The Grocery Store

By Albin Henneberger

 One of my anxieties or challenges that I had for myself prior to this trip was taking care of myself. Not only did I have to balance my social life as well as my educational challenges, but I am essentially responsible for my well-being. I would have to cook for myself, maintain my clothes, balance my budget, and other things which I had previously never done on a consistent basis.

            One of the things that I thought I would not have a problem with is food shopping. I figured all I had to do was buy groceries so that I could eat three times a day. Perhaps eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. Peanut Butter, loaves of bread, cheese, and lunchmeat for lunch. For dinner, chicken breast, tortillas, and other typical food items.

            However, there are a few things I underestimated. For one thing, how easy it is for my food routine to turn mundane. Only a week and a half in, and the thought of eating eggs again repulses me. But even more surprising was how very different German grocery stores are from American ones.

            On my first trip, I went food shopping with Ashley, Cathryn,  and Mike. The first “abnormality” I experienced was a couple carrying roughly three to five carts full of plastic bottles, beer bottles, and other recyclables into the grocery store. I then observed them placing these bottles into a machine, and receiving money for them. For one thing, I was extremely happy at the prospect of getting money back from drinking beer. On the other hand, I found a new process/policy that would work extremely well in the United States.

            With the scarcity of resources as well as the environmental hazards that stem from the production of these containers, it makes sense that recycling them should be a priority. However, most Americans find it to be an inconvenience and opt to not do so. If there was a cash-based incentive, I know that recycling would be a very common practice.

            Another thing that was painfully obvious, but did not really hit me was the language barrier. I am not talking about the cashiers muttering phrases that I could not understand, but the signs for the food. Yes, you could have an idea as to what item you are purchasing, but it was not one hundred percent clear.

 An equally confounding obstacle was the lack of American brands. Brand recognition is a concept that I have learned in class, but something that I have completely underestimated until now. Had General Mills or Kraft Cheese been here, I would at least know the quality/value I was getting. But without this, I have no idea about either. So instead of shopping for brands, I simply shopped by price.

This lead to me thinking about that I am not really paying for higher quality and/or quantity, but I am paying for the advertising that the company does. Buying store-brands is sort of a taboo thing in the United States, but in reality, price does not make food taste better.

One thing I was definitely not prepared for was the speed of the checkout. The cashiers went through all of my items in under twenty seconds and I did not even take the bag off my shoulder. The others in the group did not fair any better, as well all suffered the soul burning glare of the locals and employees of the store.

It seems that even in the daily tasks that I perform, I learn something about Germany. This often translates to me learning about my “home-world” and causes self-reflection. While I still have a lot to learn about, I will definitely be the fastest bagger when I get back to the good ole New Jersey.