Author Archives: Cultural Quirks

How to Take an Adrenaline Rush to a Whole New Level

Sitting in the seat of a commercial airline is pretty much the only way I’ll ever experience the rush of flying. It’s not that I don’t want to jump out off a mountain with nothing but a bit of man-made material acting as a buffer between myself and the Grim Reaper…no wait, that’s exactly what I don’t want.

However, I have nothing but respect for adrenaline junkies. I’m fascinated by their death-defying feats and wish I had the nerve to throw caution (and myself) to the wind.

If you prefer to fly vicariously through the lens of someone else’s camera, the Internet has tons of videos to choose from. But I’m pretty sure you won’t find another one that will blow your mind like this one: Continue reading →

Working the Strip in Vegas

Yoda marrying Wookiees in Vegas

Las Vegas is one of those places that has entrepreneurial opportunities you don’t readily find anywhere else, and many of them take place on the street. No matter where you go on the Strip, you can’t walk a block without stumbling across someone selling VIP access to a UFC after party or handing out ads for services we’ll refer to as “exotic.”

But in the past year there seems to have been a new crop of entrepreneurs working the Strip who earn money based on wearing a costume. Of course Vegas is known for impersonators; Elvis can marry you whenever and where ever, and the Rat Pack can often be found gossiping near Bally’s. But the costumed entrepreneurs I’m referring to are those who charge tourists to take a picture with them when they are ostensibly wearing a Halloween costume. Continue reading →

Irish Say What??

Driving in Ireland

Most travellers add a dictionary to their suitcase when they visit a country that has a national language different from their own. It only makes sense to be able to respond properly when you’re trying to barter for Cuban cigars or a Turkish belly dancing costume.

But answer me this: If you’re from North America, would you bring a translation dictionary with you on a trip to Ireland?

If you think a bonnet is worn on your head, and hurling is something you do after too many pints, allow me to help you out. The following “how to speak Irish” tutorial will ensure you arrive in the Emerald Isle ready to have the craic with any bogger you meet in the car park of a chipper. Continue reading →

Confessions of a Phillumenist

I loathe dusting, so becoming a serious collector really doesn’t interest me at all. Instead of having a house full of tchotchkes, I’d much rather amass experiences. As a result, the only items I have multiples of are ticket stubs, bottles of sand, and matchbooks. While those three items may seem unrelated, I keep them around to remind me of events I’ve attended (ticket stubs), places I’ve been (sand), and adventures I’ve had (matchbooks).

I really have no idea what a sand collector is called, and ticket stub hoarders likely don’t have a name. But apparently the hobby of collecting matchbooks and matchbook-related items is known as phillumeny. It was so named in 1943 by British collector Marjorie Evans, and has (not really) taken the world by storm since then. While my matchbook collection is only in the double-digit range, Guinness World Record holder Emilio Arenas Florin of Uruguay has amassed 9130 unique matchbooks. So the answer is yes, there is a Guinness World Record for everything.

Gotta love matchbooks Continue reading →

Huzzah for Heroin Beer!

People are loyal to brands for numerous reasons, one of which is the sense of continuity they offer. For instance, if you have a bottle of Corona in Mexico, it’s pretty much guaranteed to taste the same as the one you consumed in Montreal or Dublin. Draft beer should follow the same rule: regardless of where you consume it, the beer on tap here will taste like the beer on tap there.*

One would assume the same goes for how intoxicated you’ll become from drinking draft: a pint is a pint, and the effect is the same regardless of where it is consumed. Right?

Ice Cold in JFK

Photo credit: psd

Continue reading →

Career Options be Damned

chair and book

When deciding what courses to take in university, I knew that the overall goal was to pick a major that would actually get me a job someday. Nonetheless, I signed up for an Anthropology course just to see what it was all about. Fifty undergraduate courses later I had two Bachelor of Arts degrees – one that had a shot at landing me a job (Sociology) and one that didn’t have a snowball’s chance (Anthropology).

Sometimes you have to study what you love because you just can’t help yourself, career options be damned. Continue reading →