At the supermarket
If you didn’t grow up in the US, you may know that standing in front of the island on an American Supermarket maybe overwhelming.
Now in 2008, after 8 years living in New York, doing the same in Caracas, is a very sad experience. I mean, normally I write down a list of the things I want to buy, right? I’m working from home, so the basic stuff is food. Some chicken, meat, fish, coffee, lettuce, potatoes, eggs, onions, rice, milk, you know, regular stuff.
But, surprise! There is no meat at all, or chicken. I’m not a big fan of fish but now I’m eating fish at least twice a week. You see, that’s a good thing! There is just a type of rice and no milk at all… well there is some milky drink but not quiet milk.
Whatever, we have to eat something anyway. That’s why we ended up eating German frankfurters two days in a row and gnocchi the other two. Today is Friday… Oh man… what are we going to eat?
Even when the isles on the supermarket are empty, there is a long line to pay. Why? Let’s say that the cashiers aren’t in a hurry. They just take their time, talk with the guys that put the stuff on bags, or they are just slow. They don’t care if the line goes around the supermarket…
One hour and almost $60 later we got home with three bags. Oh well, we will have to come back in a couple of days to see if they got any of the items on my list.
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The last time I was in Caracas was 12 years ago, and I was happy one or two days, before I realized the chaos, the chaotic city, the services that never work well, the dangerous streets, the corruption in every corner of every government building.
There is a gap in our world, between the poor ones and the rich ones, between the humble and the powerful, between North and South, between East and West. A Gap that widens and widens more every day and that seems to be impossible to stop and to void.
When you cross the gap, you never will be the same anymore. You can't go back. You belong to another group, in the middle of the line.