The Great Change: Turning Cathy into a Lawyer

Yesterday's adventure involved me going to Wal-Mart. Now, normally I don't approve of going to Wal-Mart. But I decided to make an exception. For one, despite some initially crappy behavior, Wal-Mart ultimately ended up being extremely responsible in its reaction to Katrina. For another, it has also gone on record with some enlightened attitudes towards copyright policy. So for these reasons I felt I could reward it with a purchase. Plus, it was interesting to see how Wal-Mart fit into the German world. And besides, I'd been all over Hamburg and there were some things I just couldn't find. So off to Wal-Mart I went...

It was enormous. A veritable orgy of consumerism. If it existed at all in Germany, you could find it there. And maybe only there. I bought a halogen lamp (18 euros! Cheaper than in the US!), a package of 4 mechanical pencils (in Germany it's almost impossible to find mechanical pencils ("Druckbleistift," or "push-pencils") at all, much less the cheap disposable ones you won't cry over when you inevitably lose them), a package of smoked salmon which was cheap AND good (as opposed to the last package of salmon I bought in the regular grocery store), a package of gum (Wrigley's is quite available in Germany, but I hadn't remembered to buy some the last time I was out), and a small package of Oreos, which I was going to share with my German friends but I may end up eating in the next 30 minutes before I get the opportunity.

All told, it cost about $35, and I now have that nicely out of my system. Unless I decide that I just can no longer live without Hershey's Syrup, because they do sell it there, in a bottle prepared for international sale as its label suggests. The ingredients are listed in multiple languages, including Arabic. Not quite the same bottle you pick up at the local Safeway, at least not at $5 a bottle...

Edit: Good thing I didn't share my oreos: they didn't taste very good. I think that's what happens when the "oreos" are actually manufactured by "United Biscuits Iberia, S.L." In fact, I should have known that something labelled "chocolate flavour sandwich biscuits" would be suspect. I mean, yeah, they have the trademark blue and white oreo packaging with the little red nabisco triangle in the corner, but Nabisco should really rethink their licensing...

Anyway, I'll have to take care of disposing of the remaining three oreos myself so that no Germans accidentally end up with their tastebuds traumatized. They'll thank me later, I'm sure.