Saturday, May 20, 2006

Globalization for you and me!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I was doing some research on globalization recently when it struck me as to how much this phenomena is influencing most of our lives these days. Of course, it also depends on how "open" the country you live in is with regards to trade with other countries, but generally, it is quite interesting. Ever thought about it? Here goes my version:
  • I wake up in the morning from a bed made in China, which rests on a cot made in Sweden.
  • I brush with a toothbrush made in the USA and using a toothpaste made in the UAE.
  • The teabags I use are made in Sri Lanka, the breakfast bread in the UAE, the butter in Denmark and the jam in Malaysia.
  • The car I drive is Japanese and the office I work in is headquartered in the UK.
  • The lunch I eat is Indian, the evening coffee powder I use is Ethiopian with the biscuits made in Indonesia.
  • The TV I watch is made in Korea and the diet Pepsi I buy from the Iranian grocer below my apartment is made in the UAE.
  • The dinner I eat is sometimes Arabic, Italian, Thai or Chinese but mostly Indian.
Thats already 14 countries in one day! Of course, there can be much more to add, but you get the picture! Think about your daily life similarly, feel free to share it in the comments section!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

well for one, people from around the world are reading your blog..
food for thought

The Wanderer™ said...

Hmm yes thats actually a good point too!

Grumpy Goat said...

Well... I live in a flat in the UAE built by a workforce from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines. It's full of Swedish and Malaysian furniture. The TV comes from Japan and the DVD player from Korea. My camera comes from Taiwan.

My car is Japanese, running on petrol refined in the UAE. I eat locally-grown vegetables, meat from Australia and New Zealand and drink 'special beverage' from Portugal, France, Ireland and Belgium.

I recently visited the UK, Menorca and Mallorca, and earlier this year the Philippines, where I bought some American diving equipment.

I have experienced the delights of Egypt Air, Air Maldives, Royal Brunei and Qatar Airways ( http://grumpygoat.blogspot.com/2006/01/taking-you-more-personally.html ) as well as Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa and Gulf Air. I have yet to find an airline that doesn't treat its customers like scum when something goes wrong.

My coffee comes from Kenya, and I underwent refractive surgery by a South African.

Naj said...

Bhai,
this blog was smthn that was on my mind too..