Critter Comix Week 7 !

Buying things in bulk, especially food, can be unnerving.

Buying food for a group is one of the most quietly humbling experiences a person can have. You walk into the store with a clear mission: Be helpful! and yet the second you hit the checkout line, that intention completely disappears. Suddenly, it’s just you and an alarming amount of food, laid out for public inspection.

There’s something about standing there while each item gets scanned that makes you acutely aware of how it looks. You start doing mental math no one asked for: This is for multiple people. This is reasonable. This is normal. But the conveyor belt does not care about context. To everyone else, it just looks like you’re gearing up for the most intense solo binge imaginable.

I was reminded of this recently while buying candy for a party. Not a crazy story, just a lot of chocolate, all at once. Enough that the cashier commented on it, joking about how much I was buying. I laughed, of course, but inside I felt that specific, irrational embarrassment of wanting to shout, “This isn’t all for me!” to a room that absolutely did not need that explanation.

It’s such a small moment, but it sticks with you. You leave the store feeling like you’ve been misunderstood on a fundamental level. All you wanted to do was bring snacks. Instead, you walk out feeling judged by society, and maybe a little by yourself.

P.S. Welcome back! Hope everyone had a great break :)