We have to rank everything.
Search best restaurants near me.
I saw an article ranking countries so of course, I am a sucker and clicked on the picture.
In this particular poll, their Top Five consisted of Canada, Japan, USA, Germany, and Switzerland. I have been to all five and my ranking of them would be:
- Japan
- Switzerland
- USA
- Canada
- Germany
Canada is always near the top of these type of rankings. I talk a little bit of my great times in Canada in my book EMOTIONS: Not your Mama’s ABCs!, and how you notice right away how clean the Canadians keep their country.
Don’t get me wrong. They have old stinky mattresses, plastic water bottles, trash and garbage.
You just don’t see those things on the highways or city streets.
No riots as the truckers dispersed.
Class.
Not us.
We’d find something to break or burn to go that one little bit too far and reinforce the Ugly American stereotype.
I rank Japan the highest I think because it was such a magical time in my life when I grew up there. I was five-to-eight years-old during our stint.
I will never forget the look on my mother’s face when we went on our usual Sunday drive to points unknown in a strange country and absolutely no knowledge of anything. We were driving on a dusty road and there was a car pulled over to the side of the road. As we slowed down, we could see an elderly woman squatting down doing her business on the side of the road.
No trees.
No car to hide her.
Just her.
Doing her business.
On the side of the road.
She was all smiles as we passed her. She waved at us and Mom was absolutely mortified.
In the three years we lived there, I never did get to “experience what the natives did” and do my business on the side of the road.
I went to a sumo Grand Tournament and I remember the massive participants and how fat they all were. You could cut the cigarette smoke with hedge clippers.
Thick.
It seemed like everyone was waving money and screaming at the top of their lungs.
I was scoffing at how out-of-shape the rikishi in (participants) were. The American ideal was clean-cut, short hair, tough, and fighting trim. Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Jesse Owens, and Bob Mathias come to mind.
But when the gyoji drops his fan, look out. If you are close enough, you can actually hear their heads sound like two coconuts as they head butt each other to start the contest. It is like watching two trucks collide.
Why don’t we rank politicians?
No one would win.
That’s why.
Certainly not we, the people.
See what I did there?
Stay well.
Mark's Playhouse 