1. Get Supersized
Technically, the word “supersize” isn’t on the fastfood lexicon anymore, after the Morgan Spurlock movie “Supersize Me” got the attention of the fastfood-eating public and Washington lobbyists. However, even though Ronald McDonald and his gang stopped asking diners if they want to supersize their meals, the sizes of their french-fry container and soda cups remained huge. Look at the photograph below and guess what size the cup I’m holding is.
Now, check this large-size drink cup from the movie house, expertly modeled by my younger brother. (Sorry, bro, gotta clip the image for your own privacy.)
By the way, the popcorn is also refillable. But if you’re like me, just looking at it already makes me feel full.
Update: Burger King’s big-ass fries and Coke now goes by the name “Kingsize.” Apropos, non?
This is what I love about the US: If you know where to look, you can get the best of fashions at prices that will make you think the sellers are practically giving it away. (And trust me, they don’t give you a hard time.) It’s actually easier to be a—dare I say it—budget fashionista (igh…hate the word “fashionista”) here than back home. I’ve done my fair share of shopping at department stores and outlets, and—ha!—I’ve been able to buy more brand-name clothing than if I would visit every store that SSI owned. Some notables (meaning, the best bargains that I’ve gotten so far):
3. Buy something—anything—from Old Navy, H&M, American Apparel, Abercrombie & Fitch, or American Eagle Outfitters.
These are the McFashions of the US, really; or if you prefer, these brands are to Americans as what Bench, Penshoppe, and Oxygen are to us. The appeal of McFashion to many vacationing Filipinos I guess is the fact that it’s virtually impossible to get your hands on them in the PI. (I doubt 90 percent of the supposed AE and Abercrombie & Fitch items sold in Greenhills are genuine.)
But here’s the kicker: Basics here are steep if you’re the converting type. To worth: A basic printed T from AE is $16.50 (about P660 at P40=$1), Bench offers the same stuff for about P300. Lesson learned: The moment you step foot in the United States of America, use your mental calculator sparingly when out shopping. Otherwise, you won’t buy anything.
(I have to mention this about American Apparel, though: They’re proudly sweat-shop free McFashion. Meaning, AA is the antithesis of some brands that outsource the production of their clothes where the cost of labor is next to nothing and the working conditions are debilitating.)
4. Fumble with communicating
We may be the third largest English-speaking nation in the world (or so the reports claim) with a booming call-center industry that houses hundreds of thousands of Pinoys with a fantastically perfectly-attuned twang, but this doesn’t translate to every Filipino being a fluid conversationalist in English. I mean, just look at me. Despite me coming from here, I still fumble. Man.
Back home, it’s silly to wear jammies to sleep. Kahit naka-aircon. It’s still too hot and humid to cover up your legs. In here, you wear long cotton pants to sleep for 8 months each year. Otherwise, you’ll shiver your ass off.
(By the way, the US uses the Fahrenheit scale. The only time they use Celsius is when the thermometer hits 32 degrees F. They report it as zero-day to mean it’s zero degrees C.)