Find the chickpeas!

There are an endless number of variations to the “Find the chickpeas” game in Germany. You can replace “chickpeas” with basically anything you are looking to find in a supermarket, or any shop for that matter. The aim of the game is to find what you are looking for; in my case this morning: chickpeas! There is no limit on the number of players, but the game does require patience and time.

My husband and I love curries, so I decided to make a chickpea curry for dinner this evening. For the recipe, I needed two tins of chickpeas. Being pushed for time (I had 20 minutes to shop before my husband had to leave for the airport), I decided to brave the Kaufland supermarket, because in Kaufland I know exactly where to find the chickpeas. Today, however, there wasn’t a chickpea in sight; just an empty shelf where the chickpeas should have been. My curry dinner at stake; the challenge was on.  I had to find the chickpeas.

Let the game begin!

I was convinced there must be someone in the shop, who knew where the chickpeas were. So, the aim of the game was to find a shop assistant, who was 1, willing to help and 2, actually could help.

I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task, but I was full of energy and up for the challenge. It took me a while to locate some uniformed workers. Finally, in the fruit and vegetables section, I saw two ladies deep in conversation. I approached at my own peril, knowing full well that normally I should allow the conversation to finish before daring to interrupt. But, under time pressure, I approached with caution and politely asked for help.  “That is not our section. Go to the lady around the corner.”

I giggled to myself; this is all part of the fun. Off I headed, in search of the lady around the corner; not sure around which corner, but again, deciphering cryptic clues is all part of the fun. I found her in the cereal section. She looked friendly and at least stopped what she was doing to hear my question. I realized by her hesitant, broken German that she was a foreigner, too, and didn’t have a clue what I was saying or what a “Kirchererbse” (chickpea) was. A dead end after all. But not to worry; it’s still all just part of the game.

My spirits still high, off I went in search of another employee. I found her in the toiletries section. She stopped what she was doing AND she understood the word chickpea. “I don’t know where to find them, but wait a minute.” Off she went and came back with a male co-worker, dressed in a shirt and tie. I had struck gold! He was clearly some kind of floor manager. He informed me that they weren’t stocking their usual brand of chickpeas at the moment. My heart sunk. “But, come with me,” he said, “there are other brands.” Sure enough, it turned out I only had to look behind some tins of green beans and hey presto, there they were – the chickpeas! Game completed in a record 10 minutes!  

And so that’s how you play “Find the chickpeas.” Like I said, it’s a very versatile game and can be applied to just about any shop in Germany. Give it a try for yourself; you’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have!