Get your teeth in it

Surreal moments. Immediately following the "I em" radio ad, was a dentifrice spot nicked straight from the US airwaves.

That was right up there with standing in an Epping grocery store (supermarket), listening to, IIRC, Bowie on the overhead speakers, while browsing the cereal aisle -- Kellogg's is in Australia, but the branding's all...slightly different. Which made me aware of just how brand-concious this here anti-consumption consumer is. I think there was an Asian influence as well, though I forget just what it was.

Point being that Oz is a really weird melange of US, UK, and Asian influences, plus its own mix of outback (think US SouthWest) and rather socialist / big brother government (at least that's how it struck me at the time). Weird mix.

The urban landscape was similarly bizarre. Cars the wrong side of the street, natch. A bit of Brit/Euro influence in design, but a sense of space like you get in the US. And only some parts of it -- say, the Midwest, the California Central Valley (but not the SF Bay Area, which is getting impacted, by US standards). Geology has an ancient feel to it -- this land ain't shaken or bumped into nothin' for a long time. Lots of stone construction, lending a very midwest feel. California's largely timber, after all we've got the wood, and it gives so much better when the ground starts dancing. Add to that a sense of being (depending on the locale) about 5 to 20 years back in time. And of course the sky was backwards, the sun in the wrong place, sunrise and sunset backwards, the moon upside down. The overall effect, and ultimately weird bit, was that everything had a very familiar sense to it...but was just slightly...off. Somewhat perpetual mindwarp the entire time I was there. And I didn't find out about the sheilas until I got back.

BTW, we've got prawns here too, John. Though they're frequently called "jumbo shrimp" for some oxymoronic reason.

Post #19,379 by kmself 11/26/01 4:34:55 AM Reply	Get your teeth in it Surreal moments. Immediately following the "I em" radio ad, was a dentifrice spot nicked straight from the US airwaves. That was right up there with standing in an Epping grocery store (supermarket), listening to, IIRC, Bowie on the overhead speakers, while browsing the cereal aisle -- Kellogg's is in Australia, but the branding's all...slightly different. Which made me aware of just how brand-concious this here anti-consumption consumer is. I think there was an Asian influence as well, though I forget just what it was. Point being that Oz is a really weird melange of US, UK, and Asian influences, plus its own mix of outback (think US SouthWest) and rather socialist / big brother government (at least that's how it struck me at the time). Weird mix. The urban landscape was similarly bizarre. Cars the wrong side of the street, natch. A bit of Brit/Euro influence in design, but a sense of space like you get in the US. And only some parts of it -- say, the Midwest, the California Central Valley (but not the SF Bay Area, which is getting impacted, by US standards). Geology has an ancient feel to it -- this land ain't shaken or bumped into nothin' for a long time. Lots of stone construction, lending a very midwest feel. California's largely timber, after all we've got the wood, and it gives so much better when the ground starts dancing. Add to that a sense of being (depending on the locale) about 5 to 20 years back in time. And of course the sky was backwards, the sun in the wrong place, sunrise and sunset backwards, the moon upside down. The overall effect, and ultimately weird bit, was that everything had a very familiar sense to it...but was just slightly...off. Somewhat perpetual mindwarp the entire time I was there. And I didn't find out about the sheilas until I got back. BTW, we've got prawns here too, John. Though they're frequently called "jumbo shrimp" for some oxymoronic reason. `-- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?`
Post #19,466 by Meerkat 11/26/01 8:08:46 PM Reply	A Kellogg's moment I remember when I was in Hawaii way back in 1992, seeing 'Product 19' and thinking "What the hell? How much sense does that make?". Til I realised seconds later that our version of it, 'Special K' makes absolutely no sense either. :) Thanks for posting that description, as I've not traveleld much I can't really compare .au to anywhere else. What you said was interesting. And perhaps your Jumbo Shrimp prawns are our King Prawns. Geez, this is right up there with the whole cookies v. biscuits v. scones thing. On and on and on and on, and on and on and on goes John.
Post #19,472 by a6l6e6x 11/26/01 8:48:19 PM Reply	As Winston Churchill said, Divided by a common language. Incidentally, Special K was my wife breakfast cereal of choice before she got on the Atkins diet. Alex Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. -- Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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