7-11, Pepto Bismol, and Ugly Americans

I’ve traveled a fair amount, maybe a little more than most. China, Spain, Vietnam and Germany along with Japan, England and France are just some of the places I’ve been; each with it’s own cultural nuances. We’ve all heard the term “ugly American” and unfortunately I’ve witnessed this first hand. Recently while traveling to Hong Kong with some co-workers I was surprised to see the biggest single piece of luggage I’ve ever seen rounding the conveyor belt. This was a hard sided case the size of a large trunk equipped with tiny multi-direction wheels. Made from a hard, shiny plastic it was the color of Pepto Bismol. I was horrified to discover it belonged to one of my co-workers though I can’t say I was surprised. We often travel to three and sometimes even four countries on a given trip so most tend to travel light. A single suitcase and a carry-on seem to work best. “What’s with the giant pepto case?” I asked.

“Isn’t it cute?” my co-worker answered. “It’s so I can sleep while I’m here.”

Huh? I turned to another travel mate and asked for some clarity. “She shoves a tempur pedic pad in there because she say’s she has a bad back,” she whispered.

Ugly American.


Yesterday I dropped into 7-11 for a drink and noticed they’re pitching a new refillable drink container. Brightly colored in the shape of a guitar these “cups” come complete with a filling port on the back and a long flexible straw protruding from the front. They’re about half the size of a real guitar and even come supplied with a strap so they can be worn over the shoulder. When I got to the counter I asked if they’d sold any and was surprised when the cashier answered with a British accent. Standing about 5 foot nothing and roughly the same size around he shifted his weight back and forth as he gave his answer.

“Oh, yeah we sell a lot of those. People seem to love them and even wear them around their necks like a real guitar.”

“Really? They wear them around their necks?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he continued. “Completely American.”

While he might have been right, can a foreigner cry “American” in America?