Being back in California is a mixture of comforting, overwhelming and interesting. The best part so far has been seeing how the kids have taken to Grandma and Grandpa ("Gung-gung") and are discovering the joys of visiting grandparents. In particular they are enjoying always having someone available to read a book, watch you dance, answer "why" questions without sighing first, adore you, feed you pie, take you bug watching, let you ride in their truck, etc.
The second best part has been the food. Siiiiiiiigghh. You just can't beat it here for the diversity, quality and cost of food. We had burritos from a hole-in-the-wall in Richmond, Pakistani food from Shalimar in the Tenderloin, which looks like a dump, but is phenomenal, cheap and cheerful pasta from Pomodoro (where, I might add for our Sweden-based readers, the kid's meal costs $5.50 and includes juice and an ice cream), and we're planning our sushi, Thai, and Ethiopian conquests.
The Bay Area also feels overwhelming after being in Sweden. What strikes me is how loud, fast and urgent everything seems now. The loud voices (and being able to understand the background conversations is oddly discomforting -- like there's suddenly too much stimulation), the 8-lane highway, how fast people drive, the deals in every store or restaurant ("come back later today and get another coffee for $2!" "kids eat free on Tuesdays!" "free 1/2-bottle of wine on Wednesdays!" "70% off everything in the store!"). Some of this is part of the economic downturn of course, and some of this is just the Bay Area. There's a hustle here I haven't felt in a year.
I'm also struck by how dry everything looks (all the hills are brown and parched), the diversity (not just White, Black, Asian and Hispanic people, but all different kinds of them and all mixed together -- so great), how overweight people are, how sloppily dressed people are, and how friendly everyone is. For you Europeans reading who scoff at American friendliness, I say "Poo!" This is not fake friendliness (at least not always) -- there's just a much lower barrier to interacting with people here. The guy in line, the lady at the next table, the girl in the store, all srike up a conversation because that's what feels normal. And I MISSED that.
Oh, and we've already spoken to two people who think Sweden is Switzerland.
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2 comments:
Very interesting to hear your perspective. I remember coming back from Germany and thinking how dirty everything was. And I'm now committed to dressing less sloppily.
Enjoy your visit! I'm sure the grandparents are overjoyed to have the kiddies close by.
-CB
I recently introduced my Swedish boyfriend to my family, and one of them made the Switzerland mistake. And this is someone who used to be a flight attendant. :-(
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