Screw you(S.A.)

My favorite thing about the Vasant Vihar markety area is not, in fact, the throngs of firangs or the ample lounge bars. Rather, I love the American Dollar Store (of which there is also a smaller branch in GKI).

The American Dollar Store is great because everything within is priced at Rs 99, which is actually more like $2.25. They carry the crappiest American brands, like Suave shampoo (which costs about $0.99 a pop) and Aviva makeup and wonky Mexican foodstuffs, such as horchata.

And the best? Despite the stars and stripes, the red, white, and blue that festoon all displays, the American Dollar Store routinely features subversive advertisements.

A poster about Sarajevo.

Subtle mockery of the U.S. obsession with guns.

And, the piece de resistance, a banner behind the cash counter with a Photoshopped caricature of George W. Bush, edited to look slightly simian.

Now that's a store I can patronize.