How hard can it be to buy a banana?

Shopping in a foreign country isn't THAT hard. 

Generally speaking:

1. you grab some stuff
2. you hand over more money than you expect it to cost
3. you smile
4. you wait for some change and your stuff
5. you feel accomplished

Imagine my surprise then when I went to buy some bananas and the cashier refused to sell them to me while vigorously shaking her head and saying "Nee, Nee." Along with a much longer incomprehensible explanation as to why I wasn't allowed to buy the bananas.

So what went wrong? Well let's start with the state of Oregon. What does Oregon have to do with buying bananas in the Netherlands? More than you might think. Have you ever driven through Oregon, stopped along the way to fuel up your car, and been tackled by the gas station attendant as you attempt to pump your own fuel? In the state of Oregon self-serve gas pumps are illegal, your fuel must be pumped by a trained professional. Full-service, rather than self-service.

Canadian grocery stores work on much the same principle. You take your produce to the checkout and the trained grocery clerk carefully weighs each item for you at the checkout.

In the Netherlands, produce weighing is a self-service operation. The reason I couldn't buy my bananas is I hadn't properly weighed and labeled them.

An interactive scale and computer screen lets you select and confirm the product you are weighing ... complete with pictures when you are still working on your Dutch vocabulary ... and once you confirm, a label is printed which is then affixed to the product so the grocery checker can simply scan the item as they do with everything else you've placed on the conveyor belt.

Not hard at all ... as long as you know what to do and THAT is the challenge of learning the ways of a new country and culture!

VICTORY! I can now buy my bananas!