Sir! Don't sniff those melons!

[moosnsqrl]

I think our cultural differences are showing here...I routinely hoist, gently poke, smell and otherwise inspect produce here because service rarely includes any assistance in evaluating a piece of produce. I do abide by the 'you broke it, you buy it' rule, though, and that ensures I'm gentle with it and leave it such that someone else can still purchase it.

As someone mentioned above, in most of Europe they still employee knowledgeable, helpful sales personnel who take great pride and pleasure in discussing precisely when and how the item in question will be consumed (whether it's a melon or cheese or...), suggesting recipes or preparation if it seems appropriate, perhaps dissuading you from that in favor of a variety better-suited to the circumstances once they've learned them. After all of that, they lovingly wrap your purchase as if it were a gift and only then do they ask for money. A slightly different experience than what most of us are accustomed to here -- except perhaps at farmers markets or specialty stores (gourmet garage, Balducci's, etc).

[sazji]

In the neighborhood markets here, there are many, many people selling any one item. Some let you choose individual fruits/vegetables, others don't. The ones who are really confident in their produce will be saying "seç al!" (choose and take it!). Sometimes they will have a sign there saying "seçmece," which means also that you can choose. I have no time at all for the ones who won't let me. Last fall, towards the end of the persimmon season, , there was a big pile of persimmons at a not-too-bargain price, and a good half of them were going bad. I looked through them and the kid said "no choosing." I asked him "what, I'm going to pay you 2 lira a kilo for rotten crap?" Oranges have been a little more varied this year in quality, lots of dry ones. As I choose oranges I always check their weight to size, to make sure they are juicy. I got yelled at by a fruit seller for that the other day and I said fine, sell them to someone else. Most are just fine about this but you always get a few who are trying to palm off bad produce. (To say nothing of the fish dealers from whom you choose, say, four bonitos, and find that they have replaced one of them with one you didn't choose and never would have chosen...)