Sunday shopping

I spent the day in search of presents for friends. It is only a few days before my departure to the US and I have a mental list of stuff I need to buy (centred mostly on toys for my friend's kids). My first stop is the Queen Vic markets, where I pick up some koalas with akubras that belt out 'waltzing matilda' when you squeeze their left foot. The chinese shop owner assures me that these are good quality toys from Australia; not the cheap chinese imports. To try to reassure me, he brings out a sorry-looking koala from under the bench which looks like it was suffering from mange. "See this", he says, tugging at the toy and yanking out clumps of faux kola fur. "This poor quality from China. You buy top quality from Australia". Yeah right. I am not entirely convinced. first of all, there was no "Made in Australia" logo. Instead, a similar shaped tag assures buyers that it was 'designed' in Melbourne, Australia. The word "Australia" was written in especially large font but the grammar on the label gives it away. Sly shop keep. I thought about exposing his scam in front of all the other mingling tourists, and telling him that what he was doing was a contravention of Australian consumer laws. Instead, I ask him if it would be cheaper if I buy two koalas and a small wombat with a similar foot-squeezing musical capability. I figure...what would my friend's kids care? A koala is still a koala and a wombat is still a wombat. And merchants have been ripping off unsuspecting tourists the world over. I was under no grand delusion. I am not a tourist and I know I am not buying Australian made. So no one was being misled in this transaction. I pay for my purchase and head home. I dropped off the toys, had some lunch and then took off to Brunswick Street to look for another baby's toy. This time, it was for a friend's baby whom I will meet for the first time later in the week. Given that sh is a local, a koala from the markets just simply wouldn't cut it. I head to the first funky shop I can see. I go in, survey the scene and gaze upon a bright yellow hand-knitted stuffed lion. That'll do. It looks like something someone's nanna would make and sell at a school fete. Nostalgic, I think. A one off. Perfect.