Entering though Houston makes the monetization of border security surprisingly plain and obvious for anyone to see. IAH customs and immigration seems to have become little more than a shakedown at this point. If you don't pay up before the shakedown you get punished with excessive delays.
And the saddest part is, the fact that there were only 8 people in line in the monetized line, just goes to show the Gov't is doing its usual efficient job and getting the word out about their own shakedown. :blink:
On the plus side I've finally found an airport that's worse than anything I've seen stateside. It's called Manila and if you ever wanted to feel all warm and fuzzy about American infrastructure that is the place to go. I also enjoyed getting acquainted with an automated beer machine on Japan's famous sinking airport in the sea.
My most recent United Airlines "breakfast" looked like this...
I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be. Any guesses? I didn't leave anything out; that's the whole meal just as you see it. Coach cuisine has always been pretty bad but I do miss the days when even UA provided free liquor to help you sleep through the monotony. I think that ended around the time DL bought out NW.
Wow (to the picture). I guess that is an attempt at a grilled cheese sandwich, with.... yogurt? It is pretty strange to see Disney® branded food service items outside of the parks! What also surprises me more is that it really could have been yogurt. I thought that most Asian cultures didn't find dairy products palatable (ever have cheese on your Kung Pao chicken?). Maybe it was sweetened tofu or bean-curd?
Yogurt and yogurt drinks are popular in Japan just look at Yakult for example. The yogurt most likely has a promotion for Tokyo Disney printed on it and is not Disney branded.
