In order to traverse Buenos Aires as quickly as possible, I have taken many journeys by subway during my stay. It helps that each ride only costs about fifteen cents. During off-peak hours, vendors walk through the train cars selling things. They sell boxes of tissues, face masks, chewing gum, sewing kits, highlighters, or whatever else they have managed to procure (chewing gum is a consistent best-seller). There is an established protocol for how these vendors operate. The vendor places the item in the lap of everyone seated in a train car (you can opt out with a simple hand gesture no) then doubles back to collect the goods. Prices are listed on stickers on the items. If you don’t want to buy, the vendor will pick up the goods as he circles back. If you wish to make a purchase, you hand him money instead of the item. If you want a different flavor or color, he will make it happen. And then the vendor will move into the next train car and repeat the process. The whole operation takes about the same amount of time as traveling a single stop, but if you wish to purchase before exiting the train you can flag the vendor down and he will make his way over to you. And you can just leave the item on the seat if you aren’t buying but have reached your stop.

The rules for this commerce are not posted, but all of the locals know them. This has been a simple example of something that I don’t normally notice but that is heightened by being a visitor here. Everywhere as its own quirky customs, things that don’t make sense when first viewed by outsiders but that often have internal logic. In the case of these subway vendors, it is an efficient way to purchase things in transit even if there is a lottery to what is offered. Stepping out of my normal environment into another has allowed me to observe this, and that is one of the great benefits of travel.