Seattle Bewilderment Blog

Seattle #18: Credit

26/1/2018

It's everywhere. It seems like every store has their own credit card, and I can't tell you how often salespeople offer me finance on my purchases. It's a big source of income for stores that compete on volume, not margin, and sales staff get commission. Its not only heavily pushed, but also totally normalized, and fits into the "why shouldn't I have something I want" materialistic culture here, which I think also thinks contributes to obesity and massive cars.

Debt statistics are crazy. The average US household is $16,748 in credit card debt and pays a total of $1,292 in credit card interest per year.
Ref: NerdWallet: American Household Credit Card Debt Study

This is also pushed by other financial institutions. If you want a mortgage in some places like Texas, you need to show three mature (older than 5 years) loans or credit cards. If you paid off your car loan, it no longer counts. It is likely that I will get an unnecessary car loan at some point for credit score purposes only.

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Seattle #16: Food snobbery, especially ...corn?

19/1/2018

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I mean this in the nicest way, really, I do.
I am a total sushi snob. It doesn't have to be amazing, but at least average. I did after all live in Tokyo, and I could get amazing sashimi salmon in Scotland. Cheese, ice cream, and tea too, I know what I like, and I'll accept something average by my standards, but all too many places disappoint.

I'm discovering locals are snobs about other, unexpected foods.
On a summer's day in June a friend from Iowa (America's biggest corn grower) came over for a BBQ and I asked him to bring over some corn. He almost refused, saying it's a terrible idea, it's far too early in the year for that, and he tried to talk me out of it.
The following morning he sent me this message:
"I'm with [two friends], both from Iowa. I told them you asked me to bring corn on the cob last night. They both scoffed and said "wtf it's way too early for that. Do they even sell it? You actually bought some? Was it horrible?""

So I put the call out to my friends for comments. One in Whistler, rural Washington said "Was there corn available? It isn't at my local grocer." Seattle had it. A Nebraskan, Minnesotan, a New Yorker and another Iowan friend all agreed it's best when bought off the road from the back of someone's truck. The Minnesotan, whom I knew from my time in Japan, grew his own corn on his Tokyo balcony just to have some!

I also received multiple offers to have some corn sent by post from corn-growing regions, but only once they're properly in-season. Apparently the saying "knee-high by the 4th of July" is important for this.

I probably shouldn't have my mind blown by the fact that certain foods are seasonal. There are plenty of foods I know to consume at their peak. Carrots produce sugar in the winter, watermelons in summer harvested after a hot and dry day are better, and virgin blood is best drank under a full moon.

I need to be careful though. I might become a convert to the cult of the children-of-the-corn-(snobs).

What snob I didn't even know existed will I disappoint next?
Apple aficionado? Juice junkie? Fish fanatic?

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Seattle #15: Marijuana - it's legal, and it's everywhere

12/1/2018

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As if seeing small cannabis stores it isn't weird enough, some specialize in selling premium cannabis, which just adds weirdness. Give it a few years and the market will no longer be dominated by independent outfits and will instead be mainly corporatized chain stores.

Billboard advertising is also legal here, whereas I think tobacco advertising restrictions should be extended to include cannabis and chewing tobacco.

You particularly smell it in certain suburbs, especially after-hours and on weekends. However, I think it stinks even worse than cigarettes. To me, you may as well be walking past an open sewer.

What makes me really angry though, is when you smell it in parks. Sometimes next to playgrounds. Mind you, that's just because of individuals. Many suburbs of Tokyo ban outdoor smoking on the streets, and provide designated outdoor smoking areas. Often these are right next to a busy footpath or playground, therefore defeating the process in the first place.

It's worth noting that weed is only legal at the state level. When signing up for a Social Security Number, I had to enter a federal building with airport-level security. I walked past a VERY sorry looking guy in cuffs who didn't realize it was illegal to bring a pipe into a federal building. Priceless. :D

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Seattle #14: Medical Insurance

5/1/2018

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The country has the most broken medical insurance system I have ever seen. Vox did a great piece on how it isn't possible to get a quote on having a baby in a hospital. Adam Ruins Everything also did a great episode on why it's so expensive. This affects me though. Despite my great (and expensive) coverage, I was unable to get a quote on a medical scan because it came down to what billing code the doctor chose to use on the day. And it often takes a couple months for all billing to be sorted out.

Many things are not covered by my insurer, which makes job ads where the company covers 100% of medical expenses very appealing.

Having said that, in the UK, NHS funding means while everything is free, wait times can be long, and they don't always have the latest and most expensive equipment. I found Australia to have the best balance and reasonable pricing.

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Seattle #18: Credit

Seattle #16: Food snobbery, especially ...corn?

Seattle #15: Marijuana - it's legal, and it's everywhere

Seattle #14: Medical Insurance

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