The little things
1) Tiny things that still make my day here: Occasionally, you don't notice stuff because it happens all the time. But the ATMs here don't give you your money (they don't really use swipe-type machines here) until you take your card. Keeps you from forgetting your card. Wise, no?
1b) Food delivery. While I never have (and hopefully never will) take advantage of McDonald's free delivery for about $7 US, it is nice knowing that pretty much anything, anywhere is deliverable here. Rice with beef bowl? Delivered. Plant order from Ikea? Delivered. Beer order? Delivered. Which may prove to be the death of me here.
1c) Store names. Just around the corner is the spa Dick Beauty, and now they are mailing flyers to promote themselves. (They are legit as a regular spa). Take the next corner, and there is a sign up with three Cantonese characters. Above them are three western letters: A S S.
2) In six more months, I will have lived as long here in my apartment as I did at my old apartment north of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Hard to believe.
3) Awful American marketing ploy that is now being heavily promoted in Hong Kong: Vitamin Water. You too can drink colored water for about $2 US a bottle!
4) Another strange Americanism: The 7-11 sells Ben and Jerry's, but usually only one flavor that you never, ever see people eating in the US. Like Dublin Mudslide or something like that. Either we are getting the overstocks, or they have figured out something no one else has over here. I yearn for the day they discover everyone likes Cherry Garcia.
5) Strangely, the more I see other people's apartments, the more I think I should move on out. I was at a friend's the other night, and they have about a 700 square foot place - I would place it just smaller than mine - with a complete rooftop all to their own, overlooking the main park in Hong Kong. In Tin Hau, a much cooler neighborhood, for about the same price as mine. The downside: it's a walkup, and they have to trudge 5 floors every time they want to get something. But it's places like this that make me want to move.
6) Instead, I could just put that money in a business where I deliver beer to other gweilos. When I frame it that way, it does not seem too smart.
1b) Food delivery. While I never have (and hopefully never will) take advantage of McDonald's free delivery for about $7 US, it is nice knowing that pretty much anything, anywhere is deliverable here. Rice with beef bowl? Delivered. Plant order from Ikea? Delivered. Beer order? Delivered. Which may prove to be the death of me here.
1c) Store names. Just around the corner is the spa Dick Beauty, and now they are mailing flyers to promote themselves. (They are legit as a regular spa). Take the next corner, and there is a sign up with three Cantonese characters. Above them are three western letters: A S S.
2) In six more months, I will have lived as long here in my apartment as I did at my old apartment north of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Hard to believe.
3) Awful American marketing ploy that is now being heavily promoted in Hong Kong: Vitamin Water. You too can drink colored water for about $2 US a bottle!
4) Another strange Americanism: The 7-11 sells Ben and Jerry's, but usually only one flavor that you never, ever see people eating in the US. Like Dublin Mudslide or something like that. Either we are getting the overstocks, or they have figured out something no one else has over here. I yearn for the day they discover everyone likes Cherry Garcia.
5) Strangely, the more I see other people's apartments, the more I think I should move on out. I was at a friend's the other night, and they have about a 700 square foot place - I would place it just smaller than mine - with a complete rooftop all to their own, overlooking the main park in Hong Kong. In Tin Hau, a much cooler neighborhood, for about the same price as mine. The downside: it's a walkup, and they have to trudge 5 floors every time they want to get something. But it's places like this that make me want to move.
6) Instead, I could just put that money in a business where I deliver beer to other gweilos. When I frame it that way, it does not seem too smart.
posted by throm at 9:11 AM
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