Mon cher Monoprix!

Doing some last minute grocery shopping at 9 15 pm in France can sometimes be an amusing experience. I decided to pick up some food from Monoprix because I needed oil and milk. I figured it would not hurt to pick up some rice and vegetables too. I had nearly finished my shopping when Ana came up and asked where she could find eggs. That reminded me that I needed milk as the 4 weeks-old bottle I had at home had gone bad last night. I noticed a banner telling us that the eggs had been shifted to the shelves near the milk. But pray, where do you find the milk? There it was, in tiny lettering, telling us to follow the markings on the floor to get to the milk. Frankly, I felt like a bloody fool following little blue arrows on the floor in the quest of milk. After walking for about 30 seconds, Ana and I actually found the shelves.

But horror of horrors! My favourite brand of whole cream milk was nowhere to be found. I found myself wondering if I should just go to Champion the next day to pick it up. But, being the lazy girl I am, I decided to look for alternatives. I found this cute bottle with a pink lid. Now, the lid of the bottle of whole cream milk is red. I simply assumed that the colour code had changed and picked up the bottle rather confidently. And what do I find? Marked in bold letters on the bottle are the words, “Lait spécial croissance. Conseillé pour des 10 mois à 3 ans.”

Trust me, I was torn between embarrassment, amusement and frustration. Ana cast this amused look at me and said, “Sorry sweetheart! But you are a wee bit older than that.” At which my embarrassment and frustration gave way to simple amusement. Why on earth would I want to buy “lait spécial croissance” at the ripe old age of 24? I certainly don’t need any help to grow any more. At 5 feet and 9 inches, I tower over most Indian women…and men. The last thing I need is special milk to contribute to any more bone growth.

Anyway, this incident was good distraction after a long, hard day of tests and more tests. Maybe I should think of going to Monoprix more often to amuse myself. After all, laughter is the best medicine!