A little bit of the Lidl experience

On my way home from work - oh, that still sounds so depressingly weird - I pass a branch of Lidl, and so on Thursday I thought I would check it out rather than walking towards Anif to the Maxi-Mart to get my beer for the evening.

Lidl is a strange kind of supermarket brand. There is one near us in Crete and they just seem to specialise in a random mix of bulk stock things. I was horrified as I pushed my trolley around to find that there appeared to be no beer in this branch. Trapped in the supermarket, I knew I had to purchase at least one thing before I could get out, so opted for some peppers in olive oil stuffed with feta, to get a taste of home.

I thought I'd do another round of the aisles, and found that there were some cans of beer, but that my sense of taste had clearly blocked my brain from registering their presence the first time around. At €0.55 a can, "Grafen Walder" is no doubt the tramps choice of pilsner in Austria - but what could I do?

Just as I left Lidl it was nearly shaken to the foundations by the screaming of a small child who had somehow managed to get her finger stuck in the opening mechanism of the electronic doors. Once again, you could tell I wasn't a parent, as I was about the only person on the premises, apart from the old lady talking to herself, who didn't rush to the scene.

I certainly didn't quite get what I bargained for with my purchases. Despite the cheapness the beer was more than passable. The feta-filled-peppers were something else however. On the package they claim to be the genuine produce of Greece, but I know they can't be. Having got so used to the fact that no food in Greece is that spicy, I happily bit into one of the peppers, and it just about took the roof of my mouth off. They were sooooooo hot. And after I overcame my initial surprise, I was soooooooo happy.