So I have been here for about 2 months now (arrived on July 16th). I have been asked a few times, what really surprises me about this land. Well, here is just a few, I'll do a non-prioritized list of 0x0A surprises.
0x00: Toilets flush pretty powerful and often have two buttons. This presents a decision to be made when you flush. Press the button for a weak flush or a serious flush. And its all button driven, if there is a user-assisted flushing mechanism. I have even seen pee-walls, which I was not using properly. You stand on the step in front of the wall-urinal and not behind the step. Its not a barrier. Also, the engineering of the flushing system makes testing the Coriolis effect rather difficult.
0x01: It's hard to find free Wi-Fi.
0x02: No corn (high-fructose corn syrup) in Coke. And probably numerous other products. Bread is really easy to buy for a vegan, seems fewer ingredients in the store-bought stuff and they often list the emulsifiers as being "vegetable" emulsifiers.
0x03: Houses do not seem to be insulated. And people comment negatively on this. However, supposedly, newer houses have ameliorated this.
0x04: Maccers. Even McDonalds calls themself this on TV commercials.
0x05: It's called the "toilet," not the restroom or bathroom. So when you gotta burst, you ask for the toilet. Heck, that makes sense. I know it sounds rude, but apparently it's normal and not rude.
0x06: Many seem rather interested in the environment and its wellbeing, environmentally conscious.
0x07: If you have to use the toilet, you best prepare for a walk. A few venues I have been to make finding the ole porcelain beauty a hike, sometimes actually having to go outside the venue to the get to the turd-smuggler.
0x08: DSL is rather common.
0x09: The El Camino style of cars, you know, like a pickup-truck and sedan fornicated and had a hybrid.
0x0A: It's nearly impossible to find brewed coffee at any cafe.
-Matt
Haha, have you been having stomach problems? It seems like most of these are toilet related :)
ReplyDelete> 0x00: [..] the engineering of the flushing system makes testing the Coriolis effect rather difficult.
ReplyDeleteUrban legend.
> 0x06: Many seem rather interested in the environment and its wellbeing, environmentally conscious.
The people who aren't are called "politicians" and "businessmen".
> 0x0A: It's nearly impossible to find brewed coffee at any cafe.
Try Macca's. No really! :-)
-Matt
0x05: so there is a funny story about someone visiting CS Lewis at his home. The person had to go to the bathroom (er, I mean toilet), and asked where the bathroom was. Lewis led the person to the shower, gave him a towel, and closed the door (with a smirk).
ReplyDelete-- Brent