Can't Keep My Hand Out the Cookie Jar

So, I thought that I'd just fill everyone in on exactly how cheap it is to live here. To put it simply, you could live in the nicest apartment on the Waterfront, for about how much Steve is currently paying to live in a small house in the Hollywood ghetto. Currently the conversion rate is 8 Rand to 1 USD (it peaked at 12 to 1 and it was 10 to 1 in January but the recession seems to have brought down the dollar significantly).
So, for about 10 days worth of groceries it cost me R240 ($30). Clearly, everything is super cheap, but we still haven't quite adjusted to the sticker shock. So, even though you know that you're only spending 30 bucks, when you see that you owe 240 Rand, it still feels a little suprising. A burger at a decent restaurant costs R30-R40. A decent bottle of wine costs R40-R70. Drinks at most bars are also a lot cheaper. A double rum with coke is usually about R30, a double vodka with Red Bull is like R35 (which is less than a single Red Bull at home). Jaeger bombs are R30 or R35. It's not uncommon to go out with R250 and come home with only R20 or R30, but then you realize how much you actually spent and feel a little better about yourself (and then convince yourself that you're not, in fact, a huge alcoholic). Tipping is still around 15%, but one thing that's different is that service at a sit-down restaurant is sooooooooooo slow. Adjusting to "Africa time" (like Mexican time but twice as long) has not been easy, but you eventually learn to just go with it. For those in a hurry, there are KFC and McDonald's EVERYWHERE. I don't know why people here love KFC so much, but I've been told it has to do with how cheap it is. I've been trying to avoid the American restaurants, but we did go to McDonald's once. The menu is about the same, with some slight variations. Anyways, we're off to Gugulethu for dinner. I'm sure I'll have some commentary tonight (it's homework night, so naturally I'll be looking for some reason to procrastinate). Till then,

Jason