Taking Stock

I took a random inventory of items in our apartment today, picking up things that I assumed were made in China. The result was very pro-every-other-country-besides-China.

a) First, I checked something within easy reach. Our hot game from last night's game night, Scattergories, was made in the U.S.A., but the timer and die are Chinese-made.

b) Three cheers for my beloved candle from Bath & Body Works, sitting on a bookcase across the room! Originally $20, I got this Fresh Balsam scented candle for half price. I can smell Christmas trees all year now...

c) I have three kitchen towels up at the moment (why do two people need so many, you might ask?). Their origins are India, Turkey, and Mexico, respectively.

d) My hot mitt from William-Sonoma, hanging lazily off one kitchen cabinet door, was made in the U.S.A. That one caught my by surprise.

e) My brightly colored dishes are made in Mexico.

f) I grabbed a music book off the piano stand and lo and behold, we have another country of origin! Schumann's Kinderszenen was printed in Germany.

g) Scanning the bottom of my Dial White Tea & Vitamin E hand soap, I found a "Made in U.S.A." label.

h) After a quick stop in the bathroom, I learned that my liquid foundation is made in Germany. That was another surprise.

i) The shower mat is from India and my bath towels came from Turkey.

j) My sad-excuse-for-green sheets are made in India.

I'm beginning to see a pattern. Most paper products, such as books, CD covers, games, and movies, are printed in the United States. They don't say, however, where the actual paper itself is made. And I haven't figured out where the CDs & DVDs came from.

It would seem - from the search I made of my own apartment - that cloth items such as sheets and towels come primarily from India and Turkey.

On another note, I received a $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble. I wish I could say it was an unexpected surprise, but I'll 'fess up and relate that I DID order it (we get gift cards whenever we spend a certain amount on our credit card. Score!). A huge shipment of six books and one CD will be arriving in the mail sometime this week! Can you tell I'm psyched? Anyway, I was about to push "Confirm order" when I realized I was going to have to put a little more research into the CD's origins. Drat. So the order was delayed for a few days.

First I checked out the CDs I already own to see what the trend was. The covers were printed in the U.S., but I wasn't sure where the CD itself was made. I drove to Barnes & Noble to physically examine it myself. Nothing. I did get two web addresses off the book, so late Friday night I sent off an email to the producer, politely asking if he could tell me where his CD was made, as I was boycotting China. Thank God for prompt people! He responded the next morning to say that the CD was made in the U.S.

So now folks, I have a copy of Habib Koite's "Afriki" speeding my way. Loverly.

http://www.cumbancha.com/albums/afriki/