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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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 Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I'd like to think any American who's here making a living knows Koreans don't take American money. Do it in Canada and you'll get your change back in Canadian, and the clerk will pocket the difference. |
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts those Americans were GIs. On base, they do pretty much everything in USD. Americans like me who are living on the economy, and earning won probably don't pay in dollars too often.
There have been a few times, however, when I've been asked to pay in USD for stuff in Korea, mostly in Itaewon, and have been quoted prices in USD. Even happened in a taxi once, and for some reason, that cabbie really didn't want me to pay him in won. 
And for what it's worth, in my hometown of Buffalo, NY, store clerks are constantly slipping me Canadian coins with my change.  This irritates me to no end since they're not only worth less than the USD equivalents, but no one ever wants to take Canadian coins, and they don't work in US vending machines either. Canadian coins? I just throw them in the trash!  |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Sina qua non
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| blaseblasphemener wrote: |
| Uh-huh. Tell me, how long was it after you left the U.S. before you realized that the rest of the world doesn't see the U.S. the way Americans think the rest of the world sees you? ...[T]hat "Land of the free, Home of the Brave, everyone wants to live here, everyone wants our freedom" |
A lot of people want to live in the United States. A lot of people in the world. Maybe not the Kiwis, Aussies, Poms or Canuks, but for citizens of a lot of other countries (specifically Korea), a lot of people want the freedom and openness of the Western world, and the U.S. just happens to stand as an easily identifiable representative of this.
As far as the comment about how the rest of the world sees the U.S., Americans can see that a lot of people in the world hate America and Americans; but all these haters hide behind some contrived proxy, like, 'Oh, we don't hate Americans, we just hate George Bush,' or 'We just hate American foreign policy' (in the pre-George Bush era).
For an American to go overseas is for that person to (in most cases) be prepared to be a target of anti-Americanism.
There might be some ignorance of local ways, but Americans are generally wise about natives' resentment. |
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davai!
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Location: Kuwait
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| It is a widely held belief that there are more $100 bills in circulation in Moscow than the whole of the USA. |
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madowlspeaks
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Location: Somewhere in time and space
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| And for what it's worth, in my hometown of Buffalo, NY, store clerks are constantly slipping me Canadian coins with my change. This irritates me to no end since they're not only worth less than the USD equivalents, but no one ever wants to take Canadian coins, and they don't work in US vending machines either. Canadian coins? I just throw them in the trash! |
In my hometown--in fact, in all of Alaska--we use Canadian coins just like American ones. No one even thinks twice about it. I always had to go through my wallet in the Fall to clean out the Canadian coins before I headed down South to school. 
BTW...my two cents: some Americans are ignorant. So are some Koreans. And Chinese. And Swiss. And any other nationality you can imagine.
A lot of people have mentioned how the USD is basically a second currency in many countries. My friends that work in Mongolia get paid in USD (they are Canadian, but they don't seem to mind). They pay their bills & shop with USD as well. It's simply more practical since Mongolia's currency is barely worth the paper it's printed on.
Heck, some countries don't bother with the USD as a second currency... it's their first. El Salvador is one such. Their currency became so worthless that they ditched it and use exclusively the USD now.
That's just a little background to expain why expecting to be able to use USD outside the US isn't as ignorant as it may seem at the outset.
Now, trying to use USD in Europe? ... .that's just stupid.  |
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Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Fresh Prince wrote: |
| I'm a little concerned about the amount of anti-Americanism I've seen on this board. |
Hahahahahahaha.... |
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mateomiguel
Joined: 16 May 2005
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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You know what bugs me more than foreigners paying for foreign goods in a foreign land with their own currency?
Nosy little S.O.B.s who feel they should police strangers' behavior in a foreign land.
Haven't you ever heard the phrases "It takes all kinds" or "Live and let live"? Why do you even care? |
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Lao Wai
Joined: 01 Aug 2005
Location: East Coast Canada
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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mateomiguel wrote:
| Quote: |
You know what bugs me more than foreigners paying for foreign goods in a foreign land with their own currency?
Nosy little S.O.B.s who feel they should police strangers' behavior in a foreign land.
Haven't you ever heard the phrases "It takes all kinds" or "Live and let live"? Why do you even care? |
Hey, I was going to tell you to 'simmer down now!" but you're well within your rights to be annoyed with what I've said. Man, I'd have nothing to talk about if I didn't mention all of the things that bother me. Still, I'm really not a miserable person who likes to focus on the imperfections of other people. I said hearing this 'annoyed me'. I didn't say that people who ask this question are horrible, evil people. AND, if I were policing strangers' behavior in a foreign land, I would have said something to the guy, which I didn't.
Anyway, I believe I already stated why it annoys me. Now, due to people giving me more information, it will annoy me less. By the way, I hate that hippie-esque expression 'live and let live'. If people just let others 'live and let live' we'd basically have no comedians like Jerry Seinfeld. You say nosy, I say 'social commentary'. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| And for what it's worth, in my hometown of Buffalo, NY, store clerks are constantly slipping me Canadian coins with my change. This irritates me to no end since they're not only worth less than the USD equivalents, but no one ever wants to take Canadian coins, and they don't work in US vending machines either. Canadian coins? I just throw them in the trash! |
In my hometown--in fact, in all of Alaska--we use Canadian coins just like American ones. No one even thinks twice about it. I always had to go through my wallet in the Fall to clean out the Canadian coins before I headed down South to school.
BTW...my two cents: some Americans are ignorant. So are some Koreans. And Chinese. And Swiss. And any other nationality you can imagine.
A lot of people have mentioned how the USD is basically a second currency in many countries. My friends that work in Mongolia get paid in USD (they are Canadian, but they don't seem to mind). They pay their bills & shop with USD as well. It's simply more practical since Mongolia's currency is barely worth the paper it's printed on.
Heck, some countries don't bother with the USD as a second currency... it's their first. El Salvador is one such. Their currency became so worthless that they ditched it and use exclusively the USD now.
That's just a little background to expain why expecting to be able to use USD outside the US isn't as ignorant as it may seem at the outset.
Now, trying to use USD in Europe? ... .that's just stupid. |
The main currency of Ecuador is the US dollar too.
ilovebdt |
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Dazed and Confused
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: |
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[quote="krats1976"]
Heck, some countries don't bother with the USD as a second currency... it's their first.[b] El Salvador is one such.[/b] Their currency became so worthless that they ditched it and use exclusively the USD now.
Now, trying to use USD in Europe? ... .that's just stupid. [/quote]
Hey Krats!
When did you go to El Salvador? Last time I was there they were still using colons. Granted that was in 1991 so things have probably changed. |
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fadedgirl
Joined: 26 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:22 am Post subject: |
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I'm American.
It annoys me when I see people using American currency. But I've only ever seen it happen once...and I told the guy that he was wasting his money because the bar charged more if you were using dollars.
But hey....he was buying me a drink...my first ever in Korea (by the way). |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Dazed and Confused wrote: |
Hey Krats!
When did you go to El Salvador? Last time I was there they were still using colons. Granted that was in 1991 so things have probably changed. |
Actually, I haven't been (though I'd love to go). My students do nation reports every Friday and one of my students did El Salvador a few months ago. When he said that El Salvador used the USD, I thought he'd made a mistake, so I looked it up.
Sure 'nuff... El Salvador adopted the USD as a second currency in 2001 and phased out the colon in 2003.
I love it when my kids teach me stuff.  |
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