Hey Guys

[throwawaydad]

I've been taking a little hiatus from my original plan, so although I've stopped by, I've not posted.

I hope everyone is well and you are enjoying the Holiday season.

And for those of you who are awaiting the arrival of your affectionate partner, I hope it happens soon.  The waiting MUST be brutal.

But here's a question for Men who have wives in their home.

What does your spouse really yearn for?  Most of you are in the US, but regardless what is your spouse unable to find that she really misses?  Of if she can find it, unhappy with the quality?  In large cities, like Chicago, where I live does your spouse
regularly shop / visit the hard-core areas where there are significant clusters of "Us Japanese" or "We Pinays"?

And for the members who have been married more than a few years, when your spouse visits "home", after she sees family, where is the first place she goes?

If you visit her "home" with her, do you allow her to drive the agenda / schedule, so you can see what's important to her?

Does your spouse subscribe to Asian / Latin television, internet radio, etc?

Finally, what is the most amazing / exciting thing your spouse sees in the US?
And what, too is the most distressing?  Are there things she won't discuss with you about everyday life in the US for fear of offending?



I don't wish to limit this or make it Asia-centric, so anyone is welcome to chime in here.


For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope it was nice.

We had a White Christmas in Chicago, and it was VERY NICE.  Remember when you were a child?  White Christmas.  Every child's dream.

Happy New Year, Men.


TAD

[Jeff S]

Hey TAD. Good to see you back.

Moving to the US wasn't shock and awe for my wife. She'd visited and even lived here for a while before I met her. Here where I live there are plenty of Japanese shops, restaurants, and such around where I live so the quality of the food and such is nearly on a par with back home. We subscribe to TV Japan on cable and she watches it all the time. I watch the news, travel and cooking shows on it too. It keeps us up on what's going on over there.

In general my wife doesn't cozy up to most of the Japanese we run into around here. Many are not the same kind of educated, ambitious people she befriended at home, but more free spirited fun seekers. She misses her friends but stays in-touch via skype and email. She misses the city life most - not that we live in Hicksville - in fact probably one of the most populated and diverse parts of the country, but it is suburbia where you can't really walk anywhere but a few fast food places and a starbucks, and she was used to the hop on a subway, get anywhere, do anything, any time kind of lifestyle you might find in Manhattan or in the Chicago Diversey district. It took her a long time to adapt, but she has and really enjoys it now. We're both looking forward to splitting time half and half between here and Japan eventually - probably spend the summers and winters here, spring and fall there.

Allow her to drive the agenda when we visit there? Hmmm - yes, I guess. I have things to do and friends there too. Sometimes we both go different directions, but in general she schedules the main events. I often tell her what I want and need to do when I'm there and let her work them into the overall plan. I often am doing book research or something, so have specific people I need to meet or places to go. I'm comfortable traveling all over Japan myself so don't need a chaperpne/translator. Most trips we buy Japan rail passes so can hop on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and get anywhere in the country in a few hours.

[Jhengsman]

Let's see, we regularly hit the local Filipino market and buy the Pinoy package on TV. She hasn't gone to clusters of Filipinos, she has meet up with an old classmates, some who also married or got work visa back in the nurse shortage days and another who is a care giver and is probably TNT and looking for a spouse along with a Pinoy family at my church. There has been no interest shown so far in Filipino cultural clubs and the like. However I have brushed off going to the openings of movies and paying $30 to watch a Filipino film in an old theater a few months before the local , lets say merchants obtain "copies" of the DVD.

Shocks, the care given to dogs was one of the first, that an entire aisle at supermarkets were dedicated to dog food, gifts, etc. How well feed and clothed a majority of our homeless were. The lack of honorifics like uncle of grandmother giving to the older generation. Getting used to differing family dynamics, step parents are either mom/dad or first name "uncle" is not thrown around. My parents cousins who were also cousin to me and not uncle. Skipping uncle for an elder she feels she outranks and going straight to sir when in general we don't use honorifics.

Coming out of Christmas season along with Easter the lack of religious activity on the streets and learning to live were the Catholic calender doesn't so dominate social life. Learning about junk mail and differing foods. We just had a visiting "auntie" this week and she was joking about a wife who served her husband dinner food for breakfast when he broke a fast. I could she her tense up because it was the norm for her to serve me any dinner leftovers for breakfast for two years. Learning we are not expecting rice with every meal and we are likely to mix something with the rice and not eat it dry. And on and on

[Capstone]

Great Topic - I will do my best to answer your questions based upon the experiences of my wife and I.

What does your spouse really yearn for?  Most of you are in the US, but regardless what is your spouse unable to find that she really misses?  Of if she can find it, unhappy with the quality?  In large cities, like Chicago, where I live does your spouse
regularly shop / visit the hard-core areas where there are significant clusters of "Us Japanese" or "We Pinays"?

This one is easy - without a doubt the one thing that my wife misses most about China is the food. She and I frequent the Chinese & other Asian markets and can pretty much find any type of food stuff that is available in China so we can cook all her favorite dishes at home (or at least attempt to). But finding a restaurant which actually serves real authentic Chinese cuisine is very hard - especially Fujian dishes. Up to now we have only found 1 restaurant in Atlanta which serves what my wife (and even I for that matter) would consider to be authentic Chinese cuisine.

And for the members who have been married more than a few years, when your spouse visits "home", after she sees family, where is the first place she goes?

Again this goes back to the yearning for food as mentioned above. We usually fly into Hong Kong and spend the night before making the short flight home to Xiamen. Just as soon as we clear customs in the HK airport, my wife always heads straight to a small Hui Lau Shan located within the arrivals lounge. Hui Lau Shan is a famous dessert restaurant which started in HK and it is very good - my wife has me hooked on it now. http://www.hkhls.com/

Once back in Xiamen, if it is winter time then after checking in with my wife's parents we will all head to a restaurant call the Little Sheep for Hot Pot - if you like Hot Pot this is definitely the place to go. But if it is summer time then we will head straight for a hole in the wall seafood joint which I haven't a clue as to what the name is where my wife loves the crab and I love the spicy squid. 

If you visit her "home" with her, do you allow her to drive the agenda / schedule, so you can see what's important to her?

Most definitely - I let her set the agenda while I sit back and reap the benefits.

Does your spouse subscribe to Asian / Latin television, internet radio, etc?

Yes, we have a Chinese programming package through Dish Network which my wife enjoys a lot - it gives her 18 channels to watch.

Finally, what is the most amazing / exciting thing your spouse sees in the US?
And what, too is the most distressing?  Are there things she won't discuss with you about everyday life in the US for fear of offending?

My wife was well traveled and versed in western culture before we met so nothing was really a big surprise to her after she arrived in the US - except I do recall that she was some what amazed at how high property taxes are here as well as the high cost of food. My wife has no inhibitions about discussing any topic with me - or with anyone else for that matter. Chinese are pretty straight forward and will almost always let you know how they feel about something.

[jm21-2]

My fiance hasn't lived here yet, but she did live in Australia twice. The big thing she missed was the food, even though she lived next to the biggest Asian mall in Australia. Some things are hard to find like her favorite brand of macha tea (an internet search only turned up one store, and the shipping is a killer), Taro cake, Chinese herb packages, specialty dried mushrooms, that sort of thing. And restaurants are way cheaper in Taiwan for some things like chow mein, fried rice, bao'zi, and a few other things. She wasn't really used to cooking for herself. Between her mom and cheap street food there was never really a need. Groceries are not that different in price but street food prices there are much less expensive than any sort of restaurant here.

Since the last time I went there we have been going over things she will want to bring with her because they're not available in the US. I took a bag of stuff home with me last time and we've been exchanging a ton of links. Like her mom wanted to send a rice cooker over but really the ones here are better and often cheaper. But dried mushrooms from that little shop at the Lushan hot springs are not going to be found here. She also found that it was very difficult to find a comfortable brand of sanitary pads in Australia.

More and more people in every country are using streaming video over the internet instead of TV. I don't have a TV and she only watches online so it's not going to be a big deal. She was watching a Korean show called "my girlfriend is a nine-tailed fox" streaming and I downloaded a fansub of it easily. I can see trying to find a Korean, HK, or Japanese show subtitled in Chinese and English being a problem. She can't read the English subtitles very fast.

[Capstone]

Some things are hard to find like her favorite brand of macha tea (an internet search only turned up one store, and the shipping is a killer), Taro cake, Chinese herb packages, specialty dried mushrooms, that sort of thing.

Those things may not be as hard to find here as you may think. There is one huge market they we frequent in Atlanta which has 2 big aisles dedicated to nothing but tea and the main Chinese market that we shop at has 20-30 different types of dried mushrooms to choose from. Taro cakes are easy to find in the markets around here and my wife just found some pretty unique herb packages that she has wanted for making some sort of wine concoction that she will use for cooking after she gives birth. She actually found that particular herb package in one of the markets but there are also several Chinese herb shops in Atlanta which pretty much have anything that you could ever want. We have even been able to find a brand of noodle that is made in Xiamen which my wife grew up on. These are things that won't show up in any internet search though - you just need to hit the markets and see what they have. Let me know what the brand of tea that your fiancee likes and I will see if I can locate it the next time that we hit the markets (which should be this weekend). 

She also found that it was very difficult to find a comfortable brand of sanitary pads in Australia.

LOL!! I hear you - my wife brought back an entire suitcase full of her brand from China because she could not find any here that she considers to be comfortable.

[thekfc]

Again this goes back to the yearning for food as mentioned above. We usually fly into Hong Kong and spend the night before making the short flight home to Xiamen. Just as soon as we clear customs in the HK airport, my wife always heads straight to a small Hui Lau Shan located within the arrivals lounge. Hui Lau Shan is a famous dessert restaurant which started in HK and it is very good - my wife has me hooked on it now. http://www.hkhls.com/

I have been to the one in Causeway Bay (Yee Wo St) - the mango pudding I had was excellent!!!!!!

My wife is also worried about the food.
I keep telling her do not worry, you can find just about anything you want here in NYC.

[Capstone]

I have been to the one in Causeway Bay (Yee Wo St) - the mango pudding I had was excellent!!!!!!

I have been to that location many times myself. My wife likes to shop at the Sogo department store which is right across the street, so we usually visit both places. All of their mango desserts are great!

[jm21-2]

There's a place called the great wall mall that's not too far from where I live and is supposed to be really good...just gotta get over there sometime. I imagine I can find some of the things she's looking for. But it's an hour drive (without traffic) and $4 toll so I've been lazy about getting over there without some specific goal in mind.

But, for example, the mushrooms are sold by very small businesses up in the mountains in Taiwan, the same for tea. Almost all the companies are run by a family and they barely ship anything out. I'm sure she could find something similar here but not quite as special as that. I still have some tea I got from my first trip there and it's pretty unique. Each family has their own tradition.

Living in a small town makes things more difficult, but Seattle isn't that far away for weekend trips.

Morihan is the brand of tea, which is a pretty big Japanese brand, but I'm a little unclear about which type she wanted. She sent me some pictures of the can a while back but I couldn't make out some of the details. She's very specific about it and looked all over in Brisbane and couldn't find it. She loves the City Cafe macha (sort of mini espresso bar in 7-11s in Taiwan) and I bet I could figure out what tea they use.

You really feel headed towards marriage when you have a box of pads lying around in your house, lol. I guess I should have taken more home.

[Dave H]

What does your spouse really yearn for?  

Hey TAD,

Let's see...beef loaf, a particular type of dried fish (there were many in the local Asian stores, but not her favorite), fresh fish, a particular type of ginamos from Cebu, Philippine mangoes, Lechon manok (American chickens taste funny), rice cooked on a wood fire (they haven't done that in years...but, it tastes better), roosters crowing at 5 AM,  family...

And for the members who have been married more than a few years, when your spouse visits "home", after she sees family, where is the first place she goes?

Hmmm...I think to church...I am usually still sleeping and trying to recover from jet lag.

If you visit her "home" with her, do you allow her to drive the agenda / schedule, so you can see what's important to her?

Things are very laidback...just happen when they happen.

Does your spouse subscribe to Asian / Latin television, internet radio, etc?

No...but TFC (The Filipino Channel - TV) probably would have been nice.

Finally, what is the most amazing / exciting thing your spouse sees in the US?

Definitely Disney World!!!

And what, too is the most distressing?  

All of the Filipinas that I know in South Florida say coming to America...and still being in the third world! Many rude immigrants...both legal and "UD's" (undocumented Democrats).  

And what, too is the most distressing?  Are there things she won't discuss with you about everyday life in the US for fear of offending?

TAD

I don't think so? But then again...she wouldn't tell me so I wouldn't be offended...right?   Actually, she wouldn't hold back!  

Dave

[robert angel]

Definitely the food. Even though there are Asian stores, they tend to vary what they have and don't have and occasionally we'll make a day trip to Jacksonville, Florida which has pretty much everything Filipino from the Philippines that you're likely to find in the USA.

But still, not being able to go outside your home, whether it's to a neighbor's house (where unlike here, there it's pretty routine for people to mix, eat and socialize) or out on the street where there are so many fresh and cooked food vendors or to the mall's food courts where there are 100's of delectably diverse choices at arm's length--here you more often have to make it yourself with what you have on hand. And not have a kazzilion people, sights, smells and sounds all around.

Also, in the USA, eating isn't as important a social event as it is back there, where my wife's family stops everything and eats together at the same times, whether they're really hungry or not--most importantly--being together.

Here a day with 12 plus hours of day light can go by and my wife will wonder how it went by so fast and so little things that were truly meaningful occurred--how little true meaningful human interaction in general occured. Everybody in a hurry, hustling, working hard and for what?

Definitely stock up up on at least good quality jasmine rice--have a big bag by the kitchen entrance when she arrives, tiliapia, milk fish, vinegars, soy sauce, fish sauce and other sauces. Find out where the stores are beforehand, take her there and let her pick and choose.

My wife just doesn't feel we need a rice cooker--it's two cups of water and a cup of rice, straight up, but some Filipinas love there rice cookers. I like a dash of salt and a half teaspoon of butter, but again, she makes our rice 'straight up'.

I offered to sign up for Filipina cable channels, but my wife finds so much more on line, especially those inane (to me) Korean soap operas dubbed into Tagalog and favorite Filipino entertainers and shows. Find a good phone service--skype or whatever. There are good ones that for 8 or 9 cents a minute, she can call from the USA east coast to the Philippines from her cell or land line anytime.

If she's real petite, clothes, especially slacks might be something to stock up on there. Dental, medical  and optical care may be cheaper there--the quality probably not as good, but hey, if you don't have insurance here, do what's best. She misses some of the natural and more practical medical solutions, versus a pill or a shot for everything here. Feminine hygiene products my wife prefers are only available back home for the most part.

Have a good iron and ironing board. I think most Filipinas like clean pressed clothes--my wife will iron just about anything--she doesn't like wrinkles in my corduroys even, but at least she uses low heat there and irons seam to seam--not putting creases in the front. I feel like a little kid sometimes before leaving for work--she has to look me over and will sometimes all but insist that I change to a nicer looking shirt or neater slacks--she likes me not to dress too 'old fashioned' to wear contemporary but not 'edgey' looking shoes and considers my denim shirts awful, but hey, I still do wear them on occasion.

So get ready to be flexible for the both of you. She misses how even if she and her family were of modest means, they somehow were able to always make the most of what they had and look classy and clean, whereas here, people dress to one extreme or the other quite often.

The way we do laundry her and there is different, so be ready to possibly have to explain. Baking--broiling and microwave ovens aren't common there and she may need some tips.

She may want to cook some 'USA style' dishes to please you--ones that she too enjoys (after a while) I bought a number of cook books, starting with ones that combined 3 or 4 common brand name products into, say a casserole, but she really didn't embrace that. Her seeing what others made, including my family and learning those, became staples and a beginning knowledge base to branch out from. So did some recipes on-line. She's really embraced olive oils.

She gets together every week or so with one or two friends, to basically eat dried fish and I'm sure to talk about how crazy life in the USA is. I know she misses eating and socializing like that more often as she did back home.

When you're there, let her and her family take the lead in where to go and what to see. chances it will go better--being more enjoyable and you'll see if they consider you to be a walking ATM machine or not.

I thought magazines like 'Better Homes and Gardens' and "Reader's Digest" would interest her, but they didn't. She was more interested in novels by authors like Nicholas Sparks--well written, usually sentimental stuff embracing family values, etc. Back home, 'pocket books' were sort of the same thing, but she misses that exact sort of thing being around for idle moments

My wife has been introduced well into local Filipino American organizations in a few states, but has only 3 or 4 Filipinas--actually really only two, who she considers 'close' as true friends. She's on friendly terms with all and is adored by her American co workers and has advanced rapidly but sees the dramas and such that go on in public and behind the scenes and avoids getting too close.

My wife finds comfort in church and her novenas, but church here isn't the same and she misses how it is back home. Here, they have to lock the doors after mass, insurance prohibits lighting candles for prayers, except for at the main cathedral and church just doesn't seem as soothing, sincere, comfortable and cleansing as it does back home. Still, her faith is strong in her heart and mind, so her faith is important here as there.

There, if they have two beans to eat, they thank God. Here, if they have three beans, they're more inclined to pray and ask God to give them four as quickly as possible.

Children raised here often seem spoiled and inherently ungrateful for all they have and many Filipinos miss the better manners many Filipino children display and the love, care and reverence those younger at all ages, have for their elders

Yes, it seems that just about every Filipino want to visit Disneyworld--land and many also eventually want to see places like Washington D.C., NYC, Las Vegas, California and so on....

[Ray]

Oh boy! Lots of questions…

What does your spouse really yearn for?

Visits home to the Philippines.

Most of you are in the US, but regardless what is your spouse unable to find that she really misses?

Youngstown Sardines in the can.

Or if she can find it, unhappy with the quality?

She loves seafood and can find all kinds (with heads and eyeballs) right down the street in the Filipino supermarket, but the fish are all dead. She misses fish that are still kicking when you cook them, or at least when you buy them. We sometimes go fishing at the nearby public pier where she loves to see those little boogers jumping around in the bucket.

In large cities, like Chicago, where I live does your spouse regularly shop / visit the hard-core areas where there are significant clusters of "Us Japanese" or "We Pinays"?

We don’t have to visit. We live in a community with a very large Filipino population. 95% of my close neighbors are Filipino. Our dentist is Filipino.

Our church is 60-70% Filipino, including both parish priests. We have Filipino traditions like Simbang Gabi (dawn mass) in December, Easter Salubong, and Tagalog mass sometimes.

We have a Filipino bakery, a Filipino hair salon/barber shop, a Filipino turo-turo (fast food joint) right down the street. There are at least 4 Filipino supermarkets, about 10 Filipino bakeries, 2 Jollibees, 2 Red Ribbon Bake Shops, 2 Chow Kings, Goldilocks,, and dozens of  Filipino restaurants within 10 minutes of us.

And for the members who have been married more than a few years, when your spouse visits "home", after she sees family, where is the first place she goes?

The cemetery.

If you visit her "home" with her, do you allow her to drive the agenda / schedule, so you can see what's important to her?

Schedule? What schedule? About the only things they do on schedule are meals, Sunday church, and going to bed early. Most everything else just seems to happen spontaneously. I mostly follow along but also wander off alone occasionally.

Does your spouse subscribe to Asian / Latin television, internet radio, etc?

No. Sometimes we rent Filipino Tagalog movies.

Finally, what is the most amazing / exciting thing your spouse sees in the US?

Snow.

And what, too is the most distressing?

American politics, especially Democrats… LOL!

Are there things she won't discuss with you about everyday life in the US for fear of offending?

Nope, at least I don’t think so… 

Ray

[Bob_S]

What does your spouse really yearn for?  Most of you are in the US, but regardless what is your spouse unable to find that she really misses?  Of if she can find it, unhappy with the quality?

Seafood variety, with an emphasis on variety.  At your typical American grocery store, the seafood section is tiny in comparison, maybe 6' long?  And is limited to salmon, cod, tilapia, shrimp, and crab.  At a Japanese super, at least in my wife's hometown that is a seaport/agricultural town, an entire wall is dedicated to a variety of seafood that would make the Monterey Aquarium envious (and some of it probably illegal in most Western countries).
And produce.  Her hometown grows organic produce.  The common stuff grown here just doesn’t taste as good as what she can commonly find back home.

In large cities, like Chicago, where I live does your spouse regularly shop / visit the hard-core areas where there are significant clusters of "Us Japanese" or "We Pinays"?

There are 4 near us serving the Nisei market, and we drop by one or another maybe 3 times per month to stock up on her comfort foods.  Though for even those, the seafood section is still maybe 2 or 3 times the size of a typical American grocery store’s, but still smaller than any of the seafood sections in her small hometown’s grocery stores.

And for the members who have been married more than a few years, when your spouse visits "home", after she sees family, where is the first place she goes?

Grocery store.  Then the family grave.

If you visit her "home" with her, do you allow her to drive the agenda / schedule, so you can see what's important to her?

I mostly let her arrange everything.  It’s her chance to catch up with all her friends and family who have their own busy lives she has to accommodate.  Though I occasionally state that for this trip I definitely want to do this or that or go visit some particular place, one or two days out of our 2 week trip, and she will do her best to make arrangements to accommodate my desires.

Does your spouse subscribe to Asian / Latin television, internet radio, etc?

Naw.  There’s a local digital broadcast in her language, but she hardly ever watches it.  She gets most of her fix through the internet (news & info-tainment).  And there are free magazines at the local Nisei markets.

Finally, what is the most amazing / exciting thing your spouse sees in the US?

Space.  Elbow room.  One of the first places we went to visit when she first came for a visit over 8 years ago was the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  She remarked that they could never build something like this in Japan because there isn’t enough open space.  And once while driving through rural North Texas, she remarked how big the sky was.  America is a place, she says, where you can dream big.

And what, too is the most distressing?

Dismally poor customer service (in comparison).  And how public servants are held in such low esteem.

 

Are there things she won't discuss with you about everyday life in the US for fear of offending?

If she won’t discuss them with me, how would I know? 

Happy New Year, Men.

Akemash’ta omedetou gozaimasu.  Kotoshi mo, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

[thekfc]

If she won’t discuss them with me, how would I know? 

[piglett]

If she's real petite, clothes, especially slacks might be something to stock up on there. Dental, medical  and optical care may be cheaper there--the quality probably not as good, but hey, if you don't have insurance here, do what's best. She misses some of the natural and more practical medical solutions, versus a pill or a shot for everything here. Feminine hygiene products my wife prefers are only available back home for the most part.

I have a real hard time finding shirts that will fit Marily here. small is way too wide & she has to get it altered which here will run into real money here.

Have a good iron and ironing board. I think most Filipinas like clean pressed clothes--my wife will iron just about anything--she doesn't like wrinkles in my corduroys even, but at least she uses low heat there and irons seam to seam--not putting creases in the front. I feel like a little kid sometimes before leaving for work--she has to look me over and will sometimes all but insist that I change to a nicer looking shirt or neater slacks--she likes me not to dress too 'old fashioned' to wear contemporary but not 'edgey' looking shoes and considers my denim shirts awful, but hey, I still do wear them on occasion.

Marily looks me over too & says ooooh that is not quite rite take it off & ware this It's really funny & i just say "yes mama" he he he 

Yes, it seems that just about every Filipino want to visit Disneyworld--land and many also eventually want to see places like Washington D.C., NYC, Las Vegas, California and so on....

we never had a honeymoon so maybe a trip to Disney will do the trick next year




pig

[Ray]

I have a real hard time finding shirts that will fit Marily here. small is way too wide & she has to get it altered which here will run into real money here.
 

Look for Petite sizes, which are available in most of the larger department stores. Some stores have whole Petite sections.

Junior or girl’s sizes will work, especially for pants. If she doesn’t like the teenager’s styles available, then buy her a sewing machine and let her alter/shorten her own jeans and pants.

Tip: Victoria’s Secret has many/most fashions available in size XS (Extra Small). If they don’t stock those in the local stores, look online. We get some real good prices shopping VS online for clearance/sale items and at the nearby VS Outlet Store where they have whole sections for size XS with panties @ 10/$20, bras @ $3 - $15, bikini swimsuits at $5/piece, sleepwear @ 4/$20, etc…

In the VS Outlet Store, I smile when I see dozens of Hispanic chicks with fake boobs and Booty Pop inserts fighting each other like sharks in a feeding frenzy for bargains at the 40DD bra tables and XL panty tables, while the 34A bra and XS panty tables have a few Asian women calmly looking through the merchandise.   

Ray

[Bill_McC]

I guess I just crawled out from under my rock. I had no idea what a booty pop insert was so I did a google image search. MY EYES MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You HAVE to be kidding me! What woman in their right mind would want to look like that? Not one I'd be interested in being seen in public with thats for certain.

I'm crawling back under my rock, I like it better there.


Bill

[thekfc]

I have a real hard time finding shirts that will fit Marily here. small is way too wide & she has to get it altered which here will run into real money here.

X-small should do the trick.

I did brought some Disney children size t-shirts on my trip. the intent was to give to her nieces but they fit both her & one of her sister perfectly.

we never had a honeymoon so maybe a trip to Disney will do the trick next year
pig

That would be excellent.
I have trips to Disney, Great Adventures (NJ) & Universal Studio plan for the next two years.
She do want to visit California as she have family in Long Beach some she haven't seen since she was a kid

Look for Petite sizes, which are available in most of the larger department stores. Some stores have whole Petite sections.

Junior or girl’s sizes will work, especially for pants. If she doesn’t like the teenager’s styles available, then buy her a sewing machine and let her alter/shorten her own jeans and pants.

That is what I am currently doing, slim fit, petite, juniors & 3/4 sleeve length.
Just about all the stuff I have are tops - I am waiting for when she comes to get the bottoms.

Tip: Victoria’s Secret has many/most fashions available in size XS (Extra Small). If they don’t stock those in the local stores, look online. We get some real good prices shopping VS online for clearance/sale items and at the nearby VS Outlet Store where they have whole sections for size XS with panties @ 10/$20, bras @ $3 - $15, bikini swimsuits at $5/piece, sleepwear @ 4/$20, etc…

In the VS Outlet Store, I smile when I see dozens of Hispanic chicks with fake boobs and Booty Pop inserts fighting each other like sharks in a feeding frenzy for bargains at the 40DD bra tables and XL panty tables, while the 34A bra and XS panty tables have a few Asian women calmly looking through the merchandise.   

Ray

The VS Semi Annual Sale (SAS) just started online - In store will start January 4th & ends January 23rd.
http://www.victoriassecret.com/
Also if you shop online, go through each category sale & clearance section - they have cheap stuff that are not included in the SAS section.

For those who are wondering where do VS send their stuff that they do not sell - it goes here
http://www.mjrsales.com/
Most of the stuff listed un Famous Catalog are VS.

Now is a good time to start stocking up as most of the store will start clearing out their current stuff to make room for the upcoming season.

[Ray]

I guess I just crawled out from under my rock. I had no idea what a booty pop insert was so I did a google image search. MY EYES MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You HAVE to be kidding me! What woman in their right mind would want to look like that? Not one I'd be interested in being seen in public with thats for certain.

I'm crawling back under my rock, I like it better there.


Bill

LOL!

Ask the guys on the Latin Board about it...

[thekfc]

I guess I just crawled out from under my rock. I had no idea what a booty pop insert was so I did a google image search. MY EYES MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You HAVE to be kidding me! What woman in their right mind would want to look like that? Not one I'd be interested in being seen in public with thats for certain.

I'm crawling back under my rock, I like it better there.


Bill

Booty Pop Panties - the panties that make flat fannies look Bootylicious

Bill there are also the Iphone panty, Pre-Stained Underwear, Blood Pressure-Sensing Underwear & the Disposable Underwear....just to name a few.

Bill get back out there and....oh wait.....stay where you are

[michaelb]

LOL!

Ask the guys on the Latin Board about it...

Well since you solicited opinions from the latin board guys...

Fake 40DD? FAKE anything is bad. Even natural 40DD is probably too much of a good thing.

Padded booty? Why? For my taste, I'll say "No thanks" to padded (or injected) anything.   

Sure, I like women with curves in the right places and all that, but only if they're all natural.

[robert angel]

We had/have real trouble getting clothes that fit 'just right' for my wife--she's about 5'1 tall and between 90-95 pounds, with a really thin waist and curves  in the right places else where. On pants, the legs on slacks available are almost always too long and the rare ones that aren't too long--even the 'skinny jeans', leave too much loose room in the waist/belt area. Blouses usually have to be the sort that are cinched in--'tailored'--whatever it's called, at the waist, or else they just hang from her shoulders and make her look too young.

To be honest, neither of us are much into sewing, hemming--she was raised to concentrate on school and career primarily and while since she came here, she's gotten good at the domestic stuff and has become quite the cook and home maker, sewing's just not something either of us care for or are good at.

We sent a nice sewing machine to her Mom back home though and she's as good as any tailor but it's a long trip!

Even pricey places that tend to cater to the thin, rich and tan 'elite' like Talbots, Lord and Taylor, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Ann Taylor, Cache, etc rarely fit right and we don't like to spend that much anyway.

Designers vary greatly in uniformity of size. Some extra smalls and smalls are the size of other designer's 'medium sizes' so usually buying on-line is not smart. regardless--always keep your receipts!.

I hear some designers make clothes marked extra small and small in sizes closer that are actually really closer to an actual medium size, so as to stroke the egos of women who want to say they can fit into a double zero, zero or extra small, etc.

Gap and I think Banana Republic as well, offer 'ankle short' cut slacks, including nice dress slacks--but ONLY on-line and almost never on sale. I cringe at paying $70 plus on-line, plus shipping for a $70+ pair of dress slacks from Banana Republic that were made in Sri Lanka for maybe a $1.25.

Ever look at the place of origin on Bananna Republic clothes? I don't think they skip a single third world country. Old Navy (all three are the same company) have some things that fit my wife, but they're too teenie bopper' looking. My wife wouldn't be caught dead in Barbie Pink, or with 'Hot Stuff' embroidered across her nicely curvaceous rear end.

Sometimes we get lucky at Victoria's Secret--the bras and extra small panties always seem to work, if in stock.

We haven't gotten around to buying those edible fruit panties made of the same candy they make the kids fruit roll ups out of, but some of you guys might want to give them a try!


The Charlotte Russe mall chain  has some small cut clothes that do fit, but they tend to look like border line 'hooker' 'night club trash' and I don't think we've ever found anything we actually bought there, although plenty of Filipinas do buy there. same thing, but to a considerably lesser extent with the mall chain 'Forever 21".

Aeropostle and Hollister do have some things that fit and we like their jeans, but most of their stuff, like the above mentioned, are geared style wise to the teenie bopper' crowd.

Overall, on a good day, The Gap--especially on rare occasions where they might have some 'ankle short' dress pants or jeans' in stock that were returned or accidentally shipped, and most of their extra small T Shirts, blouses and sweaters, seem to be our best bet and they have sales running from 30% to 50% off.

I think we sent about 20 really nice Polo shirts from the Gaps 4th of July sale to the Philippines--their cotton is really good quality too and were like 80% off regular price. They also have a nice mix of professional wear, as well as classy casual. Banana Republic does too--but to a much lesser extent in terms of what you get for the price, quality and value as well as their 'in stock' consistency regarding extra small--small sizes.

[thekfc]

We had/have real trouble getting clothes that fit 'just right' for my wife--she's about 5'1 tall and between 90-95 pounds, with a really thin waist and curves  in the right places else where. On pants, the legs on slacks available are almost always too long and the rare ones that aren't too long--even the 'skinny jeans', leave too much loose room in the waist/belt area. Blouses usually have to be the sort that are cinched in--'tailored'--whatever it's called, at the waist, or else they just hang from her shoulders and make her look too young.

I have bought a lot of tops/dress for Ahya  and few bottom because I am concern about the sizing & length. The bottoms that I have bought are mostly capris & 3/4 length pants/jeans. Hopefully she will be here during the height of the clearance season - that will give her a chance to do he own shopping & right fit.
 

Designers vary greatly in uniformity of size. Some extra smalls and smalls are the size of other designer's 'medium sizes' so usually buying on-line is not smart. regardless--always keep your receipts!.

So very true. That is true even within the brands. Pink & the regular Victoria's Secret are cut differently. Ahya could wear a small in VS  but for the same item she have to go down to a XS in Pink & vice versa.

I hear some designers make clothes marked extra small and small in sizes closer that are actually really closer to an actual medium size, so as to stroke the egos of women who want to say they can fit into a double zero, zero or extra small, etc.

I know of one company that recently did that. They "down size" on the actually sizing. Their old size 2 they now called it size 0, 4 is now 2, etc,. They did that because they wanted to be "uniformed" with other brand sizing.

We haven't gotten around to buying those edible fruit panties made of the same candy they make the kids fruit roll ups out of, but some of you guys might want to give them a try!

Don't forget the body butter & body icing.

Aeropostle and Hollister do have some things that fit and we like their jeans, but most of their stuff, like the above mentioned, are geared style wise to the teenie bopper' crowd.

I was about to recommend American Eagle/Aerie but they too are geared towards the younger crowd.
 

[robert angel]

Some of the stuff in the 'petite' sections of ladies stores would fit 4 foot, ten inch tall, 160 + pound women perfectly. Little if anything in  the "Petite' section of places like Macys seems to begin to fit my wife.

The 'misses' section doesn't cater to the 'short, thick professional woman' nearly as much, but there, you get all the teenie bopper style stuff---over styled stuff with things like 'hot stuff' and 'baby phat' across the rear end. We might find an occasional blouse or sweater that's nice, fits well but isn't too teen age focused.

I'm not ashamed to admit that we hit some resale shops in some wealthy areas and have gotten some incredible deals on really high end clothing, some never even worn or even with the store's price tags still attached. We've never sold anything on E Bay, but when we paid $3 for a $186 Marc Jacobs peasant blouse, new with the price tag still attached, I was tempted to post it there for a quick $75 or so.

I think the Hickey Freeman blazer that fits me perfectly and still had the label on it was never even worn, or ginally cost $700 and the full length, silk lined 100% cashmere dark blue full length men's dress coat that set me back $15 is good down to about 15 degrees on a windy winter day. It looks like something one of the Rockefellers would wear to a formal function. Veddy swank.

It's hit or miss according to location though. Some places like Hilton Head Island are treasure troves for resales on never or rarely worn designer duds, but in South Beach Miami, we hit a few shops on a couple occasions and didn't find a thing.

[Ray]

For pig, kfc, and others bringing your bride/fiancee over, I strongly recommend sending her some spending money to buy some jeans or other pants over there to bring with her.

Good quality jeans are not much cheaper than they are here, but the sizes in the Philippines are made for small women and she will have no problem finding perfect fits.

My wife always buys jeans when she goes home to visit and she still regularly wears Levis that she brought with her 10 years ago. They still fit perfectly too.

Oh, make sure she brings her own tabo because they are hard to find here in many cities!   

Ray