# Domestic items seen as "luxury" in other countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667 "2010-05-16T19:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dogeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@dogeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogeman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/21 "2010-05-17T04:04:38Z")
> [@robert\_andrews](#): > > I think this is true of some alcoholic beverages - in the US, Heineken Lager is considered to be premium, which I understand not to be the case in the Netherlands (and possibly elsewhere in Europe). Guinness is treated as premium as well. > > Any non-us dopers want to comment on how US beer, wine, and liquor is treated where you live? I’ve seen US beers sold in Australia as ‘premium imported beers’. Same goes for Corona and Asian beers like Asahi. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/22 "2010-05-17T04:24:31Z")
When Thailand began importing Budweiser from the US, all of high society tripped over themselves to order it in public to show how sophisticated they were. Some of the cachet has worn off, but it still commands a relatively high price. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/23 "2010-05-17T05:32:39Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > It’s interesting that Honda seems to be in the _opposite_ situation from Mercedes. In the US, Honda is mainly known as a manufacturer of inexpensive little cars; so much so that when they started luxury cars and performance sports cars in the US, they created a whole new brand (Acura) for these. In Japan, Honda is highly respected as an innovative company with a long history in motor sports. All Acura models are/were sold in Japan under the Honda brand, even the NSX. This is correct in general, although the distinction probably isn’t as stark as you might think. Acuras were generally the most upscale trims of upscale Japanese market models, which were sold under different dealership networks in the home market than their more plebian counterparts. So actually, while the logos were the same, the upscale customer could buy his car and have it serviced without ever meeting the econobox customer. This is still true today for Honda and Nissan, although both are in the process of introducing Acura and Infiniti to the home market just as Toyota had already introduced Lexus to the home market. The bulk of Acura’s sales today, composed of the Acura TL(a derivative of the US market Honda Accord) and various SUVs (MDX, RDX) are actually not sold in Japan at all, and mostly are made in either the US or Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/24 "2010-05-17T05:45:16Z")
isn’t air conditioning considered “luxury” in England? Where its pretty standard in the US. it’s rare to find a new home without central air, anywhere but maybe Alaska, even in Montana and the northern most of the lower 48… ? ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/25 "2010-05-17T07:48:07Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > isn’t air conditioning considered “luxury” in England? Not in cars, anymore, but in houses possibly: luxury and by and large unnecessary. We have a ‘portable’ unit that is too heavy to move anywhere, but I could probably only name a couple of people we know that have one of those even. I wonder if this is a different case slightly, though? Air conditioning is unusual, but that’s mostly because it just wouldn’t be used for more than a couple of weeks. It’s not that we aspire to air conditioning, and that only rich folks have it. It’s just not relevant, any more than a snowmobile is. Our weather makes it unimportant, on the whole. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/26 "2010-05-17T08:37:27Z")
Not a brand, but here in Hokkaido salmon is not a luxury food - it’s poor people food and really cheap. Less than 15 dollars for a whole boy fish in the season. Girl fish with eggs are double that but still really cheap. Sliced salmon pieces for grilling are pretty much the cheapest fish in the shop. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/27 "2010-05-17T10:58:42Z")
> [@Charley](#): > > It’s not that we aspire to air conditioning, and that only rich folks have it. It’s just not relevant, any more than a snowmobile is. Our weather makes it unimportant, on the whole. Exactly - our climate simply doesn’t get hot enough to make it necessary. I have never once thought “Oh I wish I had air conditioning, it’s too hot in the house”, and I live in one of the warmer parts of the country. I think the fact that most houses are brick-built helps them stay cooler in warm weather anyway. Now, central heating is another matter, and I readily admit England lagged behind in this regard when it should have been a world leader. (I still don’t have central heating in my house, but I should think it was one of the last generation of houses to be built without it ready installed - it was built in the mid 1960s.) Back to the OP, another example might be Evian water. In some countries it is marketed as an upscale mineral water brand, but in France it seems to be the bog-standard bottle o’ water. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/28 "2010-05-17T11:15:52Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > The Dutch Heineken (pilsner) is excellent beer, light years better tasting than the Heineken sold throughout the rest of the world, and yet over there it is just another beer (kind of like the Budwieser of the Netherlands) where the Heineken sold in the US is a so-so beer (with an off-putting aftertaste) that is sold as a luxury brand, marketed to wanna be high rollers and budding sophisticates… Heineken in Sweden is just an ordinary beer with a distinct watery taste, a totally different thing from the one I have enjoyed in the Netherlands (read a bar at Schiphol airport!). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/29 "2010-05-17T12:18:03Z")
Ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant. In the US, the bottle’s price is usually double regular retail. In much of the rest of the world (at least where I’ve been) the price is exactly retail. So, here in the US you see relatively few people with wine bottles on their tables. In other countries, I’m pleasantly surprised when I see the majority of diners with wine bottles on the table. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/30 "2010-05-17T12:30:27Z")
> [@Hokkaido\_Brit](#): > > Not a brand, but here in Hokkaido salmon is not a luxury food - it’s poor people food and really cheap. Less than 15 dollars for a whole boy fish in the season. Girl fish with eggs are double that but still really cheap. Sliced salmon pieces for grilling are pretty much the cheapest fish in the shop. Similarly in Norway, (farmed) local salmon is a fairly cheap fish and certainly not seen as the sort of thing you’d serve to guests. At least, not other Norwegian guests. I’ve heard many other foreigners who are In The Know joke about the hosts at a business dinner trying to impress them by serving smoked salmon appetizers 😛 Of course, Jarlsberg cheese is just another cheese here, probably the second most popular type, and something nearly everyone has in their lunchbox at one time or another. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/31 "2010-05-17T12:46:11Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > it’s rare to find a new home without central air, anywhere but maybe Alaska, even in Montana and the northern most of the lower 48… ? It is? Granted, nowadays I live in one of the northern states, but even when I lived in Colorado, it wasn’t a given that a new house had air conditioning. Some did, yes, but it wasn’t like central heat, where you didn’t even ask about it. All houses had heat, maybe 25%-50% of the new houses came with air, depending on your price point. Of course, the last time I looked at new houses in Colorado was over ten years ago, so maybe things have changed. And yes, Colorado summers get hot enough that you want AC. If I had stayed there, I would have definitely added it. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/32 "2010-05-17T13:04:52Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > In the US, the bottle’s price is usually double regular retail. In much of the rest of the world (at least where I’ve been) the price is exactly retail. I don’t know about your conclusion - that in the US it’s more of a luxury to have wine with a meal - but my experience with the price of wine is absolutely the opposite of yours. I’ve never seen wine in a restaurant at the same price as retail, in fact it’s just a given that we pay more - it’s assumed to be where the restaurant makes money as far as I know. I wouldn’t be surprised to pay almost as much per glass for a wine in a restaurant as it would cost per bottle from a shop. I’m not disbelieving you, but where have you seen this? (I’m in the UK) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/33 "2010-05-17T13:17:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It seems like the cool people in anime from the 80’s and early 90’s are always drinking Budweiser. From a _can._ When I lived in China, I used to giggle watching business men ordering a few bottles of Budweiser to share(large bottles). It was about double the price of Chinese beer and was equally good or bad. I think it was bottled in Beijing, too. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/34 "2010-05-17T13:19:51Z")
50 mb/s internet. In regional Australia you often have to sacrifice an arm and leg to get just 10 mb/s. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/35 "2010-05-17T13:27:12Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > In regional Australia you often have to sacrifice an arm and leg to get just 10 mb/s. Their ISPs are run by crocodiles? ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/36 "2010-05-17T13:34:30Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > It is? Granted, nowadays I live in one of the northern states, but even when I lived in Colorado, it wasn’t a given that a new house had air conditioning. Some did, yes, but it wasn’t like central heat, where you didn’t even ask about it. All houses had heat, maybe 25%-50% of the new houses came with air, depending on your price point. In my experience in New England, most homes don’t come standard with central air, since it’s just not necessary most of the year. Most people use window units for a month or two instead. This includes nice, big, new homes. On the other hand, I live in St. Louis, MO now, and central air is very common, even in cheaper apartments. I wouldn’t live in a place here that didn’t have it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/37 "2010-05-17T13:35:58Z")
I had been travelling for a month up and down Vietnam and when we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) we decided to take a break from the local food (which was generally amazingly good in the urban areas and terrible in the rural areas) and pay a visit to KFC. Firstly, it was great to be able to get stuck into some thick chicken flesh! But we found a) the food was much more expensive than local food - though about the same price as in the West, and b) the customers were generally the more wealthy locals. KFC was definitely considered a luxury. I went back for seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/38 "2010-05-17T14:16:29Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Similarly in Norway, (farmed) local salmon is a fairly cheap fish and certainly not seen as the sort of thing you’d serve to guests. At least, not other Norwegian guests. Almost the same in Sweden. Definitely not a luxury item, but still something you might serve at a party. Also there is an old saying that in the good old days the farmhands in Northern Sweden had in their contracts that they didn’t have to eat salmon more than six days a week. BTW I was at a Norwegian theme party last Saturday and was served whale meat. Interesting taste. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/39 "2010-05-17T14:44:12Z")
> [@Charley](#): > > I don’t know about your conclusion - that in the US it’s more of a luxury to have wine with a meal - but my experience with the price of wine is absolutely the opposite of yours. I’ve never seen wine in a restaurant at the same price as retail, in fact it’s just a given that we pay more - it’s assumed to be where the restaurant makes money as far as I know. I wouldn’t be surprised to pay almost as much per glass for a wine in a restaurant as it would cost per bottle from a shop. > > I’m not disbelieving you, but where have you seen this? (I’m in the UK) My experience is mostly restricted to The Caribbean, but my gf has been to Paris and told me it was similar there. And I’m speaking of entire bottles, not by the glass or carafe. If the UK is similar to the US, it’s a shame. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667/40 "2010-05-17T14:50:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My experience is mostly restricted to The Caribbean yay! another reason (like I needed another) to go the Carribean! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domestic-items-seen-as-luxury-in-other-countries/539667.md?page=3)