Children do not see color; they see Logos

[flophousepoodle]

I was four years old our first night out in Saudi.

We were walking down the streets of Al Khobar at night. I could not comprehend that we were in a foreign country, and I did not realize that the sea of Saudi, Pakistani, Philippino, and Yemeni men who crowded the streets were any different than at home. All I could figure was that we were at the county fair which made me anxious to see the rides and have a corn dog.

My mother bought a shish-kebob from a street vendor and offered a bite to me. It was too spicy and made me cry. My father took me into a stall and lifted me up to the counter to order a drink.

"Coke!"

"They don't have Coke, only Pepsi."

I had never heard of Pepsi and therefore didn't yet understand that it was comparable.

"Can we get Coke somewhere else?"

"No, flophouse, not in this entire country."

The moment those words were uttered, I took a good look around to finally realize that everything was different around me.

".........What about at MacDonalds?"

"There is no MacDonalds either"

(I don't know what a four year old says for "Holy Shit!" but I said it.)

I later found out there was no bacon, later; no Israel, and a little later; no alcohol.