I have often stated that it is the subtle things that stand out with the most prominence when you travel. For example, while working in Australia sexual harassment, something taboo in an American office was fairly overt.
New Jersey is no exception.
In Oklahoma, for example, I was almost always the most aggressive driver on the road. My friends would comment and Brandi would spend most car rides clinging to the “oh shit” handle. However, here in New Jersey I often have the sensation I am driving like an old lady. Last week Brandi and I were driving through Connecticut on I-95 and I could just not keep up. My reflexes and nerves were just not sharp enough, and I would find my self pulling over into the slow lane to let people pass, something I thought would not occur for 50 more years.
Another example is culinary habits. Sushi, my favorite food, is not a mainstay in the diet of Oklahomans. I had only one friend who liked sushi and it was a joke around the office that I would eat “raw fish." Now contrast that with the office here. I have yet to meet anyone who turned up their nose to sushi; in fact, there are large groups who frequent a local restaurant in packs of 8-10 daily.
Also, if you ask any of my friends in Oklahoma, I am the most unusual eater they know. Not so in New Jersey. On my first day in the office, I was paired up with a really nice gentleman, who in addition to being vegetarian (which is not uncommon here) had a way of judging what he should eat by holding the food to his chest with his right arm outstretched. He would then get someone to pull down on his arm. If they successfully pulled his arm down he would not eat the food item. If the person could not pull his arm down he would eat it. His belief was that you body would tell you whether or not the particular food item was good for you by focusing strength in your arm. Of course he told me the name of this practice which I have promptly forgotten. --G
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