Le best-of, part deux
Category: Best trains
First place: Japan. This was yet another close one between France and Japan. In the end, however, Japan was able to edge out France mostly due to the lack of strikes. Japanese trains are pretty convenient for traveling short and long distances. They are safe, clean, and reliable. In three years in Japan, I experienced one delayed train, and it was only 5 minutes late. The problem with Japanese trains is that they can be fairly expensive, especially for long trips. And although they have the famously fast Shinkansens (Bullet Trains), they only serve a few large cities.
Second place: France. Were it not for its infamous strikes, France could actually have taken this one from Japan. The train system in France is fairly extensive. Fast trains go many places, not just the largest cities. In addition, it's inexpensive, especially if you're under 25.
Third place: The US. Again, a category in which the US doesn't even deserve to place. One of the things I miss the most when I'm in the US is taking the train.
Category: Best postal system
First place: I didn't want to do this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give out a tie in this category: Japan and the US. Both systems are efficient and reliable. Japan's post offices are slightly better in that I've never had to wait in line for more than 3 minutes. The US's post offices are slightly better in that the staff is generally very knowledgeable. I've never, for example, asked a US postal worker for a particular form, and then had to wait while they consulted their superior amidst lots of hmming and awwing and sucking in of breath. This exact situation may have happened in Japan.
Third place: France. No surprises there really. I've never waited in line for fewer than 10 minutes at a French post office. Usually it's closer to 30 minutes. Then when I finally get to the front of the line, the person "helping" me usually acts as though I'm keeping them from something much better they have to do. Smoke a cigarette? Chat with someone on the phone? I don't know, really. And then, god forbid I ask for something slightly unusual. International stamp? What's that?
Category: Best food
First place: France. I really wanted to give this category to a surprise victor, but France has undeniably excellent cuisine. Again, the cliche is proven true. France has several edges over other countries in this category. To begin with, not only is the haute cuisine delicious, the common man's food is excellent as well. I swear, even the lettuce is better in France. They can out-sandwich the rest of the world. Second, they have cheese. You have not lived until you've seen the cheese aisle at a French grocery store. Not only is there an incredible variety of cheeses, most cost less than 2 euros.
Second place: Japan. I have to confess to being somewhat impartial in this category since I am such a fan of tofu. Japan has some great tofu dishes: agedashi dofu, mabo dofu... Japan also does fish and rice very well. Japan gains points in this category for two additional (and surprising) dishes: karaage and the MOS Burger. Karaage is essentially fried chicken, but Japan manages to do it exceptionally well. It's crispy and juicy and bite-sized. The MOS Burger is the most perfect hamburger ever created. I never liked hamburgers before, because they never lived up to my expectations. I wanted them to be juicy and tasty and satisfying, but they were usually dry and dull. Then I had a MOS Burger, and my world was forever changed. It was everything I imagined a hamburger could be and more. Japan loses points in this category for its overall lack of variety and because it is a cheese-scarce country.
Third place: The US. It was very hard to figure out where the US fit in this category. On the one hand, there is an unparalleled variety of food in the US. On the other hand, traditional American dishes come up short when compared to French or Japanese cuisine.
First place: Japan. This was yet another close one between France and Japan. In the end, however, Japan was able to edge out France mostly due to the lack of strikes. Japanese trains are pretty convenient for traveling short and long distances. They are safe, clean, and reliable. In three years in Japan, I experienced one delayed train, and it was only 5 minutes late. The problem with Japanese trains is that they can be fairly expensive, especially for long trips. And although they have the famously fast Shinkansens (Bullet Trains), they only serve a few large cities.
Second place: France. Were it not for its infamous strikes, France could actually have taken this one from Japan. The train system in France is fairly extensive. Fast trains go many places, not just the largest cities. In addition, it's inexpensive, especially if you're under 25.
Third place: The US. Again, a category in which the US doesn't even deserve to place. One of the things I miss the most when I'm in the US is taking the train.
Category: Best postal system
First place: I didn't want to do this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give out a tie in this category: Japan and the US. Both systems are efficient and reliable. Japan's post offices are slightly better in that I've never had to wait in line for more than 3 minutes. The US's post offices are slightly better in that the staff is generally very knowledgeable. I've never, for example, asked a US postal worker for a particular form, and then had to wait while they consulted their superior amidst lots of hmming and awwing and sucking in of breath. This exact situation may have happened in Japan.
Third place: France. No surprises there really. I've never waited in line for fewer than 10 minutes at a French post office. Usually it's closer to 30 minutes. Then when I finally get to the front of the line, the person "helping" me usually acts as though I'm keeping them from something much better they have to do. Smoke a cigarette? Chat with someone on the phone? I don't know, really. And then, god forbid I ask for something slightly unusual. International stamp? What's that?
Category: Best food
First place: France. I really wanted to give this category to a surprise victor, but France has undeniably excellent cuisine. Again, the cliche is proven true. France has several edges over other countries in this category. To begin with, not only is the haute cuisine delicious, the common man's food is excellent as well. I swear, even the lettuce is better in France. They can out-sandwich the rest of the world. Second, they have cheese. You have not lived until you've seen the cheese aisle at a French grocery store. Not only is there an incredible variety of cheeses, most cost less than 2 euros.
Second place: Japan. I have to confess to being somewhat impartial in this category since I am such a fan of tofu. Japan has some great tofu dishes: agedashi dofu, mabo dofu... Japan also does fish and rice very well. Japan gains points in this category for two additional (and surprising) dishes: karaage and the MOS Burger. Karaage is essentially fried chicken, but Japan manages to do it exceptionally well. It's crispy and juicy and bite-sized. The MOS Burger is the most perfect hamburger ever created. I never liked hamburgers before, because they never lived up to my expectations. I wanted them to be juicy and tasty and satisfying, but they were usually dry and dull. Then I had a MOS Burger, and my world was forever changed. It was everything I imagined a hamburger could be and more. Japan loses points in this category for its overall lack of variety and because it is a cheese-scarce country.
Third place: The US. It was very hard to figure out where the US fit in this category. On the one hand, there is an unparalleled variety of food in the US. On the other hand, traditional American dishes come up short when compared to French or Japanese cuisine.
posted by MatchaMonkey at
1/22/2007 01:03:00 AM
1 Comments:
hee hee.
once again, i laughed, i cried, i ultimately sympathised ;)
and i think you were right on about the trains. were it not for the strikes, i do believe the french trains would have japanese trains beat, especially on price!
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