Mixed Bag

A Recent Sample of Thoughts

1. *Ahem.* What did I tell you about the problems of lax copyright enforcement? They make it hard for people to know which are the authentic restaurants. The Jakarta Globe has a story that not only touches on the same topics, but also uses many of the same examples that I do.
2. Sometimes I wonder about the logic behind the naming of establishments. It seems like I've seen a number of stores in the past couple of days that have store names that don't seem so germane to the things that they sell. Or I guess I mean, "that's not the first word that comes to mind when I think of how to think of a snappy name to sell that product." Examples: Pro Steak. Groovy Pet Supplies. Hong Kong Family Travel Shop & Fun. Town Hall Cassette and CD. Big Top #1 Interior Design. Ritual Coffee to Go.
3. I saw a law firm yesterday with the following sign: Assiddique and Ass. I know what they mean, and probably you know what they mean, but that sign probably doesn't help much to increase credibility among foreigners.
4. If I were a graduate student in anthropology, looking to do field research in Indonesia, what would I study? I've thought about this topic from time to time. (EDIT: I realize what this means. Not only am I a professional dork, I daydream about being a dork in my spare time.) Here are my ideas.

• The spiritual/cultural meaning underlying the decorations that people put on buses and bajajs (three-wheeled motor carts). (cultural anthropology)
• The consequences of the Western obsession with "organic" and "local" food for farmers in a tourism-focused and export-dependent developing country. (economic anthropology)
• How wealthy neighborhoods organize to provide themselves with physical security after the breakdown of a highly coercive authoritarian regime (political anthropology)
• The strategic use of Islamic messages (rather than Western-inspired ones) by feminists agitating for equal protection and social justice in a patriarchal society. (political anthropology plus religious studies)

Comments

[JMP]

Ritual coffee to go? Where on earth did you find that one, I love it.

[TP]

I found them all in South Jakarta, on Jalan Radio Dalam to be exact. It's the part where the stores are trying to appeal to all the expats, of course. So close, yet so far.

[jsr]

i think the last is what my dissertation will be on, if i ever get around to it!