On Friday, I went grocery shopping. I usually buy enough for a week or two, and have it all delivered, since I live on the 6th floor without an elevator....
Strolling down the dairy section, my cart already filled with fruits and vegetables, I happened upon a woman hawking Yakult - you know, those people who give out free samples and stuff. The Yakult lady saw me meandering along towards the yogurt section - and the following conversation took place:
Yakult Lady (YL): Hello! Do you know about Yakult?
Me: Um, no.
YL: Oh, so you've never heard of it?
Me: No.
YL: You weren't born in France, were you? Where were you born? (with arched eyebrow in manner that suggested only foreigners would be stupid enough to not have heard of the wonderfulness that is Yakult)
Me: New York.
YL: New York? (blank stare) Where's that?
Me: (after awkward pause, since I wasn't sure if she was kidding or not) Um...it's in America. The U.S.A. (YL still stares at me blankly). You know, like on the other side of the Atlantic?
YL: Ohhhhh! The United States?!
Me: Yes.
YL: Oh, cause, you know, Yakult is from Japan.
Me: Oh. Okaaaayyy.....
YL: So, I thought you would have heard of it. Because it's from Japan.
Me: Okaaaayy.....but I just told you that I'm not from Japan.
(Long pause while I stare with desperation at the yogurt that I want to grab, which happens to be on the other side of the YL. Finally just start pushing shopping cart down the aisle, edging away from crazy YL.)
YL: Wait!!! Would you like to try some Yakult, then?
Me: No thanks, I'm good.
In other grocery store news, I spent a really long time looking for baking soda. Now, I know it exists and I'm pretty sure you can buy it in a supermarket, since if I remember correctly, I once bought some back in 2000. But where in the supermarket could it possibly be located? I literally went through every single aisle (skipping the obvious sections, like produce, the butcher's, the fish section....) but I couldn't find it anywhere.
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2 comments:
Ha, that is too funny.
And are you looking for "levure chimique" or "bicarbonate de soude"? I usually find the levure chimique on the bottom shelf, in the aisle where the chocolate chips are. The bicarbonate de soude is usually near the salt. But then again, sometimes the organization of French grocery stores is so crazy that you just never know!!
Hey Sam -
I was looking for bicarbonate de soude - I wanted to put a box in the fridge since it smells like all sorts of cheese (mostly camembert, but sometimes it smells of roquefort). I don't remember seeing it in the salt section but I must not have been very thorough - the salt is right next to the ketchup, mustard, and pickles, so maybe it was on the very bottom shelf. (I admit I was thinking it would be either in the bakery aisle with all the chips and flour and all that stuff, or else with the toothpastes or cleaning products). Thanks for the tip, I'll check again next time I go grocery shopping!
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