NOODLES: Ok, I was expecting the rice, but for some reason all the noodles surprised me. Not only are there wonderful noodle shops around, but also many of the students tell me that it is their favorite food. (By the way, never--not once--has a student told me that his or her favorite food is a dessert item. Some of the answers I get are meat, chicken, apples, etc.What are the chances that that would happen in the US?) The grocery store has a whole aisle dedicated to different noodle mixes. So, here I am, half-way around the world, and I'm eating Ramen noodles all the time. Feels like I'm back in grad school.
NESCAFE: Rumors that there was no coffee to be had in China were a little overblown. Granted, it is not a coffee-drinking society (yet--just imagine what will happen with this nation when they discover what a good cup of joe does for you in the morning), but you can find packets of Nescafe around. Every time I pour this magic mixture into my hot water, I think of my grandfather drinking his packets of Sanka. As for brewed coffee, for a hefty price you can find it at a few Starbucks around town, Amici caffe and, of course, at McDonalds.
NOT a good walk home. This week marks the midway point of my stay in China,* and I thought I was acclimating pretty well here. However, on my walk home I came within about an inch of stepping on a giant dead rooster on the sidewalk (my roommate came across it a little before I did and said that its legs were still twitching). I only stopped because the pool of blood caught my eye. Why was I carefully watching the sidewalk for liquids? Well, on an earlier part of my walk I saw several people spitting (of course) and two men and a young boy peeing. Yep, don't think I will ever get used to that.
*I'm writing this before I leave for Beijing and am experimenting with scheduling the post for later.
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