A Kilometer is not a Measurement for Turkey

Yesterday I went to the grocery store for the first time because I have to cook for myself this semester. I decided that I wanted turkey to make sandwiches, so I went over to the deli counter to get it fresh. When I walked up, I realized that in Australia their measurements are different than ours. For example, they do not use pounds and ounces, they use kilograms and grams. They do not use miles, they use kilometers. Of course I remember learning about all of this back in the 5th grade, but when you have to use it in a real life situation, it gets completely dropped from your memory, or at least mine. Therefore, when I was standing at the counter, I had no clue how much a kilogram of turkey compared to a pound. I decided to stand at the counter for about 2 minutes, listening to other Australians order and see what they said. To tell you the truth, even after listening to other people order did not make a difference to me or help me one bit. I decided to order 1/4 of a kilogram, and I really did not want to mess it up when I ordered. I probably said it over and over in my head... "1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram." When it was my turn to order, of course I messed it up. "Can I please get 1/4 of a kilometer of turkey?," I said. The lady looked at me like I was from outer space. I repeated myself because I thought she did not hear me clearly. "Can I please get 1/4 of a kilometer of turkey?" The lady at the counter started to laugh and told me that a kilometer is a measurement for distance, not for turkey meat. I was so embarrassed I did not know what to say, and told her to just cut me up an amount of turkey that people usually order. At this point, if I got 5 pounds of turkey or 2 pieces of turkey I did not care. I just wanted to get out of there and save myself from any more embarrassment. 


When I got back and told my flatmates my horrific story, they laughed for about 10 minutes and said that they will make me a table with all the conversions so this did not happen again. This may be a present that is better than anything I have ever received before. On that note, I have some re-learning and some brushing up to do for my next grocery store experience.


Love,
Heidi