Some things you start to take for granted once you settle in somewhere. For example, I had begun to take car ownership for granted since I'd had a car for most of my Japan years. Moving back to Montreal, I had been car-free for several months, and finally gave into the need for wheels.
The car is something that was in my power to remedy. Other things are out of my hands, however. Other things, such as the dire lack of vending machines. Yes - I who may once have thought the ubiquitous "jidou-hanbaiki" (vending machine) a blight in nature, found even at the peak of Mt. Fuji, had certainly grown dependent on and appreciative of their presence. And now, with summer and humidity finally here in Montreal, I rue the loss of the "ji-han-ki" (short for jidouhanbaiki, aka vending machine).
As I walked to a workshop downtown this morning, I quickly became parched, having forgotten to bring my bottle of water. I found myself casting hopeful -even expectant - glances around street corners, having to remind myself several times that, no, I would not find any vending machines here. I would have to wait until I hit the city centre, and then I would have to join the hordes of trendy city-ites in long lines at Tim Horton's...
Perhaps this is not out of my hands...perhaps I can start a petition. Would anyone consider signing a plea to have vending machines places every few hundred feet across the country??
Next post - Lack of any 24 hour convenience stores. This may be a Canadian or a Quebec phenomena, but there are no 7-11's, no Circle Ks, no Family Marts... A person could starve or die of dehydration right here in the middle of so-called civilization, just for the want of vending machines and convenience stores!
