Remember my diatribe about giving big ugly fashion houses the flick and instead sticking to independent designers and op shops? (Well it’ll come into effect when I decide to start fashion shopping again…which probably won’t be until my sneakers have literally fallen to pieces.)

I’ve decided to apply this to food-shopping too. I hate grocery shopping. The thought of having to drag my sorry arse through aisle after aisle and then queue after queue in a supermarket makes me shudder. So today I decided to frequent the delicatessen up the road from where I live, which has always caught my interest, but I’ve never ventured inside.

It was a little bit dark but terribly interesting. Shelves of good in jars and cans – most of which I’d seen in the mart but for some reason looked more friendly and edible when stacked in this haphazard way. An entire wall of wine. A counter from which there was an assortment of meat which was also being hung from the ceiling.

Spanish was mainly being spoken from the 3 women and 1 man behind the counter and ditto for the customers – mainly older Spanish women. I felt a little stupid and uncomfortable – which thrilled me! (I don’t believe in being comfortable). When I was next to be served (no queue by the way, just a jumble of people) the woman smiled at me kindly – I was a head taller than everyone, oh, and ASIAN – and asked me what I would like.

I order some of the ham, that’s what everyone else was getting, and when it came up a little short she added some more tipping it over, saying “better too much than too little.” I paid for my goods (the ham, a can of peas and some pesto sauce) and asked her what “Algo Mas?” meant, as it was a phrase being bandied around. She let me know it meant “Anything else?”

One of the loveliest grocery shopping experiences I’ve had in a long time!