08.08.08 In China, this is one of the biggest days in history. The number "8" sounds very much like the word "fortune". The Olympics opening ceremony is a very big festivity here. I invited one of my friends over for dinner and ceremony watching. When I got home, she offered to cook dinner, "I'll make 2 dishes and a soup". Great - we may need to run to the store and pick up some items. "OK- let me check out your kitchen and see what I need" 30 seconds later, she re-appeared and said, "I think we should just eat out or pick up snacks... you don't have a wok or rice cooker!" I know, I know, I thought the furnished kitchen would come with these items. Oh well.
We went to the grocery store and it was packed. "Anne, you need to eat more fruits and vegetables." I agree, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Grocery store fruits and vegetables are not very fresh. The fresh market fruits and vegetables are more difficult to purchase b/c the prices are not listed. Last time I went to buy some fruit, it almost costed $10US. So, we bought some veggies, snacks and a watermelon... and a beer - to celebrate.
I also used this time to take advantage of her reading skills, "What does this say? What's in this? How do I cook this?" Snacks consisted of lay's bbq chips and ice cream. We also picked up a classic Chinese snack - duck neck. I study these little red nuggets - "Are you sure there's meat on these things? It looks like it's all bone." I was assured it was a great snack, "it's the last package, they're almost sold out". Great! As you can tell, we did have quite the feast, green beans, duck necks and some local beer (tastes like MGD lite).
Well, we turned on the TV to watch the Opening Ceremony. Channel 1 - Music Video (but not MTV), CNN, BBC, AXN, HBO, Hong Kong Channel, Japanese Channel, Korean Channel... "Anne!!! You do not have CCTV - actually, you don't have a single Chinese channel!!" That's impossible, umm, hello, I'm in China! And, I'm always watching the Chinese infomercials for some plastic tupperware-like containers and a face mask that whitens your skin. "No Anne, that's not a local Chinese channel". Does this mean we'll miss the ceremony? Let's check the bedroom - nope. OK, last resort - let's check the bathroom TV, there's a lot more channels in there.
Bingo- CCTV was on in my bathroom. Well, maybe they will air it on CNN? Not a chance. So, we spent the next 3 hours in my bathroom watching the Opening Ceremony. I know - laugh it up, I'll give you a moment. Are you done? OK. Good thing is that housekeeping came today so everything was spotless. Bad thing - not very comfortable. I sat in the tub, enjoying the show and finishing my watermelon. We also moved all the sofa cushions into the bathroom for added comfort. In addition, we spilled a bunch of pumpkin seeds on the floor. Housekeeping is definitely going to think I'm eating meals in here. I can hear it now, "Did you know the American family on 21 eats in the bathroom? Must be a cultural thing." But I have to say, I'm sure I got the best seat in the house. hahaha 
1 comments:
You need to reprogram your tv's...I am sure if you forward me a ticket to come visit you I can fix it for you so you can watch tv in a more civilized room, like the closet.
Either way I'm totally jealous...you can sit on the throne while watching Chinese game shows. Lucky! I have resorted to watching tv over the internet which I am sure is legal (funny thing is that most of what I can get is Chinese tv, like CCTV)... Do you keep the beer cold in the toilet?
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