a different metric

I think I'm pretty attuned to the rhythms of Japan, and generally I really like it. But it's little stuff I miss. This morning I was in a coffee shop (in Portland) looking for a clean spoon at the condiment station. And some random guy made fun of me because there was already a spoon in my saucer and I was too spaced out to notice. And I punched him in the arm. Because I'm in the USA, and I can, and it's perfectly acceptable to goof around with a stranger. This just doesn't happen in Japan.