Inalienable Rights

As Americans we believe that we have several inalienable rights. And I'm not talking about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I've become more aware of these rights since living abroad...and with each new country I live in (I'm on my fourth now) I realize a few more rights I never realized I thought I had. Some of these rights are more serious, while others are less consequential--but the ugly maladie we call culture shock will bring them all to a front in the life of an expatriate, eventually...

As Americans we believe that we have the right to not get ripped off (one that exists in different forms outside the US but generally you need to learn the system of the society you live in for this right to apply to you).

Americans greatly respect the right to be safe from...everything. This right can be good and bad. We have the right to not get hit by a piece of construction equipment but at the same time the passerby also doesn't seem to be responsible for looking out that they don't get hit by a piece of construction equipment.

We have the right--in a lot of American homes, to not live with bugs. We call exterminators or our land lord if we find them inside--it is expected that bugs should live outside and people and their chosen animals should live inside. I miss that right.

Moving down the scale of seriousness ...we enjoy the right to have people show up at the time we asked them to show up, although the appointee doesn't have the right to be seen the moment he or she shows up for an appointment. (a right that does exist in a couple other places I've lived). In our system the social expectation is that all parties are present in the appointed building at the appointed time--not that they are actually conducting business at that time. In many other parts of the world, when all parties are present the appointment takes place, or at the very least a greeting...even if another appointment is already in progress.

We (this one is very important to my Dad,) enjoy the right to sit in silence. Not that this right is never violated, but when it is we have the right to call the police or knock on some one's door to ask them to turn down their music or mussel their dog. I miss this right too.

We have the right to free refills! God bless the birth place of Coca Cola!

And the right that is on my heart today--we have the right to eat peanut butter!

This may surprise you (because it surprised me). Some people, friends of mine, non-Americans, do not consider peanut butter an appropriate food to have in a meal. They consider it a dessert item. Granted, once I'd given this some thought, I realized that it really is a dessert item. We make it into cakes and cookies and frosting and brownies and pies. And then we put it on bread and give it to our children and we are happy, because it is high in protein and cheep and easy. We've made sugar free and fat free and natural versions of the good old peanut butter--but lets face it, they aren't as good.

I've decided that because I am an American and my child is an American I will continue to exercise my right to give peanut butter as a meal to my little boy. Unfortunately for me peanut butter isn't easy anymore. I buy the peanuts in the market, then I grill them and my house helper rubs them all in her hands to get the little skins off. Then she brings them to a mill where they are crushed into a "butter" and we cook the "butter" when it gets home. We do this about once every two weeks. I am thankful, though, that I no longer have to pay as much for it as I did in France. There we ate much less peanut butter because it cost about $1 an oz. Now its so cheep, I'm not sure what I'm paying per oz.

The results I get are more like a sugar free, all natural peanut butter than what I would buy in the states, but that's OK. I've used it in peanut butter cookies and peanut butter cream pie and of course spread on bread or crackers...but our favorite peanut butter treat is a peanut butter and "jelly" muffin. These muffins are basically peanut butter bread with a spoon full of jelly, or a piece of mango, covered by a little more batter over top. Remind you of something mom?

I just thought of a slightly unfortunate right that I miss a lot, especially being pregnant...the right to have ready made food in the house! I'm suddenly hungry and I don't think there is a thing around here to snack on!