What's wrong with China...
Saturday, 30 June 2007 10:08
I've read countless articles on health problems associated with Chinese exports. While China is able to provide extremely cheap labor, at what cost do we accept it? It's not like we're talking about minor infractions, such as adding water to a product to dilute it, but we're talking about infractions that show a blatant disregard for human life, all in the name of a higher profit margin. Look here, articles from June 2007 alone...
I've also heard of Chinese seafood packers adding lead shot inside the bodies of crab to increase the sale weight. It's ridiculous, especially when you consider how big of a player China is in the international community. I'm glad that pressure is being brought to bear, but I'm still doing my shopping at Trader Joe's.
High School ReunionsMonday, 25 June 2007 17:25
Anyway, it was fun nevertheless, fun to reconnect with some old friends and see how life has been. I was surprised at how many people were already married with children, some on their THIRD kid. Good for them I say. In the end I'm glad I went, and if you've got the chance to go to your reunion(s), just do it. At the very least you'll get to see what people look like, and see if ten years have been kind, or not so kind...
Maui #5Friday, 22 June 2007 19:00
Day #5 & #6  Those signs that say, “narrow & winding road,” are no joke. I drove the family up the northwest coast to the Kahukuloa Head, a large and towering monolith overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. It’s amazing, but getting there is frightening. The road is barely wide enough for one car, but it’s a two-way road, and it’s along the cliff. When a car comes from the opposite direction, one of the cars has to either reverse to one of the few turnouts, or both try to squeeze by. Craj.Knowing that there’s nothing but deep, blue, open sea for thousands of miles in any direction is a fascinating concept, especially for a mainlander. Living in California, you’re used to the only water being on the west, and I imagine it’s crazier for people from Fargo. It’s funny, though, looking over the cliff to the water below, all I could think about was Gatorade. I’m actually afraid of heights, water, bugs, the dark, and anything made in China. I still do a lot of activities associated with some of them (but never anything with bugs), like flying, swimming, boogie boarding, jet skiing, etc, but the fear is still there. I’m kind of a pansy; even a certain kind of Gatorade scares me a little. It’s the purple one, kind of opaque—blech. Longhi’s is in Lahaina on Front St, and like most of the waterfront restaurants, is very much like patio/terrace dining. I had enough fish on this trip at this point, so I went with the 14 oz. rib eye steak (Colorado beef). A lot of people are repulsed when they see me order steak rare, but it’s so delicious like that! For those of you who usually order your steak medium well or [God forbid] well done, you’re missing out on so much flavor and texture, especially if you’re at a restaurant that does steak well. Medium well or well is fine for burgers (even then I order medium), but not steak. Try medium rare once, and if you don’t like it, you can yell at me. It was a typical Dokko family trip. Not a whole lot of activity, but a whole lot of eating, and then some shopping. I’m tired, and actually looking forward to returning home. It’s not that I didn’t like Maui, it’s just a lot of work when I go with family, know what I mean? Oh, I gave up my seat on the return flight in exchange for a later flight and a $400 flight credit. It worked out better, because my new flight didn’t stop in Oakland but went non-stop to LAX, but my luggage went on the original flight, which was delayed until 11:00pm. In the end, I had to wait 2.5 hours for my luggage to arrive, but I think it was worth it for the free flight credits. Koreans—we love free stuff. Aloha until next time, Hawai’i! |