Super Shopper

Last night I did some shopping for various kitchen and food needs. I started off by going to the local grocery store. As I was perusing I noticed some mustard on the shelf. I hadn't intended to buy mustard but remembered that I wanted to make a few things soon that would require it. I started looking at the selection which was literally a choice between two different containers of about the same size of the same brand. I soon discovered that the only real differences were that one was set to expire sooner and one was in a glass jar while the other was in a plastic squeeze bottle. Based on this, I chose the glass jar (jar is reusable!) because despite the fact that it was set to expire faster it was slightly cheaper. I got all the way through the store and checked out. On my way out of the store I glanced over the receipt and realized that they charged me an extra 18 taka (22 cents) for my mustard. I took it back and pointed this out to them. Just like the would in America they went and got the manager. He looked it all over before going to do a price check. He then returns to me and says, this was my mistake, the price should actually be what the system says it is. I point out that it quite clearly on the sticker says that it was 18 taka less. He just looks at me and says that the actual price is more. I then look at them and say, "here's your mustard, give me my money back." The cashier is obviously not excited about this and everyone else (yes there was a crowd of employees growing for this transaction) is chatting away about this exchange of events. They eventually after 20 minutes of transaction did give me my money back and me being less than excited by this whole process (in America if you admit that you made a mistake at a retail place you would probably just discount the item right?!) demanded that they return the tax money I paid them too. They mumbled about this a bit to themselves before doing some calculations and then giving it back to me. I walked out a bit annoyed with them over all of this as my culture would totally handle something like this completely different. Then on my way home I remembered suddenly that the local shop that sells natural, locally produced spices also sells mustard. I dropped by there and found it for 100 taka ($1.23) less than I would have paid in the store. I got more mustard (albeit runny mustard) in a glass bottle for way less from a salesman who was very nice. I felt like a complete idiot for not remembering this sooner and walked out of the store feeling like a champion for having saved so much money!

That set me up for next shopping adventure. I went to the bazaar looking for a stainless steel container to make yogurt in. The first couple of shops that I went to had nothing but thought maybe some shops further along might have what I was looking for. They were correct and I found just the right container for a reasonable price. I bought it and in the joy of my impending fresh homemade yogurt I started to head home. On my way home I saw a stand. The stand had the most delicious looking mangoes. I was drawn to it. I walked over and asked how much. He told me it was 100 taka/kg. Delicious looking mangoes for $1.23/2.2lbs! I was not to be drawn in quite that fast though. I saw the mango where he had been giving taste tests from and knowing that this is what it was for I asked for one. He whipped out his knife and started to cut me a slice when I heard the guys standing a few feet away having a conversation about me. They were talking about how I was like a Bengali. I got a chuckle out of this as I got my sample which turned out to be just as sweet as it looked. I got myself my kg of mangoes and went home to make my yogurt merrily reflecting on the exchanges of the evening.

I won out on a mustard price issue and received a much more awesome product. I got a stainless steel container for my yogurt making after not being at all sure that I would be able to find one. I got my first mangoes of the season. Most importantly, the crowd of people was comparing me to them rather than talking about how different I was. They always talk about how different you are or what strange thing you are doing. It is nice to feel included sometimes.

Survival and Love

One of the things I find interesting about living cross-culturally in Bangladesh is that every expat I know here faces a large amount of stress. The particularly interesting thing about that for me is how for each person it is a different combination of things that actually stresses them out. Having grown up my entire life in roughly the same area, I had never really experienced this on a grand scale before. I did run into it when I was in Botswana but that was too short of a trip and I was too young at the time to really understand it. To be honest, I'm quite sure I still don't understand it but I have figured out a few things in my years here. The most important thing I've learned is that it doesn't help at all for me to try to cram my issues onto others. By this I mean that if someone else isn't at all stressed by something I'm stressed by, I should not be trying to convince them they should be. It is perfectly fine and necessary to share what stresses you out with other people but you've got to accept that they have different triggers. The irony is that trying to convince someone that they must certainly feel a stress more than what they appear to since you feel it strongly actually causes greater stress to them. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's own image. I don't understand why God created me to feel frustrated and angry with some scenarios but not others anymore than I understand why God created my friends the way they are. I do understand that we are to love one another and part of that love is be there for one another. Surviving is something we do most efficiently as a group and I'm slowly learning to do my part.

Buns and Squirrels

I was reminded the other day that I haven't posted on here in awhile. Part of it was a lack of time but mostly it was a lack of feeling like I had anything interesting to say. Well, I finally came up with something worthwhile to say.

My mother is right. Her homemade hamburger bun recipe is pretty good. I had a chance to try it out yesterday and I was very pleased with the results even if it takes a lot of time to prepare.

I hope you weren't waiting in suspense for me to say something profound after all this time. Those who know me best probably know that I rarely come up with anything profound and when I do, even I can't predict when it is coming. As Mr. Clark used to say, "Even a blind squirrel gets a nut every once in awhile." Today this squirrel is starving yet again.