Compare/Contrast

Someone asked me to compare various aspects of life between the USA and Nepal, so...

Food: Eating healthy, flavorful food for reasonable cost in America is impossible unless you have lots of money to go out all of the time or you can cook really well. Flavors aside, everything from vegetables to meat just has a fresher taste, as a result of not undergoing processing. If you can handle spicy, you'll like Nepali food better. The only drawback is the absence of good coffee. I like tea (especially here), but miss a good cup of coffee. Edge: Nepal

*This may change if my stomach doesn't improve in the next few days. Everyone told me I would have issues for about a month; it took a week or so to start, and is an ongoing struggle.*

Entertainment: Several factors to weigh:

Commercials- I pick up a magazine or flip channels when commercials come on in the States, but Indian/Nepali commercials make me laugh out loud, even though I can't understand them. The acting is so eccentric, and most times the message has nothing to do with the product.

TV shows- Due to load shedding, I don't get that much time to watch anything, but when we do, the popular show in the house is American Idol, which I hadn't seen since Kelly Clarkson won 10+ years ago. The concept is the same: mediocre singers battling it out for a bad contract and three weeks of fame before becoming obsolete, but the addition of Steven Tyler makes it worthwhile. He was dressed like a cross between Keith Richards and a native American while looking half coherent, and I must of missed when he battled drugs/alcohol however many years ago, but his critiques were simply amazing:

"Girl, just hitch your wagon to a star and you will go places"
"You need to keep being YOU, my brother. I love YOU, but you gotta be YOU"

And apparently, Aerosmith is coming to Kathmandu later in the year. Hopefully he speaks between songs.

But as great as Steven is, big edge to American TV. I miss my shows, but can probably find bootlegs for pennies if I look.

(By the way, Haley totally deserved to get the boot this week after butchering a Whitney Houston track and smearing her lipstick all over her face with the microphone, causing Ryan to awkwardly clean the smudges with a tissue post-song. America missed on this vote)

Sports- The US likes football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Nepal likes cricket, and to a lesser degree, soccer. I was hoping soccer would be bigger here, but cricket is far and away top dog. I do get a lot more soccer here than what FSC has to offer, but it comes at strange times and is usually replayed. Everybody likes Man U, Arsenal or Barca; nobody likes Chelsea. The one thing I really miss in the US (besides family and friends) is basketball. The Bulls are tied for first, Derrick Rose should win MVP, Tyler Hansbrough's stat lines make it seem like he's actually gotten good, and I can't see any of it. ESPN 360 is spotty and with the electricity issues, I am left to rely on Sportscenter recaps and Youtube for hoops.

Music- I am an admitted snob about music, but I think we can all agree that Bryan Adams has seen better days. A few weeks back, Bryan Adams made his mark in KTM by being the first 'big' Western act to perform. All good and well; the only problem is that it's Bryan Adams and the country is still in a euphoric state because of it. I hear Bryan Adams songs every time I am out, and he is quickly rising to Nickelback and Kings of Leon levels of being unlistenable. I'm sure that "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Cuts Like a Knife" were rocking tunes at one point in time. But no more. NO MORE.

Slight edge (overall): America

Miscellaneous:

Walking: Sidewalks and stop signs in America; cow dung, strewn trash, attacking dogs and anarchic traffic in Nepal. America is safer, but Nepal is definitely more exciting. Edge: push

Sleep: I usually go to bed after 2 in the States on a plushy mattress; in Nepal, I go to bed around 11 on a firm mattress and am initially woken up by roosters, pigeons, crows etc. around 4, after which I go back to bed and get up around 8. I have successfully adjusted to a normal cycle in Nepal. Edge: Nepal.

Soda (Pop): I drank Diet Coke like water in the States; in Nepal, it's Coke Light, and tastes great, but as an imported product a can of it runs for about Rs. 140 ($2 USD). I used to never drink regular soda, but everything here is less sweet, making a product like Pepsi drinkable. Edge: US. I miss cheap, sizable Diet Cokes.

Alcohol: Was always beer in the US for me, along with the occasional glass of wine. In Nepal, beer is far more expensive than the States, and the selection is limited to about five: Carlsberg, and than Nepali beers (Tuborg, Everest, Nepal Ice, etc). The average beer is about Rs. 320 ($4.50 USD), and the average liquor drink is around Rs. 200 (about $3 USD). The drop in liquor price is nice, but I prefer American beer and their prices, although Carlsberg being everywhere is nice. Edge: US