I'm in the USA for a conference.
Despite having lived in the US for 11 months, I still get taken aback by just how culturally different it is from Australia.
The striking differences begin upon arrival. The American airport experience feels like a cattle yard (I'm surprised the guards don't use actual cattle prods). The experience starts when clearing immigration and, if you're travelling domestically, continues right up to the gate of the connecting flight, where everyone is required to form one of 5 lines based on whether you are a premium flyer, a first class passenger or, if you're in economy, whether you are seated in the front, middle or back of the plane. Oh, and if you are an American servicemen, you get to go on the plane first.
American food is excessive. On board the plane, I was served a hamburger. Yes, a hamburger! With a side of potato salad and an apple pie. Last night I went to an American diner, which looked like a set from Happy Days. Not wanting to have another hamburger for dinner, I settled on the Ruben sandwich based on the waiter's recommendation. It was big, meaty, and coated with cheese. Tasty, huge and very unhealthy. That seems to sum up American cuisine.
Today, I slept and then went for an early dinner. I decided to go for Vietnamese.
3 comments:
Your last post was from when you were in Inverloch. Now you are in the US. Yes, I expect there would be cultural difference between those two places. We at times found one meal was large enough for both of us.
Los Angeles airport is as unfriendly an airport in nearly every way that I have experienced anywhere. Facilities, signage, lay out etc are so unhelpful I sometimes wondered whether this was a deliberate strategy to disorient users.
Andrew: Fair point. Portion sizes in Aussie country pubs seem to be comparable to American portions though.
Victor: They seem to go out of their way to make the whole experience disorienting.
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