mrbrown: A wintry postcard from Atlanta

Yup, it's so cold here, they have polar bears.

When I first looked at my weather app to see what the temperatures were going to be in Atlanta before embarking on my 25-hour flight here from Singapore, I saw 22 and thought, that doesn't seem so bad.

It's almost Singapore air-conditioned office temperatures. But now that I am shivering in my long johns, I now know that was in Fahrenheit.

I packed as many winter clothes as I could. Long johns, two sweaters, very thick gloves, a thick jacket, a wind breaker and a wooly hat. Being a dweller of the Equator, I knew that I was not equipped to handle cold climes.

My only concern was that my wooly hat, which I picked up in New Zealand, said "All Blacks" and I was getting odd looks from some African-Americans in Atlanta. I guess they don't play rugby here.

From East to West

One thing I noticed here is the passion for their sports. The first night I was here, there was some game going on and I think the local team was competing. There was some friendly -- I think -- trash talk going on between groups of blokes going to the game that night.

But just to be safe, when the guys I met along the streets shouted and roared, I was mentally prepared to also shout, "Go Falcons!" Just to express my spirit of comradeship with these rather burly and muscular sports fans.

In fact, I was not sure if the Falcons were even playing that night but I read that they were a very popular team in Atlanta and it seemed like a safe bet. It is like shouting "Go, Manchester United!" in Singapore.

Pretty safe unless you meet a rabid Liverpool or Arsenal fan.

Manchester United, for my international readers, is a British soccer team that is the adopted football team of Singaporeans. Oh we do have our own football team but they suck so much that we'd rather support a professional football team from another country and pay gobs of money to subscription TV companies to watch their live U.K. matches.

Adjusting to reality

Besides the weather and sports culture shock, I am also having to adjust to the food. Singaporeans are very provincial in our food. We expect every country to have hygienic Asian hawker food available and we expect it to cost US$2 (S$2.50) per meal. And we respond to all Western country prices with the same "Tsk tsk, sooooo expensive!"

Even if we have traveled all our lives and KNOW that the prices and standard of living are higher in these countries, we cannot resist comparing and complaining about that US$10 (S$13) plate of pasta or US$8 (S$10.30) burger. It is in our DNA.

Oh, and don't even get us started on the tipping policy in the United States. It is too alien a concept for us to pay another 15 to 20 percent in tips to the wait staff because the restaurant owner underpays his staff.

Ah ... late night U.S. television

I do enjoy television when I am here in the United States. The hotel I am staying in has full satellite TV access. So I am up all night channel surfing. I get to watch all the shows we don't get in Singapore, many on the Comedy Central and Adult Swim channels. Sure, we have ways to get these programs on the Internet in Singapore but here, it is just a remote click away. 

Partly due to jet lag, I also end up partaking of late night info-commercials. Apparently, Americans are very concerned about their abs, making food very quickly, and erectile dysfunction.

Lawyers advertise a lot too. If you are involved in a lawsuit, these TV lawyers will take your case, give you money in advance, and you get to KEEP the money even if you lose. I am sure there is a catch somewhere but the fellow on the TV was so convincing, in a slimy kind of way.

In Singapore, I think I've seen one law firm advertise on TV before. The rules are strict so it is a very dull commercial with poor acting; injured dude in a cast looks gratefully at non-slimy lawyer from the firm who helped him get compensation in a perfectly proper way.

I marvel at how convincing these hard-sell late-night commercials can be.

Wow, a pill that can target body fat and help you lose weight without you changing your lifestyle. Look at how many more extra things you can get if you order that cooking device in the next 18 minutes! Behold, that system to help you make more money than ever before, and if you don't, the author says you can keep the book and get your money back! Call! Call! Call!

The one thing that makes me feel better here in the United States is that people are not very snappy winter dressers. When I go to Japan and South Korea, where everyone dresses in fancy winter clothes, I always feel a little old-fashioned in my circa-1980s winter gear.

Hey, we get to wear our winter clothes once every few decades when we travel so no way am I buying something new each time I fly to a freezing country. At least in the United States I feel fashionable in the sweater I wore when I went on my honeymoon, even if it is retro wear.