Back in the USA
I've had the best of all possible weeks in Russia. Importers were generous with their time, and I had the chance to see and interact with some amazing people. I didn't have one negative experience in terms of how I was treated. Even so, the morning after my flight from Moscow to the U.S., I reflect about the things I missed about the USA while in Russia: (not meant to be a comprehensive list)
* ordering a cherry pie at McDonald's and not getting a quizzical expression (on second thought....)
* ethnic diversity you see walking down a city street in the U.S. but not in Russia
* the easy math of the greenback versus paying 2,500 rubles for a taxi and thinking nothing of it
* Being able to use my cell phone
* the sun
* the 110 electrical outlet
* Valentine's Day with my wife
* The sports page and sports radio
* Network TV and the local news
* Just knowing the Gideon Bible is there in the hotel bedside stand drawer
* Being home with family
TK: I have a renewed appreciation for all of industry stalwarts who hit the road so many weeks a year. It's not easy to be far from home one week at a time, to say nothing of the type of nonstop schedules some global produce marketers spend on planes, trains and taxis in foreign countries. My Russian hat is off to you.
Labels: FDA
posted by Tom Karst @ 7:05 AM
2 Comments:
Tom, I have really enjoyed your articles and ones to come.
This is a real service that The Packer is providing to the industry. In your follow-up articles I suggest you state who funded and supported your trip. In that way readers can determine if there are any bias in your reporting. But, otherwise, keep up the good work.
The Packer paid for the trip. I look foward to putting together coverage for the industry, both in the pages of the newspaper and this blog. It seems now that there are factors that contribute to continuing growth of the import market in Russia (growth of middle class, expansion of purchasing power,) and prevent the market from being oversupplied (container equipment shortage for U.S. exporters). So I want to communicate about the market clearly, both on the upside and downside risks. I welcome any input from readers over the next couple of weeks as I put together some coverage.
Tom K
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