Strange things you're not used to

[TBoneTX 45,267]

My nearest Wholefoods is over 70 miles away

There's a Partialfoods just 35 miles away, si man.

[Ontarkie 14,218]

ok after many different chinese restaurant lunches/suppers i'm wondering why none here In Arkansas have beans sprouts on the menu of in the buffets. We been to lost of different places and not one of the restaurants have any dishes with bean sprouts. Its even hard to find them in the stores unless i wnt the kind thats in a can. I miss bean sprouts.

Now since the US Thanks giving is over anyone else find Turkey's are really lost cost here I couldn't believe it.

[LikeALadybug 2]

No beansprouts? Really, I live a few hours away from the Arkansas boarder and we have them up here at Walmart. Although, I haven't bought them for a while so I don't know if they are out of season right now. I'll have to look next time I'm at the store.

[*julez* 124]

The no bean sprouts thing is probably becasue of me. I hate them as they taste like dirt and always ask for them to be left out of my Asian meals, which caused the stores to stop carrying them.

The turkeys are cheap here for Thanksgiving and Christmas only. They then revert to full price and become nearly as scarce as bean sprouts.

[SterlingGirl 1]

Benefits in the US suck no matter where you're from, I think. I've only ever lived in the US and am shocked at how we're guaranteed no paid vacation while other countries have it written into laws, no guaranteed sick time, etc. I have good health insurance, but every year the number of companies offering decent or ANY health insurance goes down, and we have no national health insurance (and no, I don't think the plans proposed for a plan were good enough for this country).

I've been watching too much Lewis Black this weekend...excuse my anger *bangs head*

That's because employers have rights too, not just employees. We're a very industrious first-world nation, and we realize that we can't afford having people being paid for doing nothing for five weeks out of a year. Of course, all companies are different; mine allows me to accrue so many hours of paid time off every pay period, we get paid holidays (national holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's, etc).

There's a general consensus in America that, while we try to do as much as possible to help the truly disadvantaged, things like healthcare, housing, and the like are the responsibility of the citizenry. National health insurance requires a pretty steep amount of taxation, and most people are not okay with the idea of exorbitant taxation out of their own paychecks to make sure everyone else is provided with a necessity that is simply one of life's responsibilities. I've lived without insurance before; I simply had to communicate with the doctors/hospitals and pay off the bills in increments as I received the money to do so. It CAN be done.

Edited December 2, 2008 by SterlingGirl

[Dr. Obvious 49]

That's because employers have rights too, not just employees. We're a very industrious first-world nation, and we realize that we can't afford having people being paid for doing nothing for five weeks out of a year. Of course, all companies are different; mine allows me to accrue so many hours of paid time off every pay period, we get paid holidays (national holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's, etc).

Mine can. I get 6 weeks off a year. Somehow, some way, my company manages to make money without beating its employees into the ground.

I think it is a dangerous game to live without health insurance. One good broken arm or leg can set you back $7-20k, if you are lucky and don't need a whole bunch of surgeries for it. My father was in the ICU for 3 weeks once. The bills before insurance were, no sh#t, $700,000. Can you afford that even with a payment plan?

[StillThePrettiest 3]

which bean sprouts are being discussed here? snow pea sprouts, mung bean sprouts, alfalfa?

we can get mung bean sprouts no problem (which is great because I need them for laksa, and they're great in fried rice ), but come to think of it, I haven't seen snow pea sprouts here either... and I agree with Julez that alfalfa taste like dirt

[Reba 2]

National health insurance requires a pretty steep amount of taxation, and most people are not okay with the idea of exorbitant taxation out of their own paychecks to make sure everyone else is provided with a necessity that is simply one of life's responsibilities

But we already do pay into the coffers for everyone else's health care. Its called Medicare, and every week, they take 4.16 off my cheque, and I'll never be able to benefit from it. Not to mention the other taxes that are taken as well, which are basically the same rate I was paying back home where I had paid healthcare.

If they're going to tax me to death, they could at least pay for my trip to the hospital so I can be declared

[StillThePrettiest 3]

but - the sprouts -

[Krikit 1,164]

The no bean sprouts thing is probably becasue of me. I hate them as they taste like dirt and always ask for them to be left out of my Asian meals, which caused the stores to stop carrying them.

The turkeys are cheap here for Thanksgiving and Christmas only. They then revert to full price and become nearly as scarce as bean sprouts.

but - the sprouts -

Yes, the sprouts! Ontarkie..... if you have a Super Walmart look in there. They have them in the one down here. Don't know about Arkansas though.

[*julez* 124]

but - the sprouts -

Egad! The sprouts!

Incidentally, I am of the opinion that ALL varieties of sprouts taste like dirt. Except Brussels sprouts, which I like very much.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

Brussels sprouts don't taste like dirt, they taste like feet

bean sprouts are great! you'd never want to eat them on their own, but as an ingredient they're excellent... when you come to visit me I'll make you some laksa and your opinion of sprouts will be transformed

[mox 298]

Brussels sprouts don't taste like dirt, they taste like feet

See, I start to get comfortable around you again, and then you say something like this, and I just need to...sort of...edge...away...

[*julez* 124]

Were you also wondering how she knows what feet taste like?

[LikeALadybug 2]

Eeeeww, brussels are SO gross! I don't know why they even sell them at the stores, yuck!

But yeah, regular bean sprouts, I don't really care which kind, are good when you mix in with something - like in Chinese food.

On the Medicaid thing, I agree with Reba - why are we paying for this when we can't even "enjoy" it for another 10 years or so. I'm not so sure it's all that much fun to be on Medicaid though, from what I understand it can be really difficult to get a doctor to take you in with that kind of insurance.

And bout not having insurance; I guess it could be done negotiation with hospitals and doctors but it depends on whats wrong with you if you can really afford the bill afterward. You can go broke having insurance, so I wouldn't pretend like it's easy for someone to do with out insurance. By the way, when you are on insurance, you can still negotiate your bill.