Bag Lady

Did you know that grocery stores in France do not provide you with bags to pack your groceries? You have to take your own. We found this out the first time we went to Leclerc in Vaison La Romaine. The checker rang up the items and just left them for us at the end of the checkstand. The kids and I just stood there, amazed .... waiting for no one to pack our groceries. We finally figured out that this is the norm there. I was like, "Do you guys see the irony in this?" because I am the only one at Ralph's in La Crescenta every Sunday who brings in my own bags to recycle. In fact, Ralph's gives me 5 cents/bag, and that's one of the ways I saved up enough money to even go to France. I don't know the exact reasoning behind this French tradition, but obviously it's better for the environment. When I went to Target today to buy Nicky some pillows for college and the checker was trying to shove each individual pillow -- already in plastic wrap -- into a plastic bag, it was apparent to me how wasteful we Americans are without even thinking. Vive la France!