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Published: March 12th 2009
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Fake rocks hiding speakers
Everywhere on campus you find these fake rocks. At noon, 2:00ish and 6:30ish they play music and announcements--ALL OVER CAMPUS, I can hear it in my apartment. On Monday night the Foreign Affairs office invited me out to dinner. I thought I made it clear to the director that I didn’t eat meat—and I thought it got through to him because he even made the joke about women needing to stay ‘slim and trim’ and abstain from meat. My response: “yeah, um, something like that.”
We ate at the hotel on campus (the University has its own hotel for visiting scholars or family members) it was very nice looking, although I was already dreading the dinner which I was certain would involve copious amounts of meat. They take us into a hotel room which has been converted into a small dining room. We take our seats and I wait for the magic to happen. In front of me are a finely set table with a turn table in the center—where they set the dishes of food. Here, most meals-even in the cafeteria, are shared among friends. So the main dishes sit in the middle of the table and you just take bites of whatever you would like. Keep in mind, you’re not scooping this stuff onto a plate or in a bowl, you’re eating bite after bite
Authentic toilet!!
Here is an example of a toilet in the buildings on campus...that is why I don't drink many fluids during the day. from the main plates on the table.
They start with the cold dishes first. The only edible dish for me was some spicy mushrooms, which I happily munched on every time they were spun in my direction. Of course we went through the uncomfortable, “Here, you must try this ” and me refusing, maintaining that I really don’t eat it. Dish after dish continually get piled on the center turn table and there is just more and more food I cannot eat at the table. Finally some vegetables and some buns came out which I immediately confiscated as my own. Some delicacies at this meal included: twice cooked pork, some sort of whole fish-catfish I believe-whiskers intact, jellyfish, shrimp, and my favorite, boiled peacock head and neck. It was the most…fearful looking thing I have ever seen. I had to avert my gaze every time it spun in my direction. All together 23 dishes were served and there were 8 of us eating-technically 7 1/2, I don’t think I really counted as a full person. There was more food left over than at a Vegas buffet.
Throughout the dinner everyone had to make sure they ‘toasted’ everyone else
Signs on Campus
Apparently China has outlawed bugling? at the table at least once. So continually someone was breaking from their Chinese chatter (and there was a lot of it) to raise their cup towards me-or another person. Of course then I had to clumsily put down my chopsticks, shove my food to once of my mouth, and mutter a thank you and tip my head. It is amazing we had the chance to eat anything at all with all the toasting that occurred.
Finally, dinner concluded, and Hua and I went on our evening walk, processing the day. The nights are nice here, a little cool but makes for fine evening strolls. We sometimes head to the track to walk around, which after dark is filled with couples out for the evening. The students giggle mercilessly at the idea of dating or relationships, so I believe couples only come out at night under the safety of darkness to escape their peers teasing. After a mile or so we call it a night and return to our apartments. I can chalk the dinner up to another interesting Chinese evening…
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