Who knew the grocery store could be such an adventure!

I love to cook. I love to eat. And I love to grocery shop. It's weird, I know. Most people dread that day every week where they have to battle crowds, organize coupons and create lists. Not me! Call me crazy. Call my OCD. Call me anything you'd like (I'll most likely respond), but I love grocery shopping. There's something about looking through cookbooks to create a menu for the week, organizing my list by aisle (thanks, Mary Henderson) and sorting coupons to get the best deals. It's soothing to me...I might even call it a hobby.

That's all fine and dandy in the U.S. where everything is written in English. But, it proves to be a little more complicated here in Germany. Here's why:

1) The grocery stores here are tiny, which when I think about it makes sense because so are the fridges. My fridge is only slightly larger than the one in my college dorm. That's ok, though, the grocery store is literally half a block away from my flat. So more time for my hobby, right? The only challenge is getting a cart down the tiny aisle with about 400 folks.

2) It takes me twice as long to figure out what the hell I'm looking at. I have to rely entirely on pictures or compare items trying to find a single word that resembles an English word. I'm not complaining here. It's a learning experience, and I'm definitely learning! And, this method totally works...I only ended up with 3 mystery items back at my apartment. Of course, when I went to put lotion on and it ended up being soap, that was a bit sticky.

3) There are no "baggers" in the check out lanes. My first experience trying to load the conveyor belt, pay and fill my bags all within mere seconds was nothing short of comical. I was still struggling as the two people behind me in line were leaving the store. I just ended up shoving things into my bag. This will take time and perhaps some practice drills at my apartment. Ha! The thought of that makes me laugh. Can you imagine Millie with a little stop watch. OK...enough of that.

4) Things taste a little bit different here. I was telling my friend, Heather, that the Vidalia onions just didn't taste the same. Well, no kidding, Katie. These are German onions (or at least European onions). They are not grown in Idaho or Ohio...or wherever onions come from in the U.S. Of course they will taste different. This will just take a little getting used to. I am also going to need to spend a small fortune to build up my spice collection again. Salt and pepper are great, but they only go far.

As I was typing this, my colleague just came in and gave me a tip for a great fresh market just a short walk away from my apartment. Maybe that's more my speed right now. Only time will tell...