infobong.com

I was just at my neighborhood Fiesta Mart, picking up some produce and whatnot. Fiesta rents stalls inside and outside their store to third parties. Most of the stalls sell cheap textile goods, but there's a jeweler, a bank branch, a few lunch counters.

Today, a stall was set up at the front of the store, right by the soy milk. Two guys were standing in front of undersaturated digital prints, selling family portrait services. I made eye contact with one of the guys, and the store was nearly empty, making it difficult for me to politely ignore him. He was about to say something when I said, "What are you selling? Family portraits?"

"Yeah!" He sucked in a deep breath.

I chuckled and "Oh, I'm way to single for that."

He put a pen in my hand and said, "Just put your name down here for a free portrait, and you won't be single for five minutes." I guess his studio does kind of Glamor Shots kind of thing, but judging from the samples, their main specialty is soft focus and low contrasts. Was he suggesting that I put a flattering portrait on Internet dating sites?

I put his pen down, gave him a stupid grin, and laughed at him as I walked away. I don't feel bad about being snide to salespeople. I did find it interesting that he just assumed that I was unhappy with being single. I'm not particularly attractive, but I think a lack of interest in dating, not my looks, keep me single. I'm pretty comfortable as a loner, which must seem abnormal to the sales guy.

When I was checking out the teenage Latina cashier, held up a packet of miso and asked, "What's this?"

"Oh, that's miso, it's a soybean paste you use for making soups and other things. It's supposed to have enzymes that are good for you, but I just like the taste."

She looked at me like she didn't understand what I was saying.

I thought saying "You use it for making a broth," would help clarify."

"What's a broth?" she asked.

At that point, I knew I was in a hole, but I didn't realize how deep. I was sort of surprised she didn't know what a broth was. How do you say "broth" in Spanish and does it mean the same thing? "What's a broth?" I said, "It's like in soup, the liquid part."

She smiled and said, "You're all into it, trying to say it."

"Oh, yeah, I'm a teacher, so..."

"You feel like you have to explain it."

"Yeah."