Zai jian from China

Final Blog entry

I know you have all endured much pain in trudging through these blog entries. I want to begin with acknowledging that pain, and thanking all of you for indulging in my somewhat warped perspective on China in 2007. This might probably be my last entry as I am scheduled to head back to the US next weekend. While there is some talk about another rotation, I think the US State Dept may intervene to prevent an international incident on any level. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I have received to have spent the last 6 months here. It has been a rewarding experience that I will always remember.

The people, the culture, and the wonderful experiences are something that will stay with me always.

While I have many sappy things I might like to say, I thought it may be more fitting, and more appropriate to what you would expect from me, to bring closure by listing the top 10 things I will miss, and those things that I might be OK without. Here goes:

Things I will miss very much:
10 The Chinese food really is better here
9 The parks and mountains
8 The driver I have been using Ben-if I could afford one in the states-would definitely get one…while I do have a best friend Ben-he doesn’t drive for me
7 Foot massages at any time of day or night
6 It’s Cheap-really cheap, -did I mention it was inexpensive…
5 Little children running up and saying HALLLLOOOO-
4 Tai Chi in the parks at Sunrise
3 Golfing with 2 caddies to help find my balls, and paying less than Putt-Putt in the US
2 People stopping me to take my picture
1.The People: So many, vibrant, beyond friendly, helpful, and generally happy you are visiting their home. So many very special people.

Things I might not miss as much:

10. Spitting
9. The sound that comes prior to the spitting
8. Crowds, and lots of them everywhere
7. Traffic- and lots of it everywhere
6. The way everyone drives in that traffic-no rules, just road, just right
5. Smog
4. The way the smog obscures otherwise beautiful views
3. Men in Speedos-they still think it’s fashionable in China
2. Men without Speedos or anything else beside me in the Sauna…
1. Being away from my family and friends at home.


Thanks again to all of you for your support to me and the family during this time. I hope you have found a little of a glimpse into a truly fascinating country, with even more fascinating people. I look forward to seeing you all.

More about Food from Shenzhen, China

This will serve as another food installment. In the last 2 weeks, I have been traveling in different cites, and have been doing training in Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan. The reason I list, is how radically different the food has been in each region.

In Fuzhou, the specialties were fish balls, and hot pots. The cooking also seemed to contain more spice. I also learned that when eating a fish ball, it is best not to bite into it, prior to stabbing holes in it first with your chopsticks. It seems that as the fish balls are removed from the hot pot, the internal temperature is somewhere around 1500 degrees and tends to scald the interior portions of your mouth. As I tried my first one, it was fortunate it did not hit the dining guest in front of me due to rapid projection from my mouth. I also broke several records for just how cheap a meal could be. At lunch one day, I was with 2 managers at a very local “shack”. We had more food than we could eat, with soups, assorted meats-pork and beef, vegetables, with both noodles and rice. The bill totaled 28RMB for all 3, or about $3.50. –I picked up the tab since I’m a big spender.

In Shenzhen, I thoroughly enjoyed several dishes containing pig ears. In fact, they were so many dishes with pig ears; I quizzed the group on how many earless pigs must be wandering the area. Had they discovered how to re-grow them? I needed to know. We also were served a dish of Rabbit head. Apparently this was a specialty from the Chengdu area, and was served in honor of a guest from that region. The ears had been removed, and in spite of the appearance, the taste was good. I followed suit on how best to scoop the meat, and how I should eat. One of my more favorite dishes continues to be the many types of Dim Sum you can find, and the differently regional takes on the dish. As well as I have be I have been eating, I believe I am actually losing weight. I think this has more to do with the types of diet, than the amount of food. Most meal sets are always balanced in meats, starches, and vegetables. Very rarely served bread unless in a western restaurant. You also always receive fruit as a desert as opposed to sweets. My favorite fruit here is Dragonfruit. It is white with black specks-very sweet and good. This is also an area I can point out the differences in pricing. As we were in a more western area (Closer to Hong Kong) our group dinner came to 2100 RMB or about $275 for 12 of us. Still more food than we could eat, but not the value meal pricing of the more rural areas.

While I have focused primarily on the Chinese food, there is also an incredible array of great selections from the rest of Asia. I particularly love the Thai and Vietnamese cooking, and also options from the Philippines and Malaysia. In any event, I’m not going hungry.

Finally, I am attaching a picture from a training session I completed for the group in Shenzhen. Dale Jarrett from UPS racing stopped by to join us…

We’ll catch up next week.
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Enjoying Fuzhou, China-things you don't see in the US

Hello to all, and happy Chinese New year Just wanted to take a quick moment and check-in, and let you all know I’m alive and well.

I got back over a week ago, and found it much easier to get over the jet-lag this trip. I hope that’s not my body’s way of actually telling me I’m getting used to this.

From my previous post on the customs surrounding Chinese New Year, I returned to find most areas still vibrantly decorated for the holiday. Red is the color of choice, and it has been nice to see entire city blocks and parks decked out in huge ornamental red banners, globes, and assorted decorations. I also had to catch up on handing out the red envelopes when I returned. Apparently since the envelope signifies wishing of good luck for the coming year, the fact that I was not here for the actual New Year does not waive my obligation to participate.

The attached picture was taken yesterday, and falls under the category of things you might not see in the US. I was playing pool with some friends at a bar/restaurant when the restaurants food order arrived. As I looked out the window, I saw whole chickens, ducks, and fresh fish being dropped off out front. This is a picture of me trying to sell a few ducks to pay off my waging losses at pool. I started wondering why I never see fresh chicken at Kentucy Fried Chicken in the US-

That will do it for now. This week I am in a city called Fuzhou. Last night I was treated to a fireworks display out my hotel window that last for 3 hours. I am told the celebration supports the lantern festival which signifies a closure to the activities of the Chinese New Year. Literally tens of thousands of red globes decorating trees, streets, and surrounding area. Fuzhou is located on the coast between Xi amen and Shanghai. I will check back in another week or so.

My best to you all.