I once had a run-in with a not-so-subtle tourist trap in a pigeon square somewhere in Casablanca.
I had just gotten off the bus, still drowsy, and felt no particular urge to document this modest little plaza. My friend was busy taking selfies, and I stood there a bit aimlessly. That’s when an older man—dressed in what I can only describe as “exotic flair”—appeared beside me, scattering handfuls of grain. Pigeons swirled around us in a flurry of feathers and wings. He gestured for me to hold out my finger and, with practiced ease, placed a pigeon onto my hand. I played along, intrigued, and even ended up with a few nice photos.
Then came the outstretched hand—he wanted 50 dirhams. That’s when I realized I had walked straight into a trap.
Feigning total confusion, I replied only in Mandarin, my face the picture of someone thinking, What on earth is this man saying? Switching gears, I told him in broken English that I hadn’t brought my wallet. Unfazed, he pointed toward my friends, clearly suggesting I go borrow from them. The whole thing felt like being pushed into a scripted role I hadn’t signed up for, and I wasn’t about to pay for it.
I decided to wait him out. Soon, another man joined in, signaling a discount—20 dirhams this time. Still, I held my ground with the same blank, language-barrier expression. Faced with a wall of faux innocence and linguistic futility, they finally gave up, waved me off, and even wished me a pleasant day.
我曾在卡萨布兰卡某个鸽子广场上经历了一场强买强卖。
我那时刚从困意中下车，望着这片不大的广场并没有什么记录的欲望。同行的朋友在自拍，我有点不知所措。一位打扮的很异域风情的老头在我旁边抛谷粒，引得鸽子顺着满天谷粒在我附近盘旋。他示意我伸出手指，有意把一只鸽子递到我手上，我觉得新奇便接了过去，还获得了几张相片。
完事后，他朝我伸出手索要50迪拉姆，我才忽觉大事不妙。我装作听不懂英文一直和他讲中文，神情透露出“这老头到底在讲什么鸟语”的困惑。接着我用中式英文说自己没带钱包，老头示意我去找同行的伙伴借，这让我有种被赶鸭子上架的不爽感。这钱我是决计不给，只看他要跟我耗多久。僵持不下，另一个男人出现，手势跟我比划着20迪拉姆，我还是那副无知样子，“语言的隔阂”让他们有苦难言。于是只好让我走了，还祝我玩的愉快。