Saturday, July 28, 2012
quicko: you get what you ask for
Sometimes I have trouble coming up with things to blog about (you've noticed, huh?) and sometimes I'm genuinely interested in what other people notice as cultural differences. A couple weeks ago though I took notes while an Australian rattled off everything he didn't like about Americans. They've been sitting in my notebook waiting to get written about (defended? ranted against? ignored?) and it's time for me to get a new notebook and close this one up and they're still annoying me so here. Hot potato. You take his criticisms and run with them, I don't want them any more.
--Things seen as "too American" such as employees clapping joyously at the opening of a new store.
--Americans talk too highly of themselves in public.
--Americans are too patriotic.
--Americans think too highly of their armed forces.
--Americans have bad coffee.
See why I was so thrilled?
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3 comments:
I think these things fall into the Americans are enthusiastic about 'everything' particularly if they've done it / it's theirs vs Australians are cynical and will cut down any tall poppy*, particularly if its their own, dichotomy.
* Unless its a sporting achievement (grr!).
Americans DO have bad coffee (and I am a flag-waving, patriotic, proud-as-punch-of-my-armed-forces American girl!!).
I don't drink coffee so I wouldn't know from first-hand experience but I did hear that the reason why Starbucks didn't do as well here as in the USA was because Australians are already used to good coffee and good coffee shops so it wasn't seen as a saviour of coffee. That said, I like the fact that they take note of special dietary requirements and if you ask for the 'wrong' hot chocolate (i.e. one with dairy in it) then ask for it to be done on soy, they'll ask if dairy is a problem and direct you to the dairy-free version.
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