east meets west

In the 22 years since I immigrated to U.S. and in the 12 years since my last trip, the East has come to look a lot more like the West. (And of course, by "the East", I mean Thailand, Taiwan and Korea.) My top 5 most interesting/curious points of transformation:

1. 7-Eleven: The original American ambassador of consumerism and instant and 24-hour gratification. In Bangkok, it guarantees you an air-conditioned oasis on every block; in Taipei, hot tea eggs and tempura; in Seoul... something I can afford. McDonald's and Starbucks have got nothing on 7.
   
2. Whitening toiletries: Dove. Ponds. Olay. All drug store beauty brands that make special whitening products for the East that I'd never seen in the West. I'm not talking about toothpaste. I'm talking about cleansers and creams and scrubs to make your face whiter. This is perhaps the ultimate imitation of the West, but one that, for better or worse, will never succeed. To my sisters who spend their hard-earned money on this stuff: you're yellow, you'll never be white; deal with it.
   
3. Doughnut shops: Dunkin' Donuts and donut shops in America tend to be these hole-in-the-wall places that, but for the halo-shaped delights therein, look and feel dank and depressing. Donut shops in the East are clean, air-conditioned, spacious coffee shops that happen to sell donuts. Customers are given little baskets or trays lined with wax paper and a pair of tongs to select donuts as if they're French pastries. There's jazz playing, art on the walls and good coffee. People settle in, read, hang out for hours, the way they'd do at Starbucks.
   
4. Rogaine: It's called Regaine in Asia. The Asian name makes more sense, don't you think?
   
5. Toilets: I remember the days when most pubic facilities - even in nice places - were porcelain holes in the ground. Now, more sitting, less squatting. I'm of the mind that if you visit a place that requires squatting, you do it. No whining. When in Rome, etc. Thus, it's only fair that if you're accustomed to squatting, and you come face-to-face with a sitting toilet, that you do it. No hovering, no climbing on top of the seat and making a big ol' mess. Just sit your ass down.