D didn't do that great at school today... It wasn't horrible but it just wasn't that good either. The kids are off school Friday for Mother's Day. I find this to be a cruel and ironic joke. So his next day will be Monday. Hoping it goes a bit more smoothly.

I keep hearing people talk about Hep A vaccines. Word on the street is that it's a smart thing to have in Asia. I wonder if I have this. Or if B has it... he probably needs it more than I with all the travel he's doing. We specifically asked the pediatrician if we or the kids needed anything and got a "hmmm I'll look into that." And it sounds like that's the answer most people were given when they thought to ask in the USA. But then you get here and you learn answers to all your questions that just can't be answered from over there.

We had been told our insurance coverage was outstanding here (that's one of the reasons that helped reassure us that this was a good move to make) but I really didn't know what to expect as far as where we'd go to the doc or what it would be like. Turns out that, just like most everything, the doctor's office is a 5 minutes walk from my house. I haven't heard a bad thing about them yet. From the office staff to the few doctors in there, the office has a great reputation. What a relief! So I guess I need to research this a bit more and call our moms to see if they know if we have this.

At McDonalds here, you don't throw away your own trash. My kids are so well trained that they FIGHT over who gets to clear the trash. And there aren't even trash cans in there! It's the weirdest thing. Last time we were there someone came to clear the tray the second we were finished. My coke zero wasn't even empty. These people are not joking around. Their work ethic is a major source of their personal pride. (What a novel idea.)

I should tell you more about McD's over here. It is more upscale or something. Most of the locations also have a McCafe inside which is no less than a Starbucks by the way it looks. If you get a coffee drink (not to go) they serve it to you at your table in a big porcelain mug. Pastries, sandwiches, sparkling water... And it's inside the McDonalds. I have not had a coffee from there to tell you if it's any good. I am admittedly too picky when it comes to coffee anyway so my review would be kind of pointless.

At the McDonalds counter the cashiers all speak pretty good English. They will raise a hand (like they want you to join them in song in church) to let you know when it's your turn. If they have a question due to the language barrier they whip out a laminated menu that you can point at to figure it out together. They always point to the total amount on the screen as they say it so there's no misunderstanding.

You can get corn as a side dish with a Happy Meal. It looks like drained canned corn just dumped into a sundae cup with a lid on it. Just in case you want a side of corn with your corn. I can't resist the reference to Omnivore's Dilemma thrown in there.

You can also get McWings. I wish I could think of what else that is odd on the menu. I know there's more... Everything looks the same but the taste is ever so slightly different. Different frying oil perhaps? I don't know. And the chicken nuggets have a higher percentage of dark meat parts than they do in the USA.

Some of my fellow food people may wonder how often we take the kids to McDonalds. Once a week. Shame shame I know my own name. But I feel better now that that's out there in the open.