The British magazine The Economist publishes an annual “Big Mac Index.” It compares the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac across roughly 55 cities worldwide, measuring each country’s economic strength and currency value. The comparison works because Big Macs are sold at nearly identical quality and size everywhere.
For years, I’ve conducted a similar kind of observation during my travels. Except I’m not comparing burger prices. I’m comparing Monday morning newspapers and the faces of commuters.
In most cities around the world, Saturday and Sunday are days off, making Monday the first day back. This assumption, like the Big Mac itself, is more or less universal. So when I find myself in a new city on a Monday, I head out to a busy intersection or train station in the morning. I used to buy English-language papers from kiosks. Now I pull up local news sites on my phone.
Monday editions are packed with articles that accumulated over the weekend. What stands out most are the local stories and help-wanted ads. What industries are hiring? What positions? At what salaries? Manufacturing, tech, finance? Domestic companies or multinationals? When major foreign firms are recruiting, it signals they’re serious about expanding into the country. Match the job titles with the pay, and you get a sense of the standard of living. A surge in entry-level postings suggests a sector in growth mode.
I study these listings, then compare them to what I saw the previous week in a neighboring country. Sometimes I realize how wrong my assumptions were. The classifieds tell you more about a country’s present than any news story.
Then I look up from my screen and across the street. At bus stops and station platforms, people wait for their morning commute. It’s Monday. Here, too, there’s something universal: that “I don’t want to go to work” vibe.
But look closer, and differences emerge. Someone with a fresh expression, soaking up the morning sun. Someone reading during the wait. Someone scrolling impatiently through their phone. Someone talking urgently on a call. The ratio of these types varies wildly from city to city.
In one place, most people stare ahead blankly. In another, people chat and smile. Somewhere else, everyone’s moving frantically. Same Monday morning, completely different scenes.
Through these observations, I try to glimpse something about a society. Of course, I’m only seeing what’s in front of me, and it’s shaped by climate, culture, countless factors. It’s all just personal impression. Still, I think this kind of quiet voyeurism is one of the small pleasures afforded to travelers.
I love that time when I wake up on a Monday morning in an unfamiliar city, open the newspaper, watch the people going by, and gain a slightly broader perspective on the world.
The latest Big Mac Index shows Japan ranking quite low globally. In other words, it’s cheap. Good news for tourists visiting Japan. But at the same time, those tourists are probably watching our Monday mornings too. On station platforms, at intersections, noticing what expressions we wear.
There must be other travelers like me out there. We might be quietly observed too.
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