Not saying that in the States we don't do our own stupid things that might go against common sense, or just weird little things that everyone does, but I figured I'd enlighten you about what I've seen in China (some of which give proof that China is still certainly a developing country):
Chinese ladies love to tell you what's good for your health, and why not, aren't Americans always trying to learn the secrets of the long-living Chinese? Well, I'm not buying in. For example, after a run I was digging into some lychees (a type of fruit, if you didn't know). Mrs. Yang basically threw up her arms in alarm, saying that I shouldn't eat on an empty stomach because it'll give me migraines. She also went bizerk on Jes too. We both have decided that this is not true. Or then there's just the whole thing with them telling me which foods to eat, and then they bust out a dish of straight "fei rou"...which is just the fat off of a pig. Chinese love to eat this stuff.
My favorite has to be when you drop food on the table and then reach to pick it up to eat it (who wants to wast food?). Well, that's not going to go over with a Chinese person too well. It's much too unsanitary. Then the next minute you'll see them offering you fruit that has just been washed (and grown in) in polluted water--you can just see the beads of water glistening on the peach. (I personally don't care about either one, I'm not too picky...then again, I've gotten sick twice this trip)
The bathrooms. The Chinese have not yet conquered the bathrooms. First off, they're still loving the squatters, which most be the most uncomfortable method of relieving yourself. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, they are rarely clean, especially the ones you find in internet bars and other areas that aren't frequented by foreigners. You know you're in China when you can smell that eerie bathroom smell from 50 feet away...it's the same in every bathroom...they all have this smell. I don't know if it has to do with not flushing the toilet paper down or what, but man. It seems to me that there's a misallocation of labor. Out on the streets there are so many people mindlessly sweeping streets that are already clean...sweeping up a few leaves here and there that have fallen in the last 20 minutes. Sometimes I just feel like no one wants to clean the bathrooms (you wouldn't either if you saw these things).
And on the topic of bathrooms, can we stop having the kids do their business in the streets? I've seen it 3 times this summer. To save money by not buying diapers, parents are cutting slits in the pants of their little ones, so all they have to do is take a squat when the need strikes them. This is not helping the problem.
Little chairs and tables. Many outdoor restaurants and a lot of homes love the doll-sized dinner tables. It still takes up about the same area, but it just lowers everything by about three feet. We're talking about chairs that are 6-8 inches high, and tables that are about a foot high. It's cool if you're 3 feet tall, but for a pretty tall guy like me it's a bit uncomfortable. I'll be going for a dumpling but I can't see over my knees--not good.
And then there are the interesting English names they give themselves...
--Innerson...a kid saw a poster of basketball star Allen Iverson, but it had a misspelling (like many fake Chinese goods), hence his name
--Saturday...she was a student in my class...must be her favorite day
--Purple Law...is this some form of government enforcement?
--Sunny...met two of these in one week. Wow.
--Cookiya...this is actually a friend of mine...never really figured it out
--Firey Princess...no comment
--Kitty...I'm surprised this is the closest name to that of a stripper...I feel like I've heard better
--Cinderella...at least it's pretty?
--Carmen...a guy in my class wanted this name, and he wanted it bad, but I just couldn't give it to him
--AND THE BEST FOR LAST: Tampon...I didn't actually meet this girl, Sam from camp did. All I have to say is that's ballsy
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