I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with bubblegum throughout my life, mostly because my parents frowned upon it. Naturally, as children we covet that which is forbidden out of sheer curiosity, later on as teenagers it becomes an act of blatant rebellion, and as adults… we should probably know better but do it anyway. My father was of the strong opinion that chewing bubblegum was one of the most unladylike things to do. Mommy, on other hand, always shoved a stick of bubblegum in my hands after each flight so that my ears would pop.
As the years passed, after undergoing all the surgeries, I entually parted ways with the stuff because I couldn’t blow bubbles anyway. However, there is something nostalgically comforting about the scent of bubblegum, especially in ice cream; not too crazy about the flavout, but the sickly sweet scent takes me back each and every time. I suppose we hold on to the familiar as much as we can and for as long as we are able to, even if it has peculiar ramifications.
I once met a family who loved to travel, but the children were so fussy about their food and obstinate about tasting new food that they only ate at McDonald’s and Starbucks no matter what country they were in. The father had to first reasearch whether their intended destination had a McDonalds or Starbucks and if not, then they had to choose another country. What the hell is the point of travelling then if you are not going to immerse in the local culture and cuisine? Those are the two main attractions for getting on a train, plane or donkey isn’t it? I’m all for comfort food, but I draw the line at insisting on fastfood imperialism around every corner.
Where am I going with all this? To the bathroom, that’s where. Huh? Toiletries are something I haven’t been too adventurous with over the years, simply because of allergic reactions I had. However, as certain brands continue to raise their prices, I choose to turn my back on them and try my luck elesewhere, especially local brands. This served me well in India when I discovered a whole range of aryuvecic products that were a dream to use. In the Philippines I was also drawn more towards the local products, because the brands I had come to know in other countries were outrageously expensive.
I ran out of the shower gel I brought along with me from Berlin, so last night I ventured back into the minimart across the street. Staring at the plethora of unfamiliar brands, I decided to go with the unknown and see what happens. Well I found out this morning. Bubblegum. The lable on the bottle said fruits, so I was expecting something citrusy or herbal, pretty much along the lines I am used to from Germany. Ugh. As I squirted the gel onto my loofah, the sickly sweet scent of bubblegum hit my nostrils. Gaaaaaah! Now I feel like an entire bowl of bubble gum or even worse, a gumball machine. Oh well, I wanted to go local… hey at least it wasn’t fishy.
FrogDiva Thoughts 