Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Summer Wine]

I had a flashback today. I remembered my old coat and bag and then I remembered my old toys.

I had an old duffel coat, damm impervious to anything, rain, motorcycle accident, wind, heavy as, but good. My old US army surplus bag, the long one with one handle and clips at the end.

Man, tough as, one hole didn't fray. As a kid, (puns aside) my parents would tell me one week after my new toy broke, sorry, its japanese made. Japanese was short back then for cheapness, cheap in quality, cheap in use, cheap in cost.

Then it was Taiwanese, Now it is Chinese. Who remembers when quality was King and not price. I am talking to those who remember when the item you had, could be dragged through the mud, slept on, the old khaki bags in my country. Impervious to just about anything, great for anything.

I had that bag for years, now, I have gone through 4 bags in 4 years. They fall apart like clockwork. Man, what did we give up, this isn't a racist rant for those of you who use that excuse for everything. This is a question about the quality that is now lacking, all in the name of low costs and it doesn't matter what country makes it.

Who remembers when?

[Summer Wine]

Wow, 16 views and no one remembers when. I must be unique

[Real Reality]

[winnie]

I remember when I was young and it seemed everything I owned was made in Taiwan....

I always asked, "Where is Taiwan?"

[Zyzyfer]

All I remember is Ninja Turtles and Transformers.

[Summer Wine]

My boss came back the other day from france and switzerland, she had bought a tourist memento for her daughter, bold letters stating Paris and pictures of paris monuments and then you turn it over and it says made in China.

I will wait a few years and just like Japanese goods became the best and not a by word for crappily made, I guess Chinese wil do the same. I just wish we did not have to give up quality in the name of cost.

[tzechuk]

I only remember everything was made in China... mmm.. Made in Taiwan? When was that?

[sadsac]

I remember when Australian made, didn't mean you had too take out a bank loan to buy it.

[tommynomad]

I have a teddy bear that was equivalent to my Hobbes: for the first five years of my life I dragged it everywhere: on my bike, behind me along the ground, on planes--everwhere. I even left it in Europe when I was 6 or 7. Some friends mailed it back to me just as I was weaning myself of it, and it's stuck around ever since. Even took it back to Europe when I was 20--took garden-gnome-like travel shots of it. It should have completely fallen apart by now (it's 38 years old). As it stands, it has no eyes, half a mouth, calluses (I kid you not) on its feet, and the only place you can see the original gold fur is inside its ears. But to this day it sits in a corner chair in my parents' house, watching over the laundry.

[skookum]

I remember my mother had a refrigerator she'd gotten -USED, from someone she usta work for. This was back in the 1950s sometime. Finally, in the early 1990s the machine developed a problem and the repair guy offered to 'haul it away' for her, and sell her a new one. I wasn't there at the time, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got a good sum for it after replacing whatever part was malfunctioning, and that it's still humming away in someone's kitchen to this day. Don't know what happened to the piece of junk she replaced it with - after she died we sold the house, but I'd not be surprised if its in the landfill....

There was said to be a village in Japan that changed it's name to Usa - so it could stamp it's products "Made in Usa" and then Japan in real small letters somewhere else.... Anyone know where Usa is or if that was just an "old wives' tale." Maybe I should go to Usa next time I'm over that way...

[peemil]

I remember when the idea of buying water was a stupid.

[fidel]

idea.

[mindmetoo]

Yes I remember when "Made in Japan" was considered "cheap". (My grandmother had a few things marked "Made in Occupied Japan".) I remember too when "Made in Korea" meant a disposable car (the Hyundai Pony). Despite a half decade of figures that indicate Hyundais offer unmatched value for the money, the Pony was so horrible I still wouldn't touch a Korean car. Now if Hyundai came out with a Miata like roadster for a bargain price... I just might change my mind.

I remember when Samsung and LG (ie GoldStar) made the worst possible crap. I bought a Samsung microwave back in the early '90s that didn't last a year. In terms of audio products, you know you wanted the Sony or Aiwa model but the price on a GoldStar walkman at Consumer Distributors was just too good and in keeping with your paper boy wage. (I'm still of the opinion Samsung and LG make an export version that's great quality and a "ha ha Koreans you gotta live here and buy our crap" version that is engineered to fall apart after 3 months.)

Yes, I remember Consumers Distributors and even the Pop Shop and the Red Barn hamburger chain and H. Salt Fish & Chips. I remember when KFC was called Kentucky Fried Chicken. I remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken was called "Kentucky Fried Chicken Scott's Chicken Villa" in Canada. I remember when KFC always gave a take out packet of honey. I remember the October Crisis, having lived in the middle of it. I remember watching the moon landings on TV. I remember Nixon and the Vietnam war. I remember where I was when I heard Nixon announced he was stepping down. (In a cabin in Northern Ontario.) I remember when no one wanted to eat sushi. I remember people being freaked out when they heard Led Zeppelin broke up. I remember when John Lennon was alive and half considered blowing him away myself. I remember when Michael Jackson had an African nose. I remember when VCRs cost more than a $1000. I remember when computers used magnetic core memory and paper tape readers. I remember when 64K/640K/1 meg/4 megs/16 megs/64 megs/128 megs/256 megs/512 megs was more memory than anyone would ever need.

I remember when DisneyWorld was only one park, before Epcot.

[plokiju]

This is going to sound anti-establishment and socialist or what-not but things these days are just not designed to last. They are designed to go out of style and to be replaced. Businesses can't run if their products last forever. If everyone had what they wanted and it was always the best and lasted then why would you ever need to buy anything (except food). How would the world go round then?

I remember the made in Taiwan days but aren't we still living in the 'made in China' days. There is so much crap coming out of China. I still like to look and see where everything is made. Everything is interesting except China, Taiwan, and the USA. I have something made in Moldova. Definitely not the norm.

Also, I don't even remember Japan being associated with crap. Maybe Japanese crap came before I cared where things came from.

[peppermint]

I remember the Made in Taiwan days for sure. I remember near riots over Cabbage Patch Kids, Big Wheels being a preferred mode of transportation, and thinking My Little Ponys were kind of dumb too.