being in the states this summer was great. it was wonderful to relax and feel easy being in my own culture and surroundings that i grew up with. of course, that didn't come without some adjustments the first couple of weeks. and needless to say, i definitely noticed some things about the american culture, "my" culture, that weren't so pretty.
one thing that absolutely drove me crazy, and one i tried to tolerate nicely and patiently with my family and friends around me...was how "specific" everyone is. i am using the word "specific" to sound a bit nicer and to not imply that it is wrong...it is simply a part of the american culture.
almost everyone i was around was not necessarily picky, saying no to things they didn't want. actually, i didn't hear no very often...but what i did hear were added specifications virtually everything, especially food of course. here are some of the things i heard, just to give examples:
"Can I have the round glass to drink from?"
"Do you have caffeine-free diet pepsi, not regular coke?"
"I would like to have finner at 6pm, not 6:30pm."
"I prefer french bread, not regular rolls."
well, it seems that I can only come up with memories and examples revolving around eating and drinking! so maybe that's really what it boils down to.
what I have figured out from thinking about this is that a lot of it is truly a blessing...that americans have been given so many choices by companies producing so many products that really market to a very specific preference and group. and that really its part of also being in a very organized and orderly culture that these are so freely accepted by the general public (and friends and family of course).
in egypt, you get what you get. the most variety you have is with chips and really its just the basic chip (no baked, no tortilla chips, nothing else) in just about 6 different flavors or so. and when you eat at someone's house, you accept whatever they put in front of you and no one really asks how would you like ____. the food goes on the table and then its your own decision as to what you put on your plate. and as far as times goes, it doesn't really matter what someone prefers, you just have to stay laid back and go with the flow!
i don't think that one is better than the other, but I do appreciate that egypt has made me think a bit more about how to make things easy by not getting specific and how to stay laid back in general. however, my american side will always have my own secret preferences and specifics for virtually everything, even if they remain a secret in my mind here in cairo.
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oh i feel you on this one sister! i won't be as nice as you. i think americans are spoiled and demanding in general. the "customer is always right mentality" has created a monster! every time i had american visitors in france, i had to tell them not to order like meg ryan in when harry met sally. no other culture in the world is like america and if you demand that the sauce be on the side they will just look at you and put the sauce right dead smack in the middle where it belongs!
crazy americans....
hehe...thanks for sharing mentanna. you are totally right. and now you are elongating your stay with the "picky monsters"!! :) we might too in the next few years...we'll see.
can't wait to read more about your adventures on your blog!
and btw, i always remember what you told me when i was going back to the US from France...you said that i don't have to leave cultures behind or accept the ones i'm going to "as is", but rather, i have the rare opportunity to now bring the best parts of each culture i know, have lived in and loved, to the culture i'm in...at least in my house! and i've always loved that and used that advice in marriage. me and my husband, rany, always say that we are creating our own culture! we are mixing american and egyptian (and french and spanish and asian and the world -- b/c we've both traveled so much!) and making something unique that will give everyone we know and love an experience of the world when they're with us. hopefully it will succeed and we will never lose that strength to make it our own and not fall into the crowd!
Well, let me take this opportunity to voice one of my picky preferences...
I prefer to see my friend Pam!!! :)
Love you, girl. Blessing to be with you.
pam this is so funny and so true! i remember when my family came to visit me when i was living in southern france and because none of them spoke french, i was the forever translator. sitting down for dinner at a restaurant one evening, we ordered, and then every few minutes someone from my family said something like, "could you ask for ketchup?" "could you ask for mayonnaise?" "i don't have any more sauce left." it was driving me crazy, and had feelings of frustration from wanting to please them without being unkind in their continual demands, and embarrassment for having to keep asking for those. les differences!
gina, love you too girl!!!
ali, i loved the stories! we have so many from france. can you and i take a trip back there one day soon??? please!??!?! :) love and miss you TONS!
btw, adding to this post...i've figured out what egyptians are specific and picky about: their tea!!! "i would like my tea with full cream milk, 2.5 sugars, tea bag left in, and in a glass-glass!" hehe...everyone has their specific way to drink their tea...i could list 1000! and you have to make sure to ask someone exactly how they like it and make it that way for them. i just started putting everything on a tray and leaving it to people to make it how they like it...and that's the american side of pam coming out!! :D gotta love cultures. gotta love people!
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