The actual retail price.... (1)

I apologize if anyone was still hovering out there, hoping to pull a stealth bid at the last moment. But I thank you all for your participation in this inaugural round of HMDIC? I'm not sure what I would have done if no one had guessed. Thank you for saving me from that awkward internal conversation.

I admit that regular blog readers were at a disadvantage in this challenge, no doubt bearing in mind our fraught relationship with the dollar, and assuming that we would never purchase such an expensive sausage. This would be a correct assumption. However, this sausage was actually left intact at our home after a party. (I am not exaggerating when I say that the cost of the meats and cheeses brought to the party made me gasp. I may have blushed and then blushed for blushing, but I don't think anyone saw me.) So I say it's fair game for the game.

The winner, therefore, is Swiss MIL with the guess of $20. The exchange rate is just about 1:1 at the moment, so this guess was only about 1 CHF off. Congratulations, Swiss MIL! Since you've already disclosed your address to me in the past, I will be sending you something very exciting shortly. Maybe I will even include a bit of chocolate. Fi would be the runner up, with her guess of R120 (or 15.42 CHF). Bakgat! Nice guesswork, all!

Program note: In order to be fair to early guessers, I have decided to remove the "without going over" clause in the rules, classic though it may be. 

Personal note: It's about time to visit "the world city with a heart" once again, so I will be taking a brief hiatus to find new objects of fascination, drink beer that is not pilsner, and irritate friends with my unemployed energy until they put me back on the train to Switzerland.