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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 11:26 am Post subject: What is GOOD where you are ? |
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Here is something to make us all think positive. You see, that dreadful grouch scot47 has turned over a new leaf and is now touchy-feely be-nice-to-everyone.
What ONE thing can you do in your country of residence that you can't do back home in wherever. (And let's keep it clean please - no farting cats or doggie doo-doo)
For me in Saudi Arabia it is going to the barber and having a "wet shave". No longer possible in the UK because of labour costs. (Or is it paranoia about AIDS ?) |
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:07 pm Post subject: It's the beer, stupid! |
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Howdy Scot47:
Here in Russia, I can get a cold, half-liter draft beer in a bar for only $1.
Down on the Volga River, where beer tents abound during the summer months, that same beer is only 75 cents. And ... after drinking myself silly, I can take a taxi home for one buck as well.
Regards,
keNt
Disclaimer: The author does not endorse or condone the abuse of regulated substances. Parental discretion is advised when purchasing or consuming products which are known to cause physical addiction, weirdness and/or bad breath.
Last edited by Kent F. Kruhoeffer on Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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richard ame
Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 319 Location: Republic of Turkey
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:13 pm Post subject: Only one thing you can do??? |
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Hi Scot
Yeah I like the wet shave service in Turkish barbers too plus all the extras you get like the massage and the manicures and pedicures ,I kid you not !! Then how about that freshly cooked food on the streets that the public health people would have heart attacks about,what about those people who clean your shoes on the street and charge you buttons for doing it ,have you seen the service you get at a petrol station no such thing as self servicehere they even wash your car while you go for a cuppa or a meal ,no charge?? I like the way people welcome you at even the most humble of eating places and fuss over you as though you were a big spender and an even bigger tipper. Service with a smile definitely something you don't get back home . I could go on ad nausum but I'm sure others have a lot more to offer ,not just one thing . |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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Plenty of decent beer in China for 25 cents a bottle (at the restaurant) Some places are learning to have it draft. My favorite Beijing restaurant has a decent draft for a tad over $1.
(Downside is sometimes having to drink Bai jiu, a white poison every bit as bad as vodka
The head massage and foot massage ( When the girl really know what she is doing) It makes it worth it getting the haircut.
Being ignored by the administration. No hassles, teach whatever you want. Teaching a clooege in China is almost as good as teaching at a university in the USA, without selling your soul for a PHd. Much better then teaching in a high school.
What I miss most about the USA... getting in my car, driving on the highway for an hour and a half, listening to music, and spending the weekend at a quiet lake with a few friends |
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Shonai Ben
Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 617
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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In Japan I can sit back in a movie theater and sip on a refreshing cold
beer or 3.
Aah.Nice. |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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One of many reasons for me to feel so well in CHina is that although most employers are congenital liars, many ordinary folks are touchingly honest in certain respects.
Ask a girl why she looks so unhappy, she will be glad to confide in you!
Can you ask any Westerner that??? |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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Is it my imagination, or is happiness for you guys really so simple as cheap beer? (excluding those of you in the kingdom, of course)
Personally I don't touch the stuff and couldn't tell you what it costs anywhere, but I am always glad to see happy people - as long as they are not tooooo happy.
BTW Scot. It makes me happy to see the new positive you. |
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gerard
Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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Kent---What is Russian brew like??? I used to drink a Polish beer back home can't remember the name off hand. An acquired taste!!! Yes beer is a highlite here. Tsingtao (better than Heineken) is here for pennies. Ahh living well is the best revenge.
But one can drink good beer at home. I would say cycling down the street for a 1-hour foot massage is the first thing that come to mind. And cycling without taking your life in your hands as you would at home. |
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shirley
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 45 Location: Italy
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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For me it's the fresh food outdoor markets every day of the week (except Sunday). Country fresh eggs, fresh spices and wonderful produce. Public transport is fantastic and the medical care is excellent and cost next to nothing or nothing at all. Living without a car is the best part, you can walk most everywhere. The overall healthy lifestyle is wonderful. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 4:07 pm Post subject: Good grief |
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Dear scot47.
Is this really a " new leaf " or are you doing a " Nixon " on us ( each " reincarnation " of that persistent pol was proclaimed " The New Nixon "; as Dire Straits once put it: " Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss ). OK, I'm thinking about what's " good " about Saudi Arabia. I'm still thinking. Hey, don't rush me. Most of it seems to be " negative " goodness: no taxes, no bills, no car needed ( work's a ten-minute walk away ). But hold on - there's the weather ( well, from about mid-November up to around now, anyway ) and hmmm, how about that great Turkish restaurant on Thalateen St.? What can I do here that I can't back home? That's easy: save money.
Regards,
John |
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Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 4:12 pm Post subject: reply to Gerard and veiled sentiments |
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Dear Gerard:
Russian beer can be VERY good, if it's served cold. Funny thing about Europeans; they often prefer it at room temperature, which I do not like. On the plus side for me; Russian beer is cheap and often brewed fresh and without preservatives, which tend to give me a headache.
Sorry veiled sentiments; men love their beer! Oh yeah, and Happy Meals, too.
Warm wishes,
kEnT |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 4:26 pm Post subject: Senor Momento |
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OK - slight lapse into senility there. It wasn't, of course, Dire Straits. It was The Who: " We Won't Get Fooled Again ". Is it time for my sponge-bath, nurse?
Regards,
John |
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Lucy Snow
Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 218 Location: US
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 4:47 pm Post subject: What's Good? |
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The bath complexes--which offer everything from swimming pools in three different temperatures to every sort of massage imaginable.
The outdoor market behind my apartment building, where farmers come in and sell homemade goat cheese and garlic & parpika-laced smoke sausage.
The old ladies at the train stations who sell freshly-cut flowers. They never speak English, I can't speak a lot Hungarian, we all speak a little German, and somehow we get the transactions done.
Any dessert made with poppyseeds.
The palinka --a lethal brew which is sometimes described as brandy, sometimes as vodka, always potent--especially at the restaurant down our street which makes its own.
The always-challenging Hungarian students, who won't be fobbed off with a lame answer, and will not hesitate to tell you when they think you're wrong.
Real Budweiser--not the American stuff. I know it's not Hungarian, but it's cheap and plentiful here. |
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omar805
Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 69 Location: Thailand
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 8:44 pm Post subject: beer and skittles |
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When I was in Oman, I had a favourite barber who was from Bangladesh.He charged 400 baisas (about $US1) for a haircut, scalp massage and facial, eyebrow trim and he even trimmed your nosehairs! Also, there was a wonderful Indian restaurant where you could get a Chicken Tikka Marsala with hot naan bread for one rial ( just a little over US$2). The down side was the price of beer which was only available at the big hotels and was expensive. |
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andrew
Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 38
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2003 11:47 pm Post subject: POSITIVE |
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I RECALL EATING THE SCHOOL LUNCH WITH FELLOW TURKISH COLLEAGUES WHO TURNED UP THEIR NOSES AT BREAD THE WAS BAKED FOR THAT MORNING'S BREAKFAST |
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