American Fast Food Abroad

One of the things I found interesting about traveling last year are the differences in American fast food chains when they are opened in other countries. Consider this bit of dialog from the 90's movie Pulp Fiction:

Jules: You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?
Brett: No.
Jules: Tell 'em, Vincent.
Vincent: A Royale with cheese.
Jules: A Royale with cheese! You know why they call it that?
Brett: Because of the metric system?
Jules: Check out the big brain on Brett!

Ending a Bombay Day

Sun Going Down, originally uploaded by s_w_ellis.

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Random flickr photo blog entry for October 9, 2009.

I have a cheap digital camera. I purchased a cheap one because I never really took many photos and needed to take a few for work every now and again. Part of me thought that I did not have the talent and skill to take decent photos, so why purchase something expensive. Having said all that, every so often I take a photo I feel measures up with the photos the pros take. This happens to be one I am proud of.

This photo was taken from the walkway bordering the Arabian Sean in Nariman Point, Mumbai, India. You can see the rest of my recent Mumbai visit photos here.

Domino's Pizza Motorcycle Club

Domino's Pizza Motorcycle Club, originally uploaded by s_w_ellis.

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Random flickr photo blog entry for October 3, 2009.

This is just a small section of the long line of motorcycles used for pizza delivery at a Domino's in Mumbai. In India, I have yet to see a delivery car, businesses using bikes instead.

Now, a bit more about pizza in India. I have not been to Domino's, but Pizza Hut is like a fine-dining restaurant: bone China plates, linen napkins and waiters which serve the pizza slice by slice. When I first entered a Pizza Hut, all I could think of was Demolition Man, where all the restaurants of the future are Taco Bell. Another big difference between pizza in the States and pizza in India is the elusive Parmesan cheese. Instead, pizza is served with ketchup. And finally, you don't have any of the usual American toppings because of the absence of beef.

Sameer in Mumbai

Kids Posing, originally uploaded by s_w_ellis.

Random flickr photo blog entry for October 1, 2009.

Starting today, I am going to pick a random photo from my flickr Photostream and write a bit about it. I am going to try to do this once daily as a writing exercise and to also share some photos and stories.

These two kids live in a shack on the side of a busy Worli street in Mumbai. The kid on the right's name is Sameer and I met him when I stopped to ask what he and several other kids were doing. They were separating the metal from plastic and paper from tons of liquor bottle tops. Even though we shared little in the way of a common language, him knowing very little English and me knowing even less Hindi, we were able to understand "aluminum." It turns out that they sell the metal to recyclers.

Even though I saw him sleeping on the sidewalk with many other kids later that night, he seems not to let poverty take away his spirit. He wanted photos of him to be taken in many poses and was happy to view the image after each one was taken.

The living conditions I saw while walking around just a few streets of Worli are horrible. It is nice to see these families doing their best to survive the streets without resorting to begging or crime. This particular band of family and friends that I spent a few minutes with were extremely friendly, especially Sameer. As I walked on ahead, turning back I saw he was still smiling and waving.