Little things...

That are noticeably absent:

* traffic laws. I'm going to keep harping on this while its still unusual (apparently orderly sane traffic is one of the first things you forget about when acclimating - its actually already happening). No lights, no stop signs, no lanes, no traffic cops, no intersection control, no "pedestrian right of way" assumptions, no problem driving on the wrong side of the road if its a bit clearer, no use of rear-view mirrors. Oh, shit, there is one rule. Stop for any cow in the road.

* resealable packaging. There is no concept of that here. All foodstuffs come in vacuum sealed bags that tear to shreds on opening. You know, like the bags inside some cereal boxes. And by all foodstuffs I mean all foodstuffs. Milk, for example, comes in a plastic bag. With the oppressive humidity and the abundance of bugs and rodents, resealable packaging will be a huge leap for India when it hits the shelves around the time you can teleport here from LA. (no, for the quick-minded, there are no zip-lock bags for sale to repackage the food in)

* public toilets. not that I want to use them, but I have yet to experience a ride home where I have not witnessed someone urinating in plain sight of God(s) and everyone. I drove past a brand new white stone wall downtown last weekend that they had painted every 5 or ten feet (some stencil painted, some hand lettered) "Please do not urinate here" in bright red paint. I wonder which was more unattractive, the occasional yellow stain or all those bright red "urinate" stencils... Luckily, I was prepared for the rampant public urination by my years living off skid row.

* absorbent paper products. all disposable paper products (napkins from restaurants, hand towels in restrooms, etc) are thin and course and waxy and crumble to little bits when the slightest bit of moisture permeates the waxy exterior. Much worse than you'd find in a truckstop bathroom.
Witness a demonstration of a slightly damp set of hands and a napkin from the ITPL food court:



That are in abundance:

* Friends episodes. There are a couple "world channels" on cable that playing almost entirely "Friends" episodes. I've only seen these channels' stalwart approach to programming altered for two things; "According to Jim" and "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader" (Hint; no one ever is).

* Coffee Day. I've heard of these referred to as the India Starbucks. This is only true in one respect; they are everywhere (apparently there are almost 80 in just Bangalore) All other comparisons are entirely invalid. Most notably, Coffee Day serves one drink; a 12oz cafe latte made with 3% milkfat milk. All attempts to order something beyond this beverage have resulted in, well, this beverage. Attempts include "a coffee", "a coffee, no milk", "cafe americano?", "coffee with hot water?", "espresso".