The inevitable cultural comparison post

*Erm, I thought I posted this...did anyone see it up here before now besides me? Anyway, here it is again, apparently because Blogger is retarded.*

As many of you are aware, I recently spent a little time in my home country, in the state of Minnesota. Returning to my hometown like that, most especially in the middle of (OK, toward the end of) my contract here, meant that for good or evil, I couldn't help but make comparisons all over the place.

Two problems arise here. First, even if one makes a point of sharing pros as well as cons, it's easy to come across as negative and pessimistic. The moment anything along the lines of, "I like it better over there because..." leaves your mouth, the vast majority of people who haven't been there are going to lose at least some interest in your words. Sure, it's the pinnacle of awesome in your mind to think about what you have and may still again experience abroad, but guess what. Your listeners probably can't relate, even if they make an earnest effort to do so.
Second, it's easy to forget that when you visit or return to your home country after many months away, you are seeing the world there much in the way a tourist would. You're probably not aware of all current events, and everything new that came to be while you were away is going to be exciting all at once!! likely prompting your friends and family there to raise an eyebrow if you giggle and gawk like a schoolgirl at everything that by now, they consider commonplace.
That said, here are my comparisons and observations I just spent the last two paragraphs naysaying :)

1. Driving on the right side of the road again does not suck as much as I expected. As you may be aware, countries in which one drives on the left side have the driver's seat on the opposite side, too, so regardless of where you are, the center line is still right next to you. It seems to only take a day or two to get used to it, whichever direction I am going.


2. On that topic, America has rude, asshole drivers that Japan lacks. Japan may still get the shit end of the stick, though, because here we have ignorant drivers. Sure, they exist in the U.S., too, but the quantity of them here and acts of absolutely mind-blowing stupidity that they commit have put me in a number of situations that could have ended quite a bit worse than they did.


3. Anime fans suck so much less here. Most Japanese people understand that the word "otaku" is a derogatory remark, much like "dipshit" or "psychopath" in English, and not a badge of honor to cling to with every ounce of your being. While I'm not a hardcore fan of the cosplaying subculture, I do also have to respect the fuckton of effort the j-folks put into designing all of these costumes by hand. You'll never see a cardboard Gundam mech here.
4. I still won't eat American McDeath, but Japanese McWhatever is actually palatable, if confusing at times. The stores are clean, the employees want you to be there (!!), and the food somehow isn't quite so gut-wrenching. I hear it's due to the Australian beef they use which is apparently higher quality; this may actually be a fair trade for the fact that Aussie cows fart enough to negatively effect the global ecology. And some of the crazy shit they try here...continue, if you dare (look closely and you can even see the bacon in there). I so wish I was kidding...

Or how about a shrimp patty with mushroom sauce... *gag*

And if this one doesn't make you weep for our future...

There's so much other crap out there, but I've been working on this post for too long and need to move on. Finé.