At the cheese counter

An original literary non-fiction-style account of watching customers at a cheese counter in a food hall.

The man ahead of me asked for a cheese that would make an impression. The assistant asked how many people were coming. He said eight, then corrected himself to seven because his brother did not eat cheese. She began cutting a small sample. He pointed towards a much larger wheel and asked whether that one was more unusual.

She offered him both. He ate the first quickly and kept the second in his mouth for some time. When she asked which he preferred, he looked towards the larger wheel again. Finally he chose the first, though he asked her to write its name clearly on the wrapper. He read the name before putting it in his bag.

A woman beside him wanted the same piece she bought every Friday. The assistant reached for a paper bag, then asked whether she meant the same cheese or the same amount. The woman laughed. Her visitors had gone home, she said. This week, she wanted enough for one person, and something different if there was anything the assistant particularly liked.

When my turn came, I asked for something mild. The assistant did not reach immediately for a knife. She asked what I usually ate it with. I had been planning to explain that I knew very little about cheese, but this was a question I could answer. I described the bread I had bought and the soup waiting at home.

She wrapped a small piece and told me to try it before buying more next time. On the receipt, she circled the name. I folded the paper and kept it, less as proof that I had bought something than as a way of knowing what I might ask for again.

What do you learn about the customers' reasons for choosing cheese?