things i don't like

i already did an entry about things i like/love about bristol, so to even things out, here is an entry about things i don't like about bristol:

-the limited recycling repetoire - joe calls me a recycling nazi back home because i recycle everything that can be recycled. i mean everything. despite bristol's top rating as "the" greenest city in england, they could expand their recycling trifecta to include cardboard, which is really just heavy paper in my opinion but not so in the bristol recycling pyramid which only currently allows for glass, paper and cans. no plastic either.

- elevators or lifts, as they are called here are almost always broken. i told joe if we want to stay here, the business he should be in is lift repair, because they are broken ALL over the city. and in london too.

- hot chocolate machine is always broken at places like miss millie's cookies or costa. more often miss millie's - i think because they just cleaned it and don't want to muck it up. i have gone to buy hot chocolate like 5 times and have been denied like 4 of those times. kinda reminds me of the cafe behind visionart: the menu offered milkshakes but gawd forbid if you asked the proprietress to make you one, she rolled her eyes like you asked her to raise your child from birth to adulthood. if you don't want to make it, then don't put it on the menu for gawdsakes.

- or alternately, "we are out of hot chocolate mix". how can a business be out of something? did you not "see" that the hot chocolate container was running out and think, hmmm, perhaps i should order another? cold weather is coming and it seems to be a popular drink. reminds me of honey's kettle in culver city - they offer mini apple pies but i have yet to go in on a day when they actually make any apple pies. honey's kettle always offers pecan or peach but i don't want either of those. i want the damn apple. please.

- restaurants stop serving early. too early in my opinion. but then what do i know, i'm just really hungry with no options.

- stores close too early on sundays. and damn the luck, i always discover i need something to complete dinner at the last minute. one sunday i ran to each of the grocery stores and got to the front doors just as each store was closing up for the night.

- it is expensive for a family of 4 to eat out. we went out for burgers the other day and the total bill came to 35#s, which roughly equals $60. for lunch. restaurants need to ask the store primark how they are able to have a business model that offers clothing for starting at 1#.

- bacon is not so good here. even streaky bacon which is supposed to be like american bacon. it's just weird and too thick.

- the lack of green tea at starbuck's or any cold tea options at any dining establishment. i have had to find a substitute in elderflower presses or "lemonade" which tastes suspiciously alot like sprite or 7-UP