I was tootling around in the apartment when the driver from the night before knocked on my door. I was stunned that he came back. I let him in, and he made gestures that I needed to put on my coat. Clearly I was being taken somewhere!
As we walked outside he made hand motions to his mouth like he was eating and said "afternoon." This was about 3 pm so I wasn't sure if he was saying that we were eating lunch now or this is where I should go eat tomorrow. We crossed the street right into the path of all the incoming bicycles. He just walked as though everything was as it should be. A Chinese man hauling cardboard boxes on his bike slowed down as he passed me and he intently studied my face. I wonder what he was thinking?
We walked into a market on the corner. They were mainly selling cigarettes and cell phones. Then we headed downstairs. There I found a market selling fresh fruits, meats, cookies, and deli-type eating establishments. The driver was excitedly pointing things out to me. I got lots of stares. Clearly not a lot of Americans frequent this dive.
When we emerged he took me took to the bus stop. He pointed to the bus stop sign. We were waiting for the Number 12 bus. The bus came and he put his arms around me as we got on to show the driver we were together. He presented a pass of some kind. The bus ride itself was fun. Not too crowded. My guide wanted a woman to give up her seat so I could sit down, but I waved "no" with my hands. I've already learned that the typical "gentlemen" rules don't apply here. The women don't expect advantages either. It's very survival of the fittest.
A Chinese woman on the bus came up and started talking to me. She spoke very good English. She told me that she liked Hillary Clinton and wanted to know if I thought she could be President. I told her "Yes" I thought Hillary had a very good chance of being President. She smiled. She knew Hillary was a Democrat and wanted to know the name of "the other party." I told her Republican but she wasn't able to pronounce it. She wanted to know what I thought of the war in Iraq. I told her I didn't like it and we shouldn't be there. She seemed genuinely shocked by this. "You don't like it?" I explained that most Americans don't like the war and wish we had never done it. She was speechless. There's no telling what she's seeing in the media here.
Speaking of television, I had a few hours to flip through my "cable television." I have about 20 channels. There's one that gives the news in English but it's the state-controlled CCTV. It's still the best source of information I have! The stories are almost always pro-Chinese but it's subtle. Some of the stories "explaining" why a Chinese athlete didn't win a game were really funny. You have to admire the sense of nationalism, I guess. The other channels had lots of really bad soap operas. I mean bad. I could see myself watching it as a comedy program.
It was on the bus ride that I learned I'm living very close to the infamous Tianan Men Square. I learned today that the government allows the fancy hotels in China to broadcast CNN and BBC for their foreign guests. According to the Frommer's Guide, it's around the anniversary of the Tianan Men Square incident that the channels "mysteriously" go out for three days.
When we got off the bus we arrived at what is going to be my office! It's located in a huge skyscraper. Alas, there is no Starbucks Coffee close by. There was tons of activity going on in the office. Phones ringing, faxes sending, people looking harried. The vast majority of people in this office were Chinese with varying degrees of English proficiency. I got introduced to a few people and was given a cup of green tea. I don't officially start work till Monday so this was just more of brief tour. I did take the opportunity to hop online and check my e-mail.
Then I was told that I was being taken to dinner. I wish that the instructions had been clearer at home so I could have changed into something nicer. I was wearing the standard American uniform of shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Oh well. They said it wouldn't matter.
The driver went and got the same car as last night. I sat up front and three people got in the back. Only one person spoke both English and Chinese. The driving this time was frightening. There just seems to be no standard rules of engagement on the road. People (including our driver) just arbitrarily merge into lanes and the other cars better get over. The number of people almost hit on their bikes is astounding. I got really itchy when I would see a small child traveling in a basket on the bike. The biggest contrast with Americans is that pedestrians in a place like New York would fight back with the cars. They'd cuss out the driver, flip the bird, etc. The Chinese who are almost manslaughtered here just blink.
We drove around for awhile. It was clear that there was one restaurant we were supposed to go to but it was too busy. Finally, we made it somewhere. The name of the restaurant loosely translated in English would be "Too Familiar." It was a really nice restaurant. The driver was put in charge of the menus and ordering. They told me that this establishment is known for its "spicy fish." The driver got into some kind of heated debate with our waitress. She left for a moment and came back with a plastic bag that was hopping. That was when I realized the fish we were about to eat were in that bag. I nearly vomited. I maintained calm under pressure. I don't think anyone else at the table detected what I was feeling on the inside.
When the waves of food finally did arrive, it was REALLY good. I was amazed! As the guest of honor, I had to go first. I typically don't eat fish but this fish didn't taste fishy, if you will. The spices in that thing killed off any fish taste! I was extremely embarrassed at how poorly I handled the chopsticks. I wish now I would have taken time to learn back in America. The driver was especially upset at my poor performance and kept trying to show me. Something else occurred to me about why he might have been upset: I was using my left hand. Lilly, the woman from my flight had told me that the Chinese still force their obviously left-handed children to go right. Since I'm a chopstick novice, I think I'm going to try to learn with my right. It can't hurt.
Michael, my boss, is Chinese and was born in Beijing. He's lived abroad for several years but moved back to the Beijing about 10 years ago. He asked me if I wanted to drink beer with dinner. I said no that I was still trying to replenish my fluids from the long flight and would only have the green tea. He warned me that in China beer is used as a form of communication, especially in business transactions. In other words, order the beer next time.
After the spicy fish dish came the Peking duck. YUM! I loved it. It came with these thin tortillas and some various sauces and vegetables. Peking duck could be huge in America. Then arrived the bones of the duck that had now been fried. I didn't really care for this. It didn't taste good and was just wasted carbs/calories.
At the conclusion of the meal everyone lit up their cigarettes. They kept pressing me to have one. It's obvious that this is how one "ends the night." I held my ground and refused. I hope it, along with the refusal of beer, weren't considered too provocative!
I asked if fortune cookies were solely an invention of American Chinese establishments. Michael stared at me blankly. He wanted to me to explain the concept over and over. He thought it must have been a "south China thing." He asked the others in Chinese about it. They said sometimes it happens during the various festivals, but it's not a staple at REAL Chinese restaurants. Oh well, I wouldn't have been able to read my fortune anyway. And you know what I say: the best way to predict the future is to create it.
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