamer. I want to cook some fish by steaming them. I went to one of those kitchen ware shops and the owner comes up to me and I tell him what I am looking for. He takes me to the items and shows me this fish steamer.
People do interesting stuff
I am looking at this thing and it is not a fish steamer it is an implement for poaching fish. I tell him that I am after a thing to steam fish. He then assures me that it is a fish steamer and proceeds to explain how it works. One part pulls out, you put the fish on it and lower it into the pan type of thing. As he explains it I am responding that it means the fish will be cooked in the water and not in the steam coming off the water. He is again reassuring me that this is a fish steamer. I am looking at this guy and he is lying to my face and he is not even blinking. I am not angry or anything but more surprised and amazed.
This goes on for a few minutes and then he changes his story. He says that I am right, it is a fish poacher and there is no such thing as a fish steamer. If I want to steam fish I have to buy a vegetable steamer and steam the fish in that. He then proceeds to show me one of those.
By this time he has got me smiling. He has spent the first few minutes telling me to my face that it was a fish steamer and now he is saying that it is not a fish steamer. But the interesting part was how he didn’t even blink as he told outright lies to me and how he changed his story and then carried on like that meant nothing.
Needless to say I did not purchase any items but what an interesting way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Graffiti
Do you think he was lying or just very unaware of what a fish steamer actually is?
ReplyDeleteMaybe he was really from the TV area and just wandered over to the kitchen appliance area as you came in.
I could think of much more interesting things to lie about than a fish steamer.
Once I bought an antique item after the sales person told me it was a butter cooler. It turned out to be the ceramic insert from a potty chair. I like to think the sales person was as stupid as I was, but really I think I was shafted.
Yes linda maybe it was candid camera and one day i will see myself on TV in Australias funniest home vodeos kind of show.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure he knew what he was talking about. But regardless he first told me it was a fish steamer and then changed his story to tell me it was not a fish steamer and there is no such thing as a fish steamer.
But i like you butter cooler transition in to potty insert!
Graffiti
Tony - your story brought a smile to my face. Don’t you think the salesman was just being a salesman? Speaking from a biased American point of view (most men don’t cook), if my job is to sell kitchen stuff and a man walks into my store, I would speak confidently and confabulate as much BS as necessary. I would be less likely to speak as freely when a woman walked in because I would expect her to have more experience with kitchenware. As a woman, I’m never surprised to get the same thing from salesmen when I go into an auto parts store or hardware store. Men assume I’m clueless about tools and air filters because I’m female. I’m not insinuating that all salespeople are liars, only that salespeople who portray confidence and knowledge, whether it’s real or not, are more persuasive. It’s part of the job.
ReplyDeleteLinda – I have seen several old butter churns and they all had ceramic pots. What’d you do with it?
Hi Tony :)
ReplyDeletehave you steamed your fish yet ? ;-)
I usually steam my salmon in a kind of two-layer steam-pot (gosh I don't know what this is called in English) together with veggies, is there a good reason to add a new piece to the kitchen equipment?
I heard of a salesman who sold a wireless router to an elderly lady who didn't have nor ordered an internet access :)
Hmmm. They mustn't sell many fish poachers then.
ReplyDeleteLucky it wasnt a Rabbit Boiler
ReplyDeletehello Zbig,
ReplyDeleteNow I will steam any fish in my vege steamer like the guy suggested. But what happened is that I thought about later and decided to get a fish poacher which I have now done! From a different store i may add.
Tony
No Roses, I don't think they do a lot of business and they may go into receiverships soon
ReplyDeleteGraffiti
Well for my birthday Ken I might get a rabbit boiler!
ReplyDeleteGraffiti
Glad you liked my little story KYLady,
ReplyDeleteThis guy could BS and not even flinch. Wouldn't want to be married to him though.
He was confident in his BSing, but changing your story half way though was a bad move.
Cheers
Tony
Why didn't you order one online, after, that is, you had your people watching fix?
ReplyDeleteWell I could have Kahless as you suggested looked on line,
ReplyDeleteBut does one get any BS online?
Graffiti
Hmm - I might have suggested using a vegetable steamer also. Not sure I've heard of a fish steamer. Perhaps you should try the parchment paper method in the oven. That's kind of like steaming.
ReplyDeleteWell I might give that a go OLJ and I am using a vegetable steamer to steam the fish in, its just that they have to be short fish.
ReplyDeleteIn the fish poacher I can have much longer fish
Happy Australia day
Tony
Many people are aware of the trick of hanging a wrinkled dress in the washroom while showering to get the wrinkles released. garment steamer
ReplyDelete