Tortilla Chips

Its your first day in Europe. After getting quite a lot of gyaan, meeting lots of people, and coming to terms with the fact that semester 6 and the 1 week break after that are over, its finally time to take the first big step to ensure your survival for the summer: Head to the supermarket!!

Having been to lots of supermarkets before, you think this wont be too difficult. The problem is, you really don't know what you want! Some thought, some logic, and ground reality help you realize that since cooking isn't your forte, its better to stick to lots of finger food and easy to cook meals. 75- minutes before the place closes. You walk in, yippee! First shelf: CHIPS, couldn't have been easier!

Red. Blue. Black. Green. Orange. Yellow. Salted. Nacho. Barbecue. Sour Cream and Onion. Salsa. Paprika. Prices ranging from 1,99 to 4,59. 100gms. 150gms. 250gms. 300gms. (The comma is used instead of the full stop here) Lots of brands, with names which you utter to yourself to try and figure out the right pronunciation. Ouch.

Half an hour passes. You first look at all the potato chips bags, their prices, flavors, sizes, packets. Finally, you pick up the first bag of plain salted chips which you had seen, weighing 250gms and priced at 1,99. But you really aren't satisfied. Just then you turn around and see a whole row of Tortilla chips. Ohscrewit, I want these! The potato chips go back on the shelf, and then starts the search for Tortilla Chips. Buying big is cheaper, so search for the biggest pack. Nacho...no barbecue....or Salsa? You start narrowing down. Firstly, look for the brands with the largest packets: 4 left. Then the right flavors: 2 left. Then the cheapest: 1 left. Now select the flavors. 1 big one? Or 2 small ones? The big ones are at 2,59, and coming up to around 140 Rs. Ouch! But you can't resist the temptation of munching Tortilla chips, with the dip sauce right above the packets. Another 2,19 euros for the dip sauce. Mild salsa, Hot salsa, Mild cheese and Hot cheese...hmmmm....

You check the time again: 20 minutes left!!! Now its chaos! You finally make a decision: Its two packets, 250 gms each, one Nacho and one Barbecue, priced at 2,59 each. The sauce...ummmm...no...too expensive....and it probably isnt that great either! The trolley moves on. Still to be bought: Milk, Bread, Butter, Cheese, Vegetables, Sugar, Corn Flakes, Cooking Oil and a Soap and Shampoo for tomorrow.

Just when you turn around the corner, you notice more tortilla chips. These are in larger packs, and not branded with some fancy labels, but by the supermarket label itself. Barbecue. 450gms. 1,89 Euros! Aaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhh! Utter disbelief! Before you know it, you ask yourself, 1 or 2 packets? Finally, common sense prevails, you pick up one of these packs, dump the old ones. And pick up the Dip Sauce too. Hot Cheese.

At the end of the day, you sit down, and set yourself some rules to go to the supermarket:

- Have a list of what is needed.
- Don't go on an empty stomach.
- Go right before the supermarket is supposed to close.

And thank god you have mom at home to do all this. And she does it for the whole family, not just herself, keeping in mind what everyone likes and dislikes.

Happy Shopping!