On the phone, I said, "I bought a mop."
"You bought a mop? I have one."
"You did? I didn't see it ..."
"It's in the kitchen in the bucket."
At this point, I thought I must be really blind. Brain switched gear. "The white bucket? There is a cloth in it."
"Hm I think we have a cultural issue with mops," he said.
"Hehehe I think so."
The cloth is supposed to go around the broom, you see. Very practical, but I've never seen my mother nor my grandmother do it that way. Did you ever think you'd have a cultural issues with mops? Me neither, but it's funny the kind of surprises you run into.
I had a similar experience ten years ago when I shifted countries - with brooms made of plastic. Brooms of my childhood have soft bristles teased from natural materials, and sweeping is a gesture of art.
Oh yeah, I didn't know that people would actually write reviews on kettles, but it comes it useful to know which kettle not to buy ;)
Posted by sniffles at September 08, 2002 12:29 PM