A Rare Morning off Work
It’s one of those rare Fridays with a morning off work. I teach at neither the business schools in Paris nor the university near my house today. Nor do I have my usual online English sessions with adult learners either. The whole day, as a result, is mine. A free day in the week makes the 24 hours of no obligations more delectable than a Saturday or a Sunday. This is especially true when it extends the weekend into what the French call ‘faire le pont‘ — literally ‘making the bridge’ — between Friday and the weekend.
Beating the Weekend Rush at Auchan
Having the morning off work means I can avoid grocery shopping on Saturday, steering clear of the weekend shopping warriors pushing the big metallic trolleys. Being an early riser myself, I found myself among the few shoppers at the nearby Auchan supermarket, which opens daily at 8:30 a.m. I was not the only early bird, of course. As usual, most of the shoppers belonged to the senior crowd—the mamies and papis—the grandparents, the retirees.
The Obstacle Course of Shopping at Opening Time
Shopping on a weekday morning doesn’t mean that I can be in and out of the supermarket in record time. Actually, the shopping trip may not be as efficient as I hope to be.
Arriving at the store opening hour usually means weaving the supermarket’s little red plastic trolley-on-wheels around the store workers. They’re busy unpacking the boxes and stacking the products on the shelves. I have to avoid certain aisles as the staff sometimes partially or completely blocks them with their food crates. It also means I must keep my little trolley from accidentally knocking over or blocking the food crates. Being that early at the supermarket also means that the products I want may still be unpacked. So they’re not yet laid out on the shelves. Hence, I may have to return a few minutes later hoping that products have been replenished. Today’s shopping trip played out as expected.
Betting on the Cashier Line
I finished loading the little red plastic trolley with my week’s supply of provisions. Then, I moved intently towards the queue at the cashier. There were only three male customers at the queue, with not many groceries between them. So, I thought I would just join the queue instead of using the self checkout.
It served me right for being lazy. The first two customers went through the cashier queue quickly enough. Hélas, the man just in front of me was in his early thirties. Still, he took a bit of time to pack and pay for his groceries. All in all, the shopping took me about 35 minutes, still not too bad. It’s not the last of my shopping for today though.
Breakfast, the Freelance Teacher Way
On the days that I work mornings (as early as 8:20 am in Paris), I usually have my breakfast on-the-go. That is, spending 10 minutes wolfing down my typical homemade sandwich — margarine-jam, margarine-condensed-milk, or Nutella — at some little obscure corner of the school. I smooth the process with some blackish water dispensed from vending machines. Yes, that’s the life of a freelance English teacher in France.
Two croissants, No Apologies
Since it’s my precious morning off work, I have decided to indulge myself in some sinful butter-loaded French pastries. Not just one croissant, but TWO croissants, savouring them leisurely at home with a cup of excellent brewed coffee.