2011 model disposable lighters
Even though I don't smoke, I always carry a lighter. It is the most versatile and most used item in my tool kit. I use it to shed light, provide heat, make fire, salute performance and detect air flow.
Some recent examples of use: I have verified the presence and direction of air flow in an over-heated electronic device, and have learned why our house could easily, though unintentionally, be flooded with carbon monoxide. When hiking in the jungle at Pangor Laut Resort, our guide needed heat to release the fragrance from the sap of a felled tree. (He purported it to be a component of Channel No. 5.) "Does anyone have a lighter?" he asked. As I produced the only fire-making device among an amazingly-unprepared group of jungle explorers, all Nancy could say was, "He doesn't even smoke!" To which I added: "Do you need a knife or a saw, too?"
I don’t think I could function without my lighter, and that’s making me anxious, for my current lighter is running out of fluid and may fail me soon.
My Michael Jackson lighter has served me well, even though I wasn't keen on it. Truth be told, I grudgingly bought the tacky thing, for I had no choice. How did I find myself – a person renowned for being prepared – get backed into buying it?
When I boarded the plane to come to China last year, I had forgotten to stow my collection of four Bic lighters in my checked luggage, and the kind people at CATSA rightly confiscated them. I needed to replace them as soon as I arrived in Beijing.
You would think it would be easy to buy a disposable lighter in a land populated with so many smokers, but, to his credit, disposable is not an attribute valued by the Chinese consumer.
Unlike in North America, only a fool would pay money for something designed to be thrown away. One might as well throw away money! When something breaks here, it gets fixed; and if it can’t be fixed, it gets repurposed – even used bricks. It would be unconscionable to buy something that could neither be recharged, repaired nor repurposed.
Disposable is associated with profligate wastefulness, and is not a trait people want to project, except in their fashion accessories (which includes the category "cars"). Instead, the Chinese prefer the brand recognition that comes from, say, owning an heirloom Zippo lighter – even if it's counterfeit.
Still, my deeply personal relationship with airport security-screening has made me a fan of the disposable lighter. When I found myself light a few lighters, I was determined to replace them with disposables.
I searched for several weeks, but I could not find one – until I visited the store where this photo was taken. They had disposable lighters, albeit only The Michael Jackson model. I bought one without hesitation, for I had quickly learned that if you see something you need here, buy it, for you might never see it again. I'd deal with the social consequences later.
This store is home base for most Beijing expats, because it specializes in stocking its shelves with groceries, foodstuffs, and household products from Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australia, all sold at a reasonable price. The staff is friendly and helpful, and some of them speak English very well. The proprietors are keen to channel the zeitgeist of foreign life.
This probably explains why disposable lighters are displayed prominently at the checkout counter. What foreigner could pass up a culturally relevant lighter, such as The Michael Jackson? I couldn’t.
Last night, when I happened to be visiting the store, I thought I'd test drive the 2011 model. Was I in for a shock!
Last year, I had to buy the Michael Jackson, because it was the only model available. But this year, in keeping with the increasing plenitude of products flooding the Chinese consumer market, I found myself overwhelmed with choice: There were eight models!
And then a strange thing happened: My quest for a serviceable replacement for the aging Michael Jackson was confounded by my need to consider branding. Which lighter would best reflect my lifestyle? When I need to offer a light to my American and German friends, do I want to bask in the prestige that comes from sporting The Obama, The Bin Laden or one of the stylized Neo-Nazi-Kriegsmarine models?
I'll have to replace my dying lighter some day, soon, but I need to think more about who I am and what kind of person I want to be.
© 2011 K W Hadley
2011-07-22 Update: My Michael Jackson lighter was confiscated by the security people at Beijing Capital International Airport because, one again, I forgot to put it in my checked-luggage. No matter. When I was in Canada, I bought 7 disposable Bic lighters. Now, when I draw a lighter from my pocket, people will see a bland Canadian using a bland lighter... >Sigh<
2011 model disposable lighters
Even though I don't smoke, I always carry a lighter. It is the most versatile and most used item in my tool kit. I use it to shed light, provide heat, make fire, salute performance and detect air flow.
Some recent examples of use: I have verified the presence and direction of air flow in an over-heated electronic device, and have learned why our house could easily, though unintentionally, be flooded with carbon monoxide. When hiking in the jungle at Pangor Laut Resort, our guide needed heat to release the fragrance from the sap of a felled tree. (He purported it to be a component of Channel No. 5.) "Does anyone have a lighter?" he asked. As I produced the only fire-making device among an amazingly-unprepared group of jungle explorers, all Nancy could say was, "He doesn't even smoke!" To which I added: "Do you need a knife or a saw, too?"
I don’t think I could function without my lighter, and that’s making me anxious, for my current lighter is running out of fluid and may fail me soon.
My Michael Jackson lighter has served me well, even though I wasn't keen on it. Truth be told, I grudgingly bought the tacky thing, for I had no choice. How did I find myself – a person renowned for being prepared – get backed into buying it?
When I boarded the plane to come to China last year, I had forgotten to stow my collection of four Bic lighters in my checked luggage, and the kind people at CATSA rightly confiscated them. I needed to replace them as soon as I arrived in Beijing.
You would think it would be easy to buy a disposable lighter in a land populated with so many smokers, but, to his credit, disposable is not an attribute valued by the Chinese consumer.
Unlike in North America, only a fool would pay money for something designed to be thrown away. One might as well throw away money! When something breaks here, it gets fixed; and if it can’t be fixed, it gets repurposed – even used bricks. It would be unconscionable to buy something that could neither be recharged, repaired nor repurposed.
Disposable is associated with profligate wastefulness, and is not a trait people want to project, except in their fashion accessories (which includes the category "cars"). Instead, the Chinese prefer the brand recognition that comes from, say, owning an heirloom Zippo lighter – even if it's counterfeit.
Still, my deeply personal relationship with airport security-screening has made me a fan of the disposable lighter. When I found myself light a few lighters, I was determined to replace them with disposables.
I searched for several weeks, but I could not find one – until I visited the store where this photo was taken. They had disposable lighters, albeit only The Michael Jackson model. I bought one without hesitation, for I had quickly learned that if you see something you need here, buy it, for you might never see it again. I'd deal with the social consequences later.
This store is home base for most Beijing expats, because it specializes in stocking its shelves with groceries, foodstuffs, and household products from Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australia, all sold at a reasonable price. The staff is friendly and helpful, and some of them speak English very well. The proprietors are keen to channel the zeitgeist of foreign life.
This probably explains why disposable lighters are displayed prominently at the checkout counter. What foreigner could pass up a culturally relevant lighter, such as The Michael Jackson? I couldn’t.
Last night, when I happened to be visiting the store, I thought I'd test drive the 2011 model. Was I in for a shock!
Last year, I had to buy the Michael Jackson, because it was the only model available. But this year, in keeping with the increasing plenitude of products flooding the Chinese consumer market, I found myself overwhelmed with choice: There were eight models!
And then a strange thing happened: My quest for a serviceable replacement for the aging Michael Jackson was confounded by my need to consider branding. Which lighter would best reflect my lifestyle? When I need to offer a light to my American and German friends, do I want to bask in the prestige that comes from sporting The Obama, The Bin Laden or one of the stylized Neo-Nazi-Kriegsmarine models?
I'll have to replace my dying lighter some day, soon, but I need to think more about who I am and what kind of person I want to be.
© 2011 K W Hadley
2011-07-22 Update: My Michael Jackson lighter was confiscated by the security people at Beijing Capital International Airport because, one again, I forgot to put it in my checked-luggage. No matter. When I was in Canada, I bought 7 disposable Bic lighters. Now, when I draw a lighter from my pocket, people will see a bland Canadian using a bland lighter... >Sigh<