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マニキュアとユーロ圏
世界で起きている経済危機を身近なこととして捉えるのは意外と難しかったりもするが、筆者は、最近訪れたい平らのミラノである体験をし、ユーロ圏での経済危機について改めて考えさせられたという。その体験とは — 。
Manicures and eurozones
News about the global economy can occasionally seem hard to understand on a personal level. But sometimes you get the opportunity to bring the macro-economic story down to a micro, or personal, level. I recently had such an opportunity. We have all read about the European financial crisis and have heard the controversial acronym PIIGS, referring to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain — the eurozone countries that have been suffering financial difficulties. Apparently they have some debt issues, much like a first-year university student does when they realize that their new credit card has to be repaid at some point.
I tend to assume the southern European nations are suffering the fallout of the global financial crisis, and I like to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I was recently in Italy and was able to develop my own impression. Let's bring it down to the lowest common denominator — the manicure.
I tried to book a manicure on a Monday at 5 p.m. You would think I asked them to get me an audience with the pope. The salon owner replied that there was no way they would be able to give me a manicure before they closed at 6 p.m. Milan, the business epicenter of Italy, seems to close at 6 p.m. — many places are closed all day Monday as well.
I couldn't help but reminisce about my days in the ultraconvenient Tokyo. I wanted my hair done at 11 p.m., before I hit the clubs? No problem. Champagne brought in courtesy of the bar next door? No problem. You need a dress shirt for work early in the morning because you didn't make it home last night? No problem. You can buy a cup of sake and an iPhone charger while you're at the corner store.
Europe could learn a little about the art of convenience and customer service. I'm not talking about having big box stores in every suburb. I'm talking about giving people what they need, when they need it. Every country has their niche. Japan has a convenience store on every corner, Canada has a bank on every corner, America has drive-through donut stores, and Italy has great cafes. If only globalization allowed us to have a country with great convenience stores, banks, donut shops and cafes on every corner! Utopia.
Countries and companies that don't meet consumers' demands will be left behind. But the issue of productivity also plays a role. Working longer hours to offer more services should not be the goal; working smarter, so citizens can achieve a work-life balance, should be. Whoever figures it out first will win — and will have great nails in the process.
- occasionally
- 時々
- macroeconomic
- マクロ経済の
- financial crisis
- 経済危機
- controversial
- 議論を呼ぶ
- acronym
- 頭字語
- referring to 〜
- 〜を指す
- have been suffering
- 〜に苦しんでいる
- Apparently
- どうやら
- debt
- 負債
- issue
- 問題
- at some point
- どこかの時点で
- tend to 〜
- 〜する傾向がある
- assume
- 〜だと決めてかかる
- fallout
- 付随的な結果
- give 〜 the benefit of the doubt
- 〜を大目に見る
- impression
- 考え
- lowest common denominator
- 誰もが経験するような問題のうち一番ささいなもの(=>「分母の最小公倍数」の意)
- book
- 予約を入れる
- audience
- 謁見
- pope
- ローマ法王
- there was no way 〜
- 〜なんて絶対にできない
- epicenter
- 中心
- couldn't help but 〜
- 〜せずにはいられなかった
- reminisce
- 懐かしく思い出す
- ultraconvenient
- 超便利な
- hair done
- 髪をセットする
- hit
- 〜に行く
- Champagne
- シャンパン
- courtesy of 〜
- 〜の無料提供で
- dress shirt
- ワイシャツ
- didn't make it home
- 家に帰れなかった
- charger
- 充電器
- corner store
- 街角の店
- convenience
- 便利さ
- big box stores
- 大規模な小売店
- suburb
- 郊外
- niche
- 得意分野
- Utopia
- ユートピア(理想郷)
- be left behind
- 取り残される
- productivity
- 生産性
- plays a role
- 一因となる
- citizens
- 国民
- achieve
- 〜を得る
- figures it out
- 答えを見つける
- in the process
- その過程で