Proving Them Wrong Is An Endorphin Rush  

(I’m working part-time in a small, privately-owned store that specializes in Austrian sweets and generally high-quality products. Because we are located both in the historic part of the city and near a rather posh, well-known big store, we get a lot of tourists, as well as rich people. One night, a sophisticated-looking gentleman in his 50s enters; he seems to be in a hurry.)

Me: “Good evening, sir. Are you looking for something special today?”

Customer: *says nothing, but is looking at our chocolate truffles from an Austrian producer*

Me: “Here we have our chocolates from [Producer]. Are you interested in them? We’ve got some new flavours.”

Customer: “Why are they called ‘endorphins’?”

Me: “Oh, [Producer] has two kinds of chocolates. One comes in squares and the round ones are called ‘endorphins’. For example, we have strawberry endorphins, pumpkin seed endorphins, and lemon endorphins. [Producer] likes to give his products special names. Can I get you some of them?”

Customer: “Can I get two of those eggnog chocolate sticks?”

Me: “All right, of course, here you go.” *hands him his choice and finishes the transaction*

Customer: “You know, you really shouldn’t use foreign words if you don’t know what they mean!”

Me: *dumbfounded* “Are you talking about the endorphins? I’m well aware that those are the so-called happiness hormones. I’ve just assumed you know this, too. Have a nice evening!” *turns around*

Customer: *leaves*

(Although he seemed to be in a hurry, he took his time to “test” my general knowledge and wanted me to fail. You know, just because I’m working to pay my rent while studying law doesn’t mean I’m dumb. And even if I was a full-time cashier, there is no need to assume that those guys are, just to be clear.)