I got carded! In Germany!

The lightly freckled fair skinned cashier at inner city Aldi (not my usual location) with amber hair in a ponytail looked at me through her rimless glasses and asked me a question when I was expecting my total with a 5€ ready in my hand.  

"Sorry?" I replied. 

 "Your ID card please?"  

"Why?"  As I flipped my backpack to my front and began to dig for wristlet.  

"For the wine."  Yes, of course

"No problem," gently coaxing my passport out of the wristlet.  "How old do you have to be?"

"Sixteen"

"I look sixteen?" Drawing out the'I' and fighting back a wry smile

"No, but we have to ask for everyone who looks up to twenty," she informed me politely in her light silky voice.  We are probably about the same age.  

"Ok, I can show you this," as I separated the pages that had stuck themselves together.  

"Ok, thank you" She found the birthday with no reaction, then received my bill and handed me my change.  

I paid 4.68€ for a decent looking bottle of red Spanish wine and an 8 pack of AAA, or 'micro' batteries, as they're called here, I like that.  It makes up for the half kilo of fresh Oberschale (a very tender cut of beef) I splurged on earlier from the market by the Dom.