So I had to do this. Normally I avoid doing stereotypical things in places (for example, I never went to the Statue of Liberty during the 18 months I lived in New York and I never listened to techno music while I was in Germany). But when it comes to pasteries, I can’t say no. Therefore, it took me less than a day to purchase a croissant in France. It happened in the open market in Digne while I was with my friend Lea and here’s how that went.

She was giving me a tour of the town, and since food is often at the center of my travels, we made sure to swing by the open market. I walked up and down the isles, curiously looking about. That’s when it hit me. Before my eyes could see, my nose picked up on a sent that sends me on frenzy like a cat that just walked into a lazer show. Bread! Freshly baked! I needed to go see, purchase, and eat (hopefully in that order if I could keep me self control).

We got to the vendor and I asked Lea what to say to order. “Un croissant s'il vous plaît,” she said and I repeated, mispronouncing most of it. The man behind the counter smiled, handed me a croissant and said “Un euro.” Thankfully I was able to understand that. But then he said something else to me with a little bit of a chuckle. I turned to Lea. “He says you should help him sell croissants in order to practice your French.”

I was puzzled. Funny joke, I thought… until he took a step back and invited me to step up. Evidently he was serious. I stepped up, feeling a bit like a fish out of water, but none the less, I gave it a shot. I mean, when am I going to get another chance to sell croissants in France. Right away, an older man walked up and said something to me. I was able to distinguish the word croissant, but he said much more, leading me to believe that he ordered several things. I thought about what to do. Should I guess? Put a croissant and another pastry in the bag and hope it’s what the guy wants? Maybe I should ask him to repeat himself? But how do I ask that in French? I stood there somewhat frozen.

Eventually, I gave up on the interior monologue and turned to lea and the bread salesman for assistance. “He ordered a croissant and pan chocolate,” she said reassuringly. Quickly and obediently, I put them both in the bag. “Two Euro and forty cents,” Lea said, already aware of what I was about to ask. In a poorly attempted French accent, I said, “Deux euros et quarante cents,” to the customer and he handed me the money. I looked at the salesman who was smiling and trying to hold back a chuckle. “Want to keep going?” He asked. Politely, I replied, “Thanks for the experience, but I don’t want to run your business into the ground. One is enough for me.” He laughed and resumed control of the stand.

As we walked away, Lea turned to me and said, “So, on your first full day here, you’ve already bought and sold your first croissant. You’ve lived the French experience.” Happily, I took a bite of the croissant.