Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 86 - 83 Miner on Wall Street

After a forty-five minute queue and being teased by the clerk and Qi Yi respectively,

Yan Yan finally got to taste Shake Shack’s Double ShakeBurger and sip on a Fair Shake. (note 1)

Apart from the taste, Shake Shack’s success also lies in its strong fan effect and its ability to create hot topics every now and then.

This burger meal, although a bit rough around the edges, overall satisfied Yan Yan with her first meal in New York, especially since she had originally thought she’d be eating instant noodles.

"Weren’t you just asking what exactly it is I study? I’m actually over here working as a miner," Qi Yi sat down and then began answering the question that Yan Yan had been particularly curious about.

"Miner? You mean mining? Stop joking with me; where would you find a mine on Wall Street?" Yan Yan had no idea what Qi Yi was getting at.

"You’re making sense, there really aren’t any mines on Wall Street, which is why my actual position is as a ’miner’ on Wall Street," Qi Yi clarified for Yan Yan.

"Wall Street is the same as Flower Street, that much I do know," Yan Yan made a silly face at Qi Yi, who was deliberately being mysterious.

Qi Yi didn’t use to have the habit of playing coy; he probably picked that up from Yan Yan.

"Did your cousin tell you that too?" Qi Yi didn’t really want to reveal the mystery of Wall Street so soon.

"Yeah," Yan Yan confirmed.

"Do you and your cousin get along well?" Qi Yi asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, we grew up together. It’s just that my cousin was quite rebellious as a kid, often getting into fights at school, so he was sent to the United States to study at an early age," Yan Yan discussed her cousin in the United States with Qi Yi.

"How can you say you have a good relationship with another man?" Qi Yi’s tone was rather dissatisfied.

"Please, my cousin, okay! He’s my blood cousin, not just some relative or a cousin by marriage, and we definitely share the same grandfather. In ancient times, no one would marry their own cousin..." Yan Yan thought Qi Yi’s level of speechlessness had reached a whole new realm.

"Aren’t I your grandfather? How can you think of marriage whenever you talk about another man? Even the clerk just now said he wanted to marry you," Qi Yi asked with a puzzled yet very serious face.

"Er, why do I always feel at a loss on how to respond when you tease like this?" Yan Yan was amused by Qi Yi’s expression.

"Nonsense, how could I bear to tease my girlfriend who is so brilliant and warrior-like, gentle and virtuous?" Qi Yi held onto Yan Yan’s hand and wouldn’t let go, even while eating his burger.

"How do you connect ’brilliant and warrior-like’ with ’gentle and virtuous’ in the same phrase?" Yan Yan questioned Qi Yi’s use of words.

"You traveled thousands of miles in search of your husband, isn’t that being brilliant and warrior-like? And coming to New York to see me because you miss me so much, isn’t that gentle and virtuous?" Qi Yi continued to look at Yan Yan with a particularly earnest expression.

The way Qi Yi was talking now felt exactly like when he used to help Yan Yan with math problems back in high school.

"Husband my foot, just tell me what you actually do," Yan Yan thought it was better to steer the conversation back to the earlier topic.

"My position is Quant. Sometimes, to make the position sound more impressive, many people translate it to ’Quants,’ but the Quants on Wall Street prefer to call themselves miners.

Whether Quants or miners, both are translations from the way they sound.

"The full title is Quantitative Analyst," Qi Yi provided a simple description of his position.

"The front office (FO) analysts I mentioned before don’t actually have any special requirements for mathematics."

FO analysts can come from any discipline, with their main responsibilities being data collection and PowerPoint creation, lending a hand here and there, and waiting for promotion after a couple of years. They are one of the busiest positions within an investment bank.

"It’s only when Wall Street banks are hiring ’miners’ that they specifically look for strong mathematical skills," Qi Yi explained.

"Quants, huh? My cousin talked to me about that too — don’t Wall Street quantitative analysts all need to be math PhDs? That’s why I didn’t guess in that direction," said Yan Yan, her expression growing even more puzzled after hearing Qi Yi’s introduction.

"No, Wall Street ’miners’ usually aren’t publicly recruited. Most of the time, they require a recommendation. The recruitment for this position is quite limited, so it’s easy to misunderstand, but there aren’t specific educational requirements," Qi Yi continued to explain.

"So you got the recommendation from a big shot?" Yan Yan’s mouth formed an ’O’ shape; she had been completely unaware of what Qi Yi had just talked about.

"Not exactly. A few major investment banks sponsored a math modeling competition, and I scored quite well, which earned me a recommendation," Qi Yi said in an even tone, trying not to overwhelm Yan Yan.

"Ah..." Yan Yan sighed after listening to him.

"What’s the matter?" Qi Yi turned and asked her.

Qi Yi didn’t understand why Yan Yan suddenly sighed again—there didn’t seem to be anything in their recent conversation that would warrant such a response.

"Why do I feel more and more like I’ve found an ’alien’?" Yan Yan knew all too well that when Qi Yi said he got a ’quite good’ score, it could only mean first place.

.................

note 1:

The name of Shake Shack, taken literally, translates to ’Milkshake Hut.’ Americans usually refer to milkshakes as "shakes."

The term "Fair Shake" doesn’t imply the milkshake is made fairly or unusually, but rather that the coffee used in the shake comes from Fair Trade Coffee.

Coffee enthusiasts are likely familiar with Fair Trade Coffee. In Europe, Starbucks has mainly switched to Fair Trade Coffee, and some Starbucks in China also intermittently offer it.

Fair Trade Coffee isn’t about the quality of the coffee beans but about trading directly with the farmers who grow the coffee for a fair price.

This way, the profit isn’t disproportionately taken by middlemen, allowing the farmers in the coffee-producing regions to escape poverty.

Although it involves direct purchasing, stores that sell Fair Trade Coffee often price it higher than coffee bought through intermediaries.

Fair Trade Coffee not only ensures the income of the farmers but also helps to improve their local production techniques, medical standards, and so on.

In simple terms, for both the companies buying the coffee and the consumers drinking it, Fair Trade Coffee somewhat carries a charitable implication.

All Fair Trade Coffee packages have the FAIRTRADE mark. This label is quite common, often seen on instant coffee packaging as well.