things to miss/reminisce about china

take a look at some things i see every single day. :)

bare bellies in the heat

i guess every guy wants to take his shirt off in the heat, but in china, they do what they do! 

totally casual

not just the worker type, but businessmen too! 

 green tea flavored EVERYTHING!! from cakes, cookies, noodles, potato chips, candy, EVERYTHING.

but look:

 w

t

f

?

 green tea noodles are lookin' pretty normal now, aren't they!?

 even starbucks caters to the epidemic demand for green tea products

 i'll have you know that they tried to market pumpkin spice latte in china and it was a bust. 

but green tea's a huge seller, of course. 

i'll miss seeing ridiculous couples (and families) matching and being proud of it

happy and proud 

 or not so happy... whatevs.

 the amazing engineering feats that are seen regularly around here will be fondly remembered

 i won't miss the spitting. every foreigner is keenly aware of the spitting problem in china, mostly because there's no mistaking that distinct hocking sound that precedes a nasty 'pei!'

 hehehe, the signs are a nice start, even the chinglish ones (oh, i will miss chinglish though!!)

 "pop a squat" why don't ya?

 anywhere will do.

 waiting? squat. talking? squat. reading the paper? squat.

even play a game while squatting in the street. 

 squatty meeting?

i'll miss the yummy/freaky street barbecue. 

how can you go wrong with things on a stick? squid? green beans? eggplants? corn on the cob? chicken? rice balls? potatoes? YES, YES, YES! 

 i won't miss trying not to die every time i'm on my bike or in a taxi.

 at least i'm not alone in my fear and biking...

 but seriously! daredevil's paradise.

i've found china to be hilarious and infuriating. it's such a unique place, full of life, crazy, and funny. i'll miss bits of it when life gets too boring. 

so long, china!!

pajamas

shanghai is cracking down on pajama-wearing in public.

but why, oh why?

doing what ya do...

pettin' what you pet...

just going to the store...

waiting for a cab....

i love when i see people riding bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and driving rickshaws wearing them.

and families!

couples show their pajama solidarity!

 

but most couldn't be happier. i mean, really... pajamas all day would make anyone happy!

hilarious, infuriating china

some chips/crisps

little kid was roaming free in the park and became enthralled by the wonder that is xander (and/or linda)

an awesome class presentation about the movie forest gump, that's him sitting on the bench

sterilized instruments in that tray at the hospital

the eye chart (no letters or characters because many people don't read pinyin -chinese transliterated with letters- and some characters look too similar)

a precious student paying attention in class (she didn't even know i took this picture)

free umbrella with purchase of a magazine - weird but completely understandable since ladies avoid sunlight like vampires around here

cucumber mousse for dessert, anyone? (too lazy to flip this pic)

how about some green tea starbucks drink with red beans all up in it?

my taxi driver had no windshield wipers.

don't worry though, he pulled over every half mile or so to wipe the windshield with a rag.

KTV or karaoke is fun and interesting

choose artists/songs based on album covers in case your chinese isn't up to scratch

snacks for sale at 7-11. chewy corn (not the official name), rice mixed with beans or meat or something steamed in bamboo leaves, wrapped, and tied (for dragonboat festival, why else?!)

a bakery full of light, fluffy sweets, including waffles cut into quarters... this makes me miss hungary's bakeries

to my loyal readers, haha

may your day be merry and bright
may your mood be happy and right
may your food be tasty and grand
may your veggies be fresh, not canned
may your family not get on your nerves
may each kid get what he deserves


or something like that.


merry christmas! :)

toilet talk

so this toilet is parading around the internet as "the scariest toilet" 

or something like that.

and while it certainly gives you something to think about... or perhaps scares the poop out of you...

doesn't this?!

ok, i haven't actually seen THAT in china, but the feeling i get from some "toilets" around here is the same.

people say you get used to it. i've been here 11 months and i'm not at all.

by the way, the scariest thing in that picture is the toilet paper bin - which are usually overflowing and REEEEEKING with nauseatingly multicolored used tissues.

 some westerners have jerry-rigged their toilets in order to feel more comfortable while pooing

maybe more uncomfortable is the limited privacy you find in some places (urinal-trough pictured on the left)

speaking of "troughs"... see that ditch running under each 'stall'? that's where you should go. luckily i've only encountered this kind once. i decided to hold it.

in an ironic twist, asians often have anxiety over using western toilets too!

their solution is to squat on the seat... leaving muddy/crappy footprints...

and leading to mind-boggling signs like these:

our toilets are also jerry-rigged for crapping convenience:

and of course the rationale is that 'their' way is better for you (it is)

and 'our' way is more comfortable (it is) 

*disclaimer* chinese people squat when waiting for a bus, reading a newspaper, or doing anything that some other people would kneel or sit on the floor to do, 

so i'm sure there would be some to argue that squatting IS comfortable

 some somewhere someone invented this, which i think could be the ultimate compromise:

use like this and pray you don't fall off

or maybe this freakshow thing:

use like this: START AT 2:15 or you'll gross yourself out!!

and i thought the poop-shelf toilets in hungary were bad!!