A potato peeler and backwards thinking

I once had an au-pair friend from East Germany who was very stubborn. While making dinner for the 4-year-old boy in the family, I caught her peeling potatoes with a sharp knife, struggling with every slanted cut.

I asked her why she didn’t use a potato peeler. She looked at me like I was an idiot.
“Do they not have one?” I asked.
I had assumed it was a common household item in Westchester County.
“My family in Germany doesn’t have one,” she replied, while carefully trying not to cut her fingers off.

I still didn’t understand why this would prevent her from using the peeler now.
“When I go back home, I can only use a knife,” she said. “Why should I get used to using something that I will not have in a few months?”
I suggested she buy a potato peeler to take home with her. It’s a small item, not very costly. It wouldn’t take up that much room in a suit case.

My friend scowled at me.
“Why?” was her only response.

I didn’t even know what to say. To me, her whole attitude was so baffling that I was left flabbergasted.

The whole idea of traveling to a foreign country is to learn things from other cultures, exchange ideas and further yourself as a person. For some, it means learning the language better or making more money, but you still return with so much more.

If you find something new and exciting that people at home do not have, you are almost obligated to bring it back with you. An item that is clever, that can make your life easier… wouldn’t you want to share it with the people you know?

Perhaps that is just me. My family is into gadgets of all kinds. A new gadget, no matter how stupid, is always interesting. If it is an automatic apple peeler, perhaps we look at it and laugh. “Who needs this?” we say. But items like a pill-splitter or a fitted sheet for the bed - that can make life more convenient - are always welcome.

Some people, unfortunately, prefer it when time stands still. Boy, will they be upset when they realize things will not stay the same forever.