Fatu and I arrived after a full day of travel and presented the young bride-to-be with a palmfrond broom, winnowing basket, grass mat and two chickens. Fatu, a reputable fisherwoman, whispered to me, “they expect me to bring fish, but I couldn’t find any to buy in my village.” As I struggled to document complex local-global economic interfaces in the field, I recalled my advisor’s suggestion that traditional field methods are once again proving effective in response to new and pressing needs for fresh research on the changes today’s peripheral economies are being forced to make. I decided to root myself in a single community and take his advice by using the tried and tested techniques of our discipline—imitation and empathy—and-household surveys for good measure.