Things I miss

In my post from yesterday, I mentioned how I miss the SF Chronicle. It is BY FAR not the only thing I miss. #1 is definately Safeway. What I wouldn't do for some Safeways around here. Here's some other things I dearly miss... (in no particular order):

• S&W 3 bean salads
• real Chinese food (and Takeout Chinese delivery! OMG!)
• I'm not even a big drinker, but I sure miss being able to buy alcohol at the grocery stores! The thought of going into an ABC Liquor store just makes me feel all "dirty" inside!!
• Shopping on Sundays. (Blue laws suck!)
• Multiculturism
• Channel 2 KTVU News
• Mother's Cookies
• Cinco De Mayo celebrations ~ ok this may be part of multiculturism? But seriously, I said something about wanting to go out for Cinco De Mayo, and people asked me what it was. Guess I'm just thinking about this because it was just last week.
• 7-11 Slurpees. I don't care what you say, Icees are NOT the same. And what happened to there being a convenience store and gas station on every corner? Here it's a CHURCH on every corner.
• Fresh fruit. Yeah, they've got fruit here, but there's something different about it. It just doesn't taste the same. But then, I guess if your fruit traveled 3000 miles, it wouldn't taste quite as fresh.
• Pink hair. ... well not necessarily, but nobody really has that here. I had magenta hair back home, and it was a non-issue. That would not go over too well here. (Though i'd kinda like to try!) I miss the fact that back home it was OK to be "different" or alternative.
• Healthy food. It's hard to come by in ... what do they call it? The heart attack belt?

And before I get hate mail, let me just say ~ I grew up in Northern California, just north of San Francisco. I have pretty much always lived in a health-conscious, progressive, multicultural, tolerant society. I don't hate the South. If I did, I wouldn't still be here! But that doesn't mean that I don't miss aspects of home dearly.

It greatly disappoints me how prevalent the stereotypical redneck is here. Sexism, Racism, & Christianity have been thrown at me so much since I've been here, and it sickens me. I guess most of it is culture shock, but I also don't hold the same values that people here do. That's all. Not going to stay on my soapbox today.