american junkie
american junk. it's the APO song that overflows with patriotism. but the other kind of american junk, the real one. is there such a thing?
when i got here a year ago, i found myself in constant discussion with my hubby over things that he said we "need" at home. i've survived 25 years in the Philippines without those stuff, and i don't find my life wanting. so a debate usually brews at home.
"we need to buy this."
"no we don't. just use the so-and-so, then put it back afterwards."
something along those lines of conversation.
after a year, the debates settled down. i found out that while some things are not needed at home to live, they can be wanted to live COMFORTABLY.
for as long as i remember, we cook fried chicken on a deep-pan half-full of cooking oil, on top of a stove. thru this system i learned that you cannot turn the chicken the other side until the sides are turning golden brown. if you do it prematurely, the 1-piece chicken becomes 2 and so on, depending on how many times you attempted to turn it. i also learned that you need to line up the plate with tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. either that or you find your kid brother who will hold up the chicken for a minute over the pan, using another tong.
then hubby je bought the deep-fryer thing. voila! put in the chicken pieces, cover, lower the handle, and after 7 minutes, put it back up, let it stay, then enjoy! sort of like the french fries machines at jollibee! all sides perfectly cooked!
as for yardwork, we used to rake dried leaves off our lawn, and put them in big black trash bags. it always takes 2 to do this, one holds the bag, the other one shoves the leaves in. then je bought a blower/vacuum. he just walks around the lawn with the equipment on his shoulders. once the bag is full, he empties it on the trash bag, all by himself. what used to be a 2-to-3-hour work is now done 1 hour tops. the blower also saves me time and effort sweeping the tiled patio; just blow off the leaves to the lawn, and je will pick it up with his "toy". aside from the short time it takes to do work, it also saves our back from pains and strains.
is this what they call american junk? those stuff that people don't need but still buy and find a need for? what if they are just tools to make life easier and better? they do promote "laziness" because less effort is exerted to do work. but the sumerians probably didn't think that way when they apparently invented the wheel, don't you think?
when i got here a year ago, i found myself in constant discussion with my hubby over things that he said we "need" at home. i've survived 25 years in the Philippines without those stuff, and i don't find my life wanting. so a debate usually brews at home.
"we need to buy this."
"no we don't. just use the so-and-so, then put it back afterwards."
something along those lines of conversation.
after a year, the debates settled down. i found out that while some things are not needed at home to live, they can be wanted to live COMFORTABLY.
for as long as i remember, we cook fried chicken on a deep-pan half-full of cooking oil, on top of a stove. thru this system i learned that you cannot turn the chicken the other side until the sides are turning golden brown. if you do it prematurely, the 1-piece chicken becomes 2 and so on, depending on how many times you attempted to turn it. i also learned that you need to line up the plate with tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. either that or you find your kid brother who will hold up the chicken for a minute over the pan, using another tong.
then hubby je bought the deep-fryer thing. voila! put in the chicken pieces, cover, lower the handle, and after 7 minutes, put it back up, let it stay, then enjoy! sort of like the french fries machines at jollibee! all sides perfectly cooked!
as for yardwork, we used to rake dried leaves off our lawn, and put them in big black trash bags. it always takes 2 to do this, one holds the bag, the other one shoves the leaves in. then je bought a blower/vacuum. he just walks around the lawn with the equipment on his shoulders. once the bag is full, he empties it on the trash bag, all by himself. what used to be a 2-to-3-hour work is now done 1 hour tops. the blower also saves me time and effort sweeping the tiled patio; just blow off the leaves to the lawn, and je will pick it up with his "toy". aside from the short time it takes to do work, it also saves our back from pains and strains.
is this what they call american junk? those stuff that people don't need but still buy and find a need for? what if they are just tools to make life easier and better? they do promote "laziness" because less effort is exerted to do work. but the sumerians probably didn't think that way when they apparently invented the wheel, don't you think?
posted by beng at
5:47 PM
3 Comments:
hehe..well, "american junk" really makes life easier and more comfortable.. but it's fun doing things together, even if it takes a lot of time.. sort of "quality time," would you agree?
By
Anonymous, at 8:33 PM
ok, for one, i wouldn't give credit to americans for most of these new stuff which probably came from japan or the uk anyway. sorry beng :) so, that just eliminates 'american' from 'junk'.
with inventions, im a go with them while i will still prefer some things the more physical way. for one, i don't review client's terms of requirements on my email and Word. i prefer them printed so i can make notes on the paper.
i also laundry my underwear by hand.
i write poetry on my notebook - the cattleya one, not the Acer one.
i still write letters on paper when it comes to personal matters. i don't email them over.
--
but yeah, if buying new tech stuff will give me more time for writing or anyother quality material then i'll go for them.
By
simplyjessie, at 4:33 AM
some things are fun the first few times you do it. but when it becomes a weekly or bi-weekly thing, it becomes work. =P especially yard work. or maybe it's just because i'm a city girl. =D
i also prefer some things done manually. i don't use the dishwasher, for one. sayang kuryente, 2 plato lang naman kami ni alfredo. hehe! i just think the US is a marketing heaven, because people tend to buy stuff that they think they need. and eventually, it does become a need. psychological war? =) i'm a victim then!
btw, i'm not refering to the inventors, just the place where they sell the stuff. =P
By
beng, at 11:13 AM
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