Reasons for not shopping (at Edeka) between 12 and 13.30

As a freelancer, I am free to organize my time. Usually, I wake up early in the morning, have a long coffee, read my mails, check my agenda, do some writing and reading and writing and reading. Around 12-13, I need a break, either for some book exchange at the library or for buying fresh food for lunch.

My problem is that when I am going to buy my fresh food for lunch, I should cope with a lot of speed problems. Not mine, as I am usually faster than the light, but of those accidentaly found on my way. Take, for instance, the Edeka shop from Blissestrasse. A lovely place, where I can buy lots of products from all over the world with a limited budget. And I do the shopping part very well and fast - 10 minutes. But I need to pay, and I should wait in one of the 3-4 lines. At each line, you will find more than 4 people, with big trolleys. The cashier is looking calm, and does not hurry up at all. The lines are getting longer, and from time to time you can see the undecided customer, moving - slowly - from a line to another, where he/she stays for 3 seconds and move to the other line. Today, an elegant looking man in his 60s did this switch for at least 5 times. It is even nicer when you see a counter apparently free, you run, eventually by losing your good place, only for being told that the counter is closed. Nice job, you mutter, and you turn back to your line, where you are already 4 persons behind your previous place. And there you should wait and wait and wait again.

The line is moving slowly, the small change is counted one cent after the other till I don't know how many euros. You may roll your eyes but nothing will change. The clients will not hurry up to discarge their baskets otherwise than one product, breath, look around, another product, breath, smile around. The cashier is even slower, sometimes forgetting the precious 'hearts' or to give you the change or to include on the bill all your products. Sometimes, you may have one product twice, but you are - at least I am - so happy that everything is over that you do not care why you bought two bottles of oil. You promise yourself, your spouse and children that you will never ever go to shopping at this time of the day. But as a writer, you need more inspiration and tomorrow, the same time the same place you are back. 

I will be back, of course.