Cambridge Pet Peeves
OK, after driving through Harvard Square to do some shopping tonight, I have been reminded of three of the things that irk me about living here - and what purpose does a blog serve if not to allow me to vent to nobody in particular, I ask you?
* ORGANIC STUPIDITY - Let me be clear: I am all for buying some organic foods when it makes sense from a health perspective (although it often really doesn't) and is economically reasonable. However, I am convinced that most people here buy "organic" anything without even thinking about what they are buying - all while paying twice as much for the privilege. The two examples I noticed today: (1) I passed an "organic furniture" store. So, what you're saying, is I can buy furniture that's made out of all-natural stuff like, say, wood and leather and cotton fibres? Kind of like ANY PIECE OF FURNITURE YOU BUY ANYWHERE? And you're charging me how much? Wow, sign me up! (2) I noticed a used box of "organic plastic wrap" in a recycling bin. Now, seeing as I do have a PhD in chemical engineering (specializing in polymers no less), I spent considerable time trying to figure out how plastic wrap was "organic". Then it hit me - it's made of oil! All natural baby! Takes up the same space in the landfill, but makes you feel better about yourself!
* ADVERTISEMENTS FOR HEART SURGERY - Here in the land of not-so-free medicine, most hospitals are private, for-profit entities engaged in the free market and thus have to drum up business from their fierce hospital competitors. So, the logical thing to do is to advertise your services. However, I have always been a bit confused how advertising that your hospital has successfully bypassed the most arteries is actually an effective strategy. As I understand it, the operating assumption (oh, bad pun, I apologize) is that while you're having a heart attack and are suffering in severe pain, fearing for your life, you are supposed to spit out "take me to , I saw their ad and they look tremendous! Besides, they take Visa!" Even more interesting is the fact that the two places I have seen these ads are the subway ("stop walking around and exercising - take the train between nearby destinations!") and close to a series of street hot dog vendors ("clog your circulatory system by eating heavily preserved meat cooked by minimally regulated mobile restauranteurs!")
* CELL PHONES - Unlike neighbouring New York and Connecticut, Massachusetts does not have a "no cell phone conversations when driving" law. As a result, I think every frustrated New Yorker and Connecticutter (that can't be right - sounds kind of like a state full of tree pruners) drives through Boston daily just to get their fix. Even more impressive are the grocery stores, particularly the one I went to tonight (which is, perhaps not coincidentally, the closest store to Harvard). I would estimate that roughly 1 out of every 2 shoppers I saw (most of whom were maneuvering full-size shopping carts through crowded aisles, cutting other shoppers off at a rate of roughly 1/10 seconds) were yapping away on their cell phones. More specifically, most people were yapping about such crucial, time-sensitive topics as how many calories are in each available variety of hummus (and there is an entire shelf of hummus, so this conversation takes a while). How could one possibly wait 10 minutes to find out this critical information? How else would life go on???
There. I feel better already.
DISCLAIMER: Actually, I must admit that two weeks ago, I got a cell phone call (one of the five I have received, in two months) while shopping for ground beef. Since it was my most direct supervisor at MIT talking about how to purchase chemicals I needed, I too was (just once!) one of those people standing and chatting animatedly to myself in the meat aisle. However, I think I can defend this singular lapse given that the guy I was talking to was in California and the choice was, quite literally, either talk to him there or wait five days to order chemicals I needed. Also, I stood in one spot while I was talking and was therefore not a serious injury risk to those around me. It will never happen again, I promise.
