“Oh!
Do you like kimchi?”
The lady at the check-out of my local
supermarket suddenly strikes up a conversation as she is processing my items.
“Um... yes.
I sometimes make steamed pork and kimchi on a bed of rice. Or I just put it into a salad...” I wonder if I am supposed to say more. Should I ask her if she likes kimchi too?
“Wow, so you like kimchi then!”
“Hmmm...”
Whether I ought to say something more or not, no other kimchi related
comments spring to mind.
I awkwardly pay, pick up my packet of kimchi
and other items, and wander away.
I don’t think of myself as an unfriendly
person. But random conversations in
shops or at the supermarket usually leave me feeling a little awkward. I can’t think of anything especially interesting
to say. And I’m not sure how long I
should let the conversation continue.
What if there is somebody in the queue behind me, who just wants me to
shut up about kimchi and let them move forward?
But the next week the lady at the check-out
does it again.
“Oh!
So you like rice-crackers as well!”
“Ah, yes.
Crunch-crunch. Ha ha!”
I leave the supermarket feeling more
awkward than ever. The worst thing is
that I now have to be very careful about what I buy, in case the same lady passes
further comment on my items.
“Oh!
Two bottles of cheap wine, a jumbo box of chocolates, and some ready-meals
for one! Are you going through a
rocky patch in your marriage?” she might say.
Maybe I’m taking the wrong attitude to
this. Having somebody check out and
comment on my purchases encourages me to make better choices. I’ve noticed that I download a lot of classic
audio books from Audible. I’ve listened
to Dante, Herodotus and Oscar Wilde. It
may be because they send me a list of recommendations based on my previous
purchases. I wouldn’t want the list only
to show sci-fi novels. A feeling of
being watched encourages me to try more challenging books. Perhaps it will also encourage me to eat
fewer unhealthy rice-crackers and more healthy kimchi.
Thank you, lady at the check-out. Have a nice day.
Vocabulary:
to spring to mind – of a thought, idea
etc., to suddenly occur
to wander (away) – to walk (away)
leisurely, or without a clear purpose
crunch – the noise of something hard, such
as a biscuit, breaking
a ready-meal – a supermarket meal which
doesn’t require cooking
to go through a rocky patch (in a
relationship) – to go through a difficult time or experience a period of
difficulties (in a relationship)
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