why won't you take my money?

"That's 10.75 euro, please."

Says the cash register lady. Or so I assume. I don't understand Spanish or Catalan, nor can I tell the difference between the two, so I just looked at the price that popped up on the register and handed over my€50 euro note. It's all I had in my wallet, other than receipts, so I mistakenly assumed that she would appreciate it.

Cash register lady flashes me the dirtiest look ever. I feel like I've just slapped her in the face, or just told her she has an ugly kid. It's the biggest greasy I have seen since, well, the last time I used the term "give someone a greasy". She stands there, mutters something and waits ever so patiently for some different moneey. I don't, but she doesn't seem to take that as an answer even when I show her my only 5 cent euro coin. Fortunately, my brother was there to show all the chance he had too, for her to pick out the coins she wanted and give some change.

I left the shop sheepishly, feeling guilty that I had even attempted trying to pay for something with a note that big. What was I thinking, expecting people to accept payments with cash? I wonder what Spanish people do when they get crisp €50 bills from the ATM. Do they just give the ATM a dirty look until it spits out smaller ones?