I returned from Lisbon a week ago. I hate to make such comparisons, but the food is cheaper there, including in the restaurants…
I decided to support the small businesses in the neighborhood and buy vegetables from a neighborhood store, instead of pouring money into some chain store owned by foreigners. We keep repeating this to ourselves, how important it is for the survival of the Bulgarian economy to give a chance to small, enterprising Bulgarians.
And here I am, at the first greengrocer on our street. I reach for the tangerines. BGN 4.30 per kilo, so much, I say to myself, I’ll just buy a few. However, beam. In the entire cassette – a single non-scratch, I am ashamed to have it weighed for me. On the way out, I tell the seller in a good-natured way – you’ve run out of tangerines. Well, don’t you see them, he sniffs and points to the ready-to-use material. The edible ones are over, I answer. From his tone behind my back, I understand that I will not enter here again.
Nothing, a little further down there is another shop, cleaner and friendlier. At the door I am greeted by pickled cucumbers for BGN 7.90 per kilo. But they are expensive everywhere, this salesman wrings his hands with shrewdly narrowed eyes like a rat’s. I ask about broccoli, nowadays cucumbers who eats. Ah, there it is, in the refrigerator, he is running to serve me. On the bottom shelf are two blooming, yellowed broccoli, 5 BGN each. Thanks, I don’t want to.
I take a deep breath and boldly reach for the iceberg, never mind that it lacks a price tag. It is at a very good price, the seller quickly grabs it from my hands and runs to collect it. I also add a sprig of dill. Did I say relationship? Nah, a sprig of dill, as long as it’s not just iceberg lettuce.
Seven fifty, what he with a smile that exposed his gums. But how much is this iceberg worth?! 7 leva is a kilo, well, madam, these chains are killing us. I don’t understand, do you buy your goods from chains, I ask. No, from the stock market, but we can’t fight the chains, well, ma’am – his voice is already roaring. But why is it so expensive, I insistently ask. They’re twisting our arms, and we don’t like selling to you at these prices, but… – he sniffed.
I pay with disgust and hate myself for not knowing at this point how much the iceberg is worth in the “big chains”. I don’t know about the stock market either. I feel stupidly screwed for seven-fifty.
There are at least 20 more such vegetable shops in the area, literally across three cooperatives. I don’t know if it’s worth investigating the others. All load from the same exchange and fight the same battle with the “big ones”. At our expense, obviously.
I returned from Lisbon a week ago. I hate to make such comparisons, but the food is cheaper there, including in the restaurants…
I supposedly went around the small shops with good intentions. I’m so sad now that I got eaten by the iceberg and everything.
*The comment is from the Facebook profile of Sevdalina Peneva, a journalist, the title is Flagman.bg
