The methods for displaying the phone number range from the purely utilitarian to the whimsical.
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| "I am temporarily parked. Sorry!" |
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| "Temporarily parked" |
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| "Today too, safely ..." |
I haven't bothered to blur out the phone numbers. Please don't call any of them!
I don't know if people put these numbers in the window out of a genuine desire not to be troublesome to others, or if they feel that putting their numbers in the window is a defense against ill will, giving them effective free rein to park wherever they wish.
(This is post 2 out of 4 on the subject of parking. See earlier post here and later posts here and here.)
Omg I didn't realize how quintessentially Asian I am. I have a pre-written note in my glove compartment that says, "Please call if you need me to move my car", plus my name and phone number, for those times when I park in a spot where narrow driveways abut the spot I'm in. (Since I purposely have a short car, I often squeeze into those inter-driveway spaces.) I figure it's easier for them to call me than to call in a ticket....
ReplyDeleteAlso, is it an Asian thing to keep the packing material on objects you've purchased? My parents kept the plastic dust-covering on lamps we had in our house.... and I've seen other places where (Asian) people had foil on their stovetops....
ReplyDeleteYou also live in a place where parking is a scarce and precious commodity. But, as you said in your comment on another post in this series, you are actually trying to avoid parking in front of driveways, you're just not sure you're always successful.
ReplyDeleteBefore agreeing that your behavior is "Asian", I'd be curious to know if you've seen similar "call if you need me to move my car" signs on other cars in the neighborhood (not necessarily owned by Asian-Americans).
That whole thing about keeping packaging on things is something I've mostly associated with China, decades ago. (I remember that little cardboard half-tubes would be left on top of bicycle bars until they disintegrated from exposure to rain.) Not sure if it's still that way. I haven't seen much sign of that in Korea as a general practice, so I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say that leaving these foam pads on cars is part of a broader cultural tendency ...
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that some of the telephone numbers are creatively "written", rather embroidered or cross-stiched on little pillows...designed to fit into the car windows and not block the driver's view, and to be lovely. I am thinking how sweet to have a hand work way of responding to parking in a space that may require that the driver move the car and thus always have a sign in the window.
ReplyDeleteI'm sympathetic when I see a one-off note. If I saw an embroidered pillow, I'd regard it as the act of someone chronically taking advantage of others.
ReplyDelete