Generic

When I was a kid, my family moved from a cozy albeit funky Victorian era flat in San Francisco, to a sprawling multi-level home in an affluent suburb of Denver. It was to say the least, a culture shock. Gone were the strange and beautiful ethnic faces, foods, and names. There was no lumpia. No more gelato even. I went from a world filled with friends whose families came (recently) from all corners of the globe; the bay area is one of the most culturally diverse places in America. Of course, I found my niche when I got to Colorado. My best friend there, was an Iranian girl in my grade, who also rode the same school bus that I did. I remember getting off the bus early at her stop and going over to her house after school to play with our She-Ra Princess of Power dolls,  and how her house often smelled of spices. Exotic smells. I never told her, mainly because at that age I didn't even know why myself, but being in her home, experiencing a different culture (even if it was only tangentially) felt like home to me. It felt comforting. In the whitewashed suburbs of Colorado, it reminded me of San Francisco, where experiencing and learning about -no, not just learning about...but embracing other cultures, is a way of life there. One cannot exist in the multitude of cultures and customs of different societies which all exist simultaneously within the bay area, and remain culturally isolated yourself. You learn. You mesh. You love and hold dear these things which you live with.

Things were so different in Colorado. It was a place where people were friendly, just for the sake of being welcoming and neighborly. In San Francisco, people were friendly too, but more reserved. More unsure of strangers, and always on the look out for trouble. There was an ease and openness to life in the suburbs. Things moved slower there. Life was quieter there. You could walk around barefooted and there was nothing sharp or dirty to cut your feet on.

I got used to the feeling of grass between my toes. Once, we even fell asleep with our garage door wide open, and nothing happened. Nobody stole anything, or broke in while we slept. Nobody would even think to do that sort of thing there. It wasn't that sort of neighborhood.

One of my favorite cultural differences, apart from the ease and grace of life there, was strangely enough: generic foods. It was the 1980's and there was this bizzare craze in Colorado...perhaps in the whole nation for all I know? But the term "Generic" became so popular. It was odd. At first, getting anything generic was a badge of shame. I would sooner die than have any of my friends from school catch me in the *generic* isle with my mom. -Yes there was an ISLE! I never saw grocery stores in California do that, so for all I know, perhaps Cali was more subtle in how it intermingled the store brands with the name brand items, so you were never really set apart. Even the packaging is more subtle here. Some stores, like Albertson's, even have a store brand with really cute looking packaging. It's reminiscent of retro 1940's war era images. All wholesome and apple pie.

The generic brands in Colorado though were different. Everything came in bright yellow packaging with big bold black print that said GENERIC right across it. And as if that wasn't bad enough, all of the generic items were clumped together in the store in the GENERIC ISLE. One great big isle that was a sea of bright yellow packaging with big bold black letters first and foremost telling you that it was generic, and then telling you in two words or less what the item was: GENERIC Toothpaste. GENERIC Pinto Beans. GENERIC Tampons. There was no way you could play it cool with something like that in your shopping cart. 

These have been revamped. The packaging is slightly different but it's most likely the same stuff that my mom bought in the 80's. 

There was of course also the basic black and white generic.

It was like a bright flashing neon sign that said "Hey world! My mom is cheap!" OK. OK. It didn't really say that. Now that I'm older, I realize that what it actually said was: "Hey world! I don't care about your consumerism. I'm smart enough to buy the same exact product for less than half the price because my self worth isn't tied up in a name brand that you've been brainwashed through advertising and peer pressure to believe is the best or in some way *superior* when really all it is, is more expensive. -Sucka!" I actually miss the generic isle and generic brand now that I'm older. I can see how it would make getting in and out of the store so much easier if you just shot over to that one isle (pretty much guaranteed that what you were buying was the cheapest version that the store had available) got your groceries, swung by the fresh food isles and left. I really wonder why bargain shopping isn't quite as en vogue as it once was? What's up America? 'Cause I know you're all on a budget like I am. ;)