A paramount way of sound out customers (tantear) is through the platicada. Platicada is a small, spontaneous chat exchanged between vendors and customers during the time a customer spends at a stall. In the case of a non- regular customer, the first few comments by a vendor would highlight a special part of the customer’s appearance or address the customer’s companion. To do this while a vendor is attending to other customers requires a high capacity for multitasking. However, the pattern of vendors’ comments suggests a systematic mode of attention that focuses on people’s appearances and companions, which might make multitasking easier. Vendors seem to consider these useful ways to engage customers while doing other tasks.