A New Identity

Yesterday when I took my clothes to the laundry the shop owner said "Oh, it's you - Obama." Then he decided that my ID would be "Obama." Here's the proof.

I can confidently report that the laundry shop owner and the nasi kandar (rice based meal) owner are firm Obama supporters. I don't know about the owner of the mini-mark that I patronize. But he is a big fan of my carrying my own bag and not using plastic. (I think that he likes his potential cost savings.)

Abu, at the nasi kandar stand, frequently engages me in US political discussions. He is following the ups and downs of the campaign quite closely. Of course, as soon as a customer shows up he goes back to work.

The laundry shop owner worked for a few months in a Chinese restaurant in Winston Salem. He said that the public transportation was terrible and made his stay uninteresting. The greatest benefit of the current gas/petrol prices is that public transit might eventually be made to work again. I know that I miss out on a lot not having a car here, but with the traffic and the local driving habits I am not even tempted to rent.