Andy and I just hosted our good friend Umut, from Turkey, for the last 5 weeks. He left today and looking back, I learned a lot about my own country and my own routine through his eyes. Here are some interesting insights he had... things I rarely, if ever, thought about:
- He said that everything in America tastes so sweet and sugary... even things that aren't supposed to. He was sick to his stomach the first few weeks while he adjusted.
- After a visit with me to the grocery store, he remarked how wonderful it was that we allowed "old people" to work. He said in Turkey, if you are over 30, you cannot get a job that puts you out in front of people.
- He is amazed that we opt to drive everywhere, even something a few blocks away... "why don't you walk?"
- Fried pickles are the best American invention (according to him).
- Clothes and shoes are CHEAP in America... but when he would read labels, he'd say, "Oh, it figures: 'made in china'". He's convinced we don't make anything ourselves.
- Consumption of soft drinks results in weight gain. He says (I don't know where he got his figures from) that he gained 15 pounds because of all the soda he drank. [So, THAT'S where my extra weight comes from?!]
- American football should be renamed handball or wrestling or some combination there of... this was a big demand of his in effort to preserve the reputation of his favorite sport, (the real) football.
- And finally, even though Turks eat something called chee-kofta (terrible interpretation of spelling), which he described as "a raw meat dish", they still TOTALLY GROSS OUT when Americans eat raw beef (like beef tartar or beef carpaccio) or sushi. I thought he was gonna gag himself watching me eat sushi nigri one night.
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