Consumer goods...
Ok so one of the things that we haven't really spoken about a whole lot in the blog so far is, well, stuff. "Stuff" as in the physical things that you can buy with your hard earned Kina, "Stuff" as in consumer goods and trade goods.
Now obviously for those of you out there in the developed world there is a lot of "stuff" that can be considered "nice to have" or even just luxury items but when the chips are down and we are pressed for an opinion most of us all easily acknowledge as unnecessary.
That being said these trappings of wealth are also pretty easy to get used to having and not having them or other things such as a thai restaurants (along with a tendency for the majority of the population to walk around with knives almost as large as themselves), all combine to make living in the developing world somewhat of a challenge.
Anyway wether we like it or not the cheap plastic consumer goods are everywhere (even in the provinces of PNG) and they are here to stay. Most of the "stuff" that we get here comes from the asian markets with Indonesia and Malaysia the primary sources. With this as the case there are occasionally some pretty weird items on the supermarket shelves... We haven't really been keeping a track of these but as of this weekend we have to share this one with the world...
Yeah that's right lollies, but look a little closer and you'll notice that they are lollies with a free gift, a free gift of a Stanley knife, lovely. Can you imagine finding something like this on the shelf in Occupational Health and Safety crazy Australia? Maybe it is the last stop for your international terrorist who needs a sugar hit? (a big part of my enjoyment of the whole package is that fact that the "Orange" lollies are not in fact "Orange" but hit your tongue as the fabulous "Vitamin C Flavoured Fizzy Candy")
The thing is, as crazy as this all seems, there are probably few countries in the world where the general shopping public are as "knife literate" as those in PNG, perhaps the world hasn't gone crazy after all...
.
Now obviously for those of you out there in the developed world there is a lot of "stuff" that can be considered "nice to have" or even just luxury items but when the chips are down and we are pressed for an opinion most of us all easily acknowledge as unnecessary.
That being said these trappings of wealth are also pretty easy to get used to having and not having them or other things such as a thai restaurants (along with a tendency for the majority of the population to walk around with knives almost as large as themselves), all combine to make living in the developing world somewhat of a challenge.
Anyway wether we like it or not the cheap plastic consumer goods are everywhere (even in the provinces of PNG) and they are here to stay. Most of the "stuff" that we get here comes from the asian markets with Indonesia and Malaysia the primary sources. With this as the case there are occasionally some pretty weird items on the supermarket shelves... We haven't really been keeping a track of these but as of this weekend we have to share this one with the world...
Yeah that's right lollies, but look a little closer and you'll notice that they are lollies with a free gift, a free gift of a Stanley knife, lovely. Can you imagine finding something like this on the shelf in Occupational Health and Safety crazy Australia? Maybe it is the last stop for your international terrorist who needs a sugar hit? (a big part of my enjoyment of the whole package is that fact that the "Orange" lollies are not in fact "Orange" but hit your tongue as the fabulous "Vitamin C Flavoured Fizzy Candy")
The thing is, as crazy as this all seems, there are probably few countries in the world where the general shopping public are as "knife literate" as those in PNG, perhaps the world hasn't gone crazy after all...
.
posted by Jane & Cam at
2:59 pm
5 Comments:
I have changed my mind about PNG.
Any country that can sell candy and stanley knives to kids is ok with me.
Look at it this way if you have a bunch of Vitamin C you are hardly going to go out into the world and maim somebody with your newly acquired stanley knife. Instead you are going to go and find a Wild boar or something and kill it and bring it to your family!
Failing that, you can always use it to cut prison tatoos and your roomate when he tries to come on to you!
Next they will be selling coconut milk with punji sticks.
It's just another world, isn't it?
I am following the adventures with interest. Very cool :)
Blessings;
AWESOME pictures...I thank you from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of all of us, for including the clown fish.
(Who didn't LOVE "Finding Nemo", even after 30 times)
With Cam being a History buff and Jane into the Dramtic, I thought you BOTH might enjoy a visit to "Ancient's History".
I'd also like to share this GIFT with you both as I think you will appreciate it.
"To give a person a tree is to give them a present...But to teach a person how to make a tree is to give them a gift for life."
your humble servant,
ancient clown
Interesting to know.
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