Weird things top10

I acknowledge that everything we Finns do (like salmiakki) is not normal, but these are the things I find weird in Mexico (sorry Kata, copied the idea from you :)

1. Michelada and chelada

These are very popular drinks in Mexico. They consist of beer mixed with lime juice and tabasco. When you try them the first time you feel like a Mexican tasting Salmiakki, but I guess the one with just lime juice and beer is ok. Not good, but ok.

2. Automatic bathrooms

How about toilets that flush automatically right after you get up from the seat? Quite handy I say, and you actually start feeling annoyed in toilets you have to flush yourself. Making everyday life easier..

3. MSN Messenger

As well as Google-talk, skype and other instant message programmes. They are everywhere, all the time. You take your laptop to the lectures and open messenger, just to check who is online, and puf, half of the lesson has passed by. Everyone uses it, the students, the assistants and even our Doing business in mexico professor had a window pop up doing his presentation saying "Que onda?".

4. The brands of LaLa and Bimbo

Can you guess what products these are? I guess your first thought would not be milk and bread products respectively. Our teacher told us that Bimbo had some trouble exporting with their own brand; wonder why? Well, both of them are really big Mexican companies, and sponsor the Tec soccer team. The text BIMBO is quite amusing on the purple shirts.

5. Salud

For a Finn coming from a quite individualist culture, it's always quite weird when someone sneezes in e.g. class and all your classmates including the professor says Salud. I mean everyone. I really try hard not to sneeze in order not to interrupt the lesson.

6. The 2nd class movies on busses

If you take a night bus, or basically any long distance bus, they will play movies on it. We have seen some good ones (or the start of them) but mainly they are just horrible second class Hollywood movies. Really bad ones, much worse than Dum and Dummer or any of that type. Sometimes you just wish you could throw out the TV from the bus, since no one even watches them!

7. Beer buying policy

You can buy beer in Monterrey in any 7Eleven, or other convenient stores, pretty much around the clock, but no beer after 6pm on Sundays. What? That sounds as patronising as in Finland. I guess it's to cut consumption right before the school week starts.

8. Beans in all food

All Mexican dishes come with beans. Tacos, meat, eggs for breakfast, even fish. So you can have your fried fish with beans and a tortilla. Hmm... By the way, did you know that the average Mexican eats 12 tortillas (these thin flour breads) per day. That's a lot of tortillas. Then again the Finns beat them by far in coffee and icecream!


9. VIP movie theatres

This might be in just Monterrey, but you can go see a movie in a VIP movie theater. Here you have the biggest arm chairs that you can lean back with (if you know how to work the chair). During the movie you can order food or drinks from waiters that tour the movie theater. And here I was thinking that just popcorn would be enough.

10. Radio phones

The 2nd richest man in the world, and richest in Mexico owns the TELCEL company that provides nearly all SIM-cards for cellphones. Since its a monopoly, the prices here are quite high compared to the local price level. Instead of using anti-monopoly laws, the Mexicans have different kinds of phones with which they can use either the normal phone or speak through radio networks. This costs only 20dollars per month. There is always a funny beep-beep sound and then people start speaking in the cellphone, but like they were speaking on a radiophone. Odd..

I'll be offline again for the weekend. We are heading off to Guanajato and San Miguel de Allende for the weekend. Cuidanse!