v's virtual vacuum
July 03, 2003
Is it nice?
oh boy - I just got back from shopping in tesco, having recently discovered the best time to shop at that particular one is between 4pm and 5pm. For some reason the supermarket population does not include very old people or people accompanied by screaming children between these times on a week day. Should I ever work in a regualr job again, I think I may insist that built into my contract is the option to go home early enough on one day per week in order to be able to arrive at my local tesco store betwenn 4pm and 5pm in order to shop relatively peacefully. I don't think that's an unreasonable thing to ask .... maybe that's why I am unemployed? Nah .... hmmm, ya think? Anyways.The only downside to that time of day is that the checkout people seem to be a little less flustered and therefore a little more chatty, so they tend to discuss your purchases. Now I like salami type products and recently herta (the frankfurter people) launched a salami style stick (a little like a pepperami) called Red Jak. So I am in the salami style products aisle, getting my usual packs of chorizo, kabanos and grumbling to myself that there is no wjeska, and I notice that the red jak is on offer, instead of 69p each it's only 39p! whooooohooooooo, so being one for a bargain that I am I buy five. Anyways, I eventually make my way to the check out and the girl there is very nicely putting all my stuff through and had dutifully asked if I wanted help with my packing to which I declined, but then she picked up a red jak and scanned it, and asked "oh what's this?" then answered herself with another question to me "is it like a pepperami?" and I looked up from my packing and smiled and nodded to which she said "is it nice?". That kinda question always weirds me out. I don't know this girl and she doesn't know me. How would she know what I find nice and what I don't find nice, and would I be buying something I didn't like (ok that last bit might hold if I had a family). How do I define nice anyway? What is her version of nice? Does it match my version of nice? I just smiled at her and that seemed to keep her happy. But it puzzled me all the way home. So I've eaten one Red Jax whilst I sit here, and thought about it. I like it, so I think it's nice, I guess. Maybe she'll buy one herself? Does she really care? I think I am going to go and lay down in a star shape now.