Latin America: Se

Just before he leaves home in the morning, the average working-class husband in Mexico City gives his wife el gasto (expense money). Depending on his income, he doles out 5 to 25 pesos ($1 to $5). Then his wife starts on what used to be a pleasant round of spending.

First she gets milk from one street vendor, tortillas from another. Then she sets out for the market—La Merced, San Juan, Portales or San Lucas. In the days before inflation, she wandered happily up & down the aisles, stopping to buy 1.50 pesos of meat, 16 centavos of rice, 5 centavos of...