Super? Not! Sometimes I think I'm in a hurry to go somewhere, but I'm really just trying to get away from where I am. If I take the convenient route of walking across the street to supermarché, I'm usually in a hurry because it's too bright, too crowded, and I never find what I want. However, if I go three streets down to the open market, I can take my time in each of the shops separately. At the boulangerie, I get my whole grain bread loaf, always tranché because I hate to slice it myself. At my favorite produce stand, I have to point and ask for what I want, which may take longer, but the fruits and veggies aren't all bruised from people rummaging and squeezing. The second butcher shop from the far end of the street always puts extra juice in with my fresh rotisserie chicken, and they never take them out of the roaster before they're purchased. I still sneak into the small market to get cereal and soup, to the biological store for soy-milk and whole wheat pasta, and to the traiteur on the corner for the occasional quiche.
Learning the Ropes I've learned quite a few things since arriving here five years ago. First of all, having a shopping bag or a cart is useful, otherwise you'll end up carrying fifteen plastic sacs which cut off the circulation in your fingers. I've figured out which stores don't need a ten franc piece for the trolley. I've learned to watch what others do in a store if I'm not too sure where I'm supposed to pay or which way the line goes. As most natives here know, it doesn't hurt at all to get to know the shopkeepers. The smaller ones love to talk about their products, and when you're two francs short one day, they don't care. I've learned to shop on Saturday, because the markets close on Monday, and the supermarchés close on Sunday. I've figured out which late-night Arab shop has the best choices without ripping me off. And I know that no matter how long the person in front of me in line has been standing there, they will always wait until their turn to start looking around to see what they want. Patience. I'm in no hurry.
 |
