Ahhhh that new car smell

Simon, the head manager in our Plaid Asia office, just bought a car last Saturday. This is a really big deal for him. No one else in the Asia office owns a car, and I'm not even sure that any of them have ever driven a car, either. Most people take the bus or a taxi to and from the office each day.

Cars here are very expensive luxury items. They cost more to buy in China than in the U.S. Gas costs over $4 per gallon and parking - if you can find a spot - will set you back big time. The parking deck in our building costs over $120 US per month, plus people also have to pay monthly fees to park their cars in the decks under the high rise apartment buildings all over town.

Simon's car is a brand spankin' new black Volkswagen Passat with leather interior. I told him today I wanted to see it and he jumped up from his desk and said "want to go now?! I need to put something in there this afternoon anyway".

On our way down to the garage he informed me that the car was really smelly, and he thinks the smell is bad for his health. I laughed when I opened the door, sat down in the passenger seat, and took a deep breath of "new car smell." It was pretty powerful, but nothing a few weeks of driving with the windows down won't cure.

Instead of leaving the windows down, Simon cut up an onion and scattered pieces in the back seat. He said he read online that onion is known for absorbing odors. I've never heard of this and I think he's crazy (which I also told him), but I'll let you know if it works. Seems to me he's just trading one smell for another, and he needs to track down some baking soda instead.