The Pisco Standard

In Steinbeck´s Cannery Row, Mac and the boys embark on a quest for frogs because Doc, who works as a marine biologist and Hopkins Marine Center in Monterrey, has promised them 5 cents for each frog they bring back. After the sun sets, Mac and they boys begin their frog Easter egg hunt. As they fill their sacks with more and more frogs, they make plans for how they will spend their earnings. Their economy takes on a frog standard as they express items´ value in terms of frogs. A cold beer might be x frogs and feast for a dinner is worth y frogs.

Similarly, my friends and I are slowly developing a pisco sour economy. If I walk to, from, and to the Stanford center instead of taking the metro and bus, I´ve saved the equivalent of a pisco. Jason agreed to edit Zach´s Spanish paper for one pisco sour, however, I expect that service to increase in price as the quarter progresses. One night at the hostel where I stayed in Pucon (an outdoor wonderland) was worth four piscos each night—a pretty good deal actually. When Lauren repelled down the waterfall using Aussie style (accidental or not), she earned herself a pisco—though I personally think that should have been worth two.

Bribes, bets, and pisco payments. I like this market and hope it continues to thrive.