I never imagined I'd be categorizing a post into food, culture and gadgets, but here we are.
Pictures of the new Asus 9" Eee PC 900 were published today on flickr. I'm looking forward to trying this device out... The 7" version was kinda nifty, but having the screen fill the bezel should increase utility of the Eee quite a bit. Judging by the composition of the picture, I'm guessing it was put up by someone from Taiwan or Hong Kong; the casual shot features the popular machine next to a pretty typical Chinese dinner of fried fish and pickled vegetables and pork. As people commenting on the Engadget post show, however, this type of food is particularly unappetizing for some Western readers.
It's interesting that such a seemingly mundane post could strike a chord with me. As our clientele shifts more and more to the mainstream market (people accustomed to Western culture), we run into these sort of large cultural gap situations every day. For Americans going to Japan, Asian food can be quite a shocking experience. Even though the fish shown in the picture is close to its natural form (aside from the big slice exposing its bones), Americans are so accustomed to eating food processed beyond recognition that it's become disgusting to eat things in pure form.
Of course, being born and raised in the US and thoroughly Americanized, I can completely sympathize with those appetites that are totally turned off by the sight of such a thing. There are still plenty of more 'exotic' things I have a hard time stomaching. I just wish people wouldn't be so quick to judge and consider that natural just might be better.
