Here There and Everywhere

The End of an Era

“Mr. Adventureman, the papers you have ordered have come!” the manager of the Sultan Center would say, exultantly, to my clueless husband.

“I ordered papers?” he might croak.

“Sir! It is the coated paper for you to use in the microwave!”

“Aha! ” AdventureMan thinks, “my wife has ordered this.”

“Thank you so much!” he responds brightly to the store manager. “We will pick it up shortly!”

Raised with Alaskan frugality, storing for the future, letting nothing go to waste, never knowing when we will ever see (fill in the blank) again, I store my treasures, using them sparingly. Today, I smile ruefully as I use the last of the last roll of waxed paper from Kuwait.

I think microwave technology has improved. I don’t seem to use waxed paper to defend against food explosions as I once did. Or maybe I’ve just gotten smarter?

I’m not buying waxed paper – or a lot of things – the way I once did. I’ve never lived in one place for this long – a place where, if something runs out, I can get a replacement within an hour, or at worst, a couple days. It’s not like when taco chips completely disappeared from every restaurant in Doha for a month, or cream sold out in Tunis as the big Eid approached. The closest we’ve come to a shortage is during COVID, when people hoarded toilet paper for a short time. The lasting result is that my friends discovered the blessing of bidets.

Last month, I actually came close to running out of dish detergent. I have to laugh at myself; in my own funny way, I’m making progress.

September 3, 2026 - Posted by intlxpatr | Aging, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Interconnected, Living Conditions, Money Management, Quality of Life Issues, Random Musings, Shopping | bidets, COVID, frugality, old habits, shortage mentality, supplies, waxed paper