This is the second day they have taken us on a walking tour of the hutong (that’s a type of old neighborhood with lots of skinny alleys connecting it) where we are staying. While I’m not opposed to tours in principal, they are slightly less enjoyable when taken during the hottest part of the day and in a frantic rush to cover 5 miles in an hour. My group (slackers that we are) finally just stopped at a café and got a beer. We got to meet two of the translators who will be helping us, and they are awesome. Wayne has the greatest knowledge of American television of anyone I’ve ever met, and was actually quoting lines from Friends and Gilmore Girls in the café. Apparently there is this fantastic network of bilingual television enthusiasts who produce translated versions of every American t.v. show and post them online within minutes of airing in the US, including explanatory notes about the cultural references. Totally amazing.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
An Open Letter to Soy Products
Dear Stinky Tofu,
Why do you stink so bad? What are you cooked with that makes you smell like old socks and rotting garbage? I would like to think I’m an adventurous eater, Tofu, but I will not put you near my face.
Apologies,
Kelly
Sunday.
We started the day out with a morning news meeting, as we will every morning on this trip. The morning part didn’t bother me, since I haven’t quite adjusted to the time change yet and Dawn (my awesome roommate and the only other photo person on the trip) and I woke up about 6am. Our friends from grad school, Reno and Katie, were very nice to give us both these nifty little coffee mugs with a built in press so we could make our own coffee in the mornings. In my intense excitement over getting to use this new toy, I forgot that drinking coffee before I eat breakfast can be fairly detrimental to my ability to focus. By hour two of the morning meeting, I was actually rocking in my seat from over-caffeination. The problem was not helped by the fact that hotel staff continued to fill a tea cup in front of me, which of course, in my manic state, I continued to drink. The one plus to this experience was that afterward, I learned China has excellent breakfast food, including something that nearly resembles a breakfast taco, but with noodles instead of eggs, contained in an egg roll wrapper that’s deep fried. Someone should talk to Torchy’s about this. For serious.
Saturday.
Day 1. I’ve started trying to learn some basic Chinese phrases, so as not to appear to be so much of a jerky tourist. So far I’m working on hello, thank you, where’s the bathroom, and I’m sorry. I hope to never have to use these last two in conjunction, but if I do, you can bet there will be a post about it.
