This is a picture of one of the vending machines in our hotel. See if you can spot the "interesting items" it offers. Oh, and in case you were worried about corrupting minors, there was a sign on the top that said you had to be 16 to purchase things other than the candy.
If you get all three bad items correctly, then you win a prize! Of course, the prize is the knowledge that you purposely seek out wickedness. Sinner.
Did you spot them? I'll help. We have, right next to the "kinder" treats (really), a dirty magazine, c0ndoms, and cigarettes! Awesome, and what a great cover story. "Honey, I meant to get the M&Ms, but I hit the wrong number and got these cigarettes instead! Might as well smoke 'em."
So, what if one of these isn't the vice of your choice? (The M&Ms, I mean. Not everyone likes chocolate, but cigarettes--those meet everyone's desires.) Never fear, next to vending machine number 1 was the beer vending machine!
If you never have good luck with vending machines, you can still have convenient shopping. In Northern Luxembourg, we ran into a store that definitely would be helpful around Christmas time. It specialized in two types of products:
That's right! Alcohol and toys. Hard liquor and puzzles. It had three or four big window displays and everyone one of them showcased both children's items and alcohol. Some of the alcohol was in delightful animal shaped bottles, in case you were torn between indulging your alcoholism and buying your child a present. Go ahead and buy the scotch in the glass duck and then when you've finished, the duck can be a present for Junior.
13 comments:
Liquor and toys? Marketing genius, I say!
To which most Europeans will retort: it still feels better than being allowed to get yourself a rifle before you're legally old enough to purchase beer.
(And there was a condom machine in my catholic high school.)
Cultural gap, I suppose.
Herzlich Willkommen in Europa. :)
How convenient! One stop shopping!
Aren't you sorry you didn't you move to Luxembourg now? :)
Oh, the days of old, where minors were trusted to make the right choice....Maybe thats why we are in such a quandry now. lol.
oh EHRL you'd have a field day in Japan
they have vending machines for everything from beer (1 litre cans are available) to cigarettes to umbrellas to hot dogs - yep - the vending machine has a microwave built in it, and it gives you HOT hot dogs!
You should post on failblog!
OK, I give up... someone tell me which ones are not supposed to be there. Is this another "Where's Waldo"?
I've lived overseas for 35 years (currently in Afghanistan for 2 years). Ameriacns have a different culture and different views. I'm not saying it is good or bad, just different.
In Japan you could buy condoms, gum, cigarettes, beer, Tylenol, and hand warmers from vending machines. What does that tell you?
imagine that a country that treats it's citizens like adults.
This is great. I'd love to have one of these vending machines in Boston (my hometown) and have a hidden video camera watching people look/select/buy items. LOL!
I once saw a "live bait" vending machine in Southern Ohio. Too funny!
Hey, my last anonymous friend, no bad words on this blog. You are free to repost your thoughts, sans dirty words.
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