ABSTRACT
A diligent consumer arrives at a market looking to buy a couple of tomatoes. He checks out the available options and applies his usual tomato-choosing criteria: which tomatoes are local, organic, cheap, potentially tasty, and ripe but likely to last a few days? None has all of these qualities, so he considers what compromise he will regret least. He flirts briefly with going a few kilometres down the road to another market that may have a better selection, and decides against it. He picks from what’s at hand, pays and departs. Maybe the process has taken two minutes, mostly to see what’s available. A less deeply engaged tomato consumer follows. She is inclined to be satisfied with round and red, and chooses more quickly. But she then moves on and lingers thoughtfully over what fruit to buy for the grandchildren.
