Something's In the Air

I've written about Nick in several of my previous reports. He's the nicest guy you could hope to meet. Every single day at lunch he comes to my desk and asks, “What do you want to eat?” He views it as his solemn duty to see that I'm fed at lunch. Most days I go out to one of the nearby restaurants whereas he buys “quick food” from the woman in the van. I told him I would go with him to get the “quick food” today. As we were walking downstairs, he told me he knew of a store that also sold quick food and he would take me there. Great! I love going places with a local.

On the walk over he was asking various questions about America. He wanted to know if cars were expensive there. He started explaining the concept of the Chinese calendar to me and how he was a “pig” and 2007 is the year of the pig (I was able to deduce from this that he was 24). I told him I was the year of the rabbit. He seemed stunned that I actually knew what animal I was. “People in America know about this?” I told him that most Chinese restaurants in the U.S. put the explanation of the calendar on the menus or placemats and that most Americans know what “animal” they are. He seemed really tickled by this.

The place he took me was somewhere I never would have found on my own. The directions would be like, “You go down this alley and turn northeast...” It was like a grocery store and had a counter where you could order food. I really think I was the first American to have ever set foot in here. People were looking at me like, “What's HE doing here? Shouldn't he be at the Great Wall?” The entire menu was written in Mandarin, so I turned around to look at what other people were eating. I pointed to a dish that looked good and told him I wanted it. He ordered for us. When we sat down he told me if I didn't like the food I was to tell him. He's always very firm about this. Luckily, I really enjoyed my meal! He told me that my chopstick handling ability had really improved. I still don't hold it like they do, but I get most of the food to my mouth!

We had a nice conversation. He told me he wants to take me to a place called “The Moonlight Bar.” I told him that was very nice of him and wondered which area of town it was in. “Salintun.” This is the area crawling with the South African drug lords that I don't like. “Oh, you know what Nick I've already been to that area. We should go somewhere else.” “Other foreigners there. We go.” Sigh. I'll let you know how that visit goes!

I went on the Metro with Scarlet to meet WooJung and her friend Liz at a restaurant. The Metro areas usually have people selling something. There was one man selling some Adidas products. There was, however, one vendor I didn't expect. She was a frail elderly woman standing at the top of the steps. She was holding a plastic shopping sack with something desperate to escape. It was a kitten! The kitten was obviously perturbed and kept meowing. When I walked by her I was just kind of speechless and stared. She smiled at me and held up the bag like, “You want?” I hope someone well-intentioned rescued that kitty!

One of the restaurants that I go to on a regular basis serves these delicious little pumpkin sophapilla-type things. They are a dessert and you have to order them. A regular order is six of them. They come out really hot and tasty. You sure don't need honey for these. It's kind of nice that they appreciate the pumpkin year round. When Scarlet and I went for lunch on Friday, we split a basket of them. She liked them so much she ordered a dozen to-go. She wanted to have some for the weekend. You know how many made it home? None. She nibbled on them throughout the day until they disappeared. They really are that good!

I've only been here a month. That means that I am far from being an expert on China. I can only rely on my knowledge and intuition to make judgments. However, I'm starting to form some opinions about the work ethic and future of China. The Chinese work harder than Americans, there's no debate about that. They are extremely focused and they aren't going to spend six of their eight hour day surfing the Internet and chatting with co-workers. They show up to work long before they have to and leave long after they were supposed to. I guess the only “weakness” Americans would find in their work habits is the tendency to nap at lunchtime. Of course, recent medical research has touted the benefits of napping, so in the long run they will be better off than us.

Already the world's fourth-largest economy, China will become surpass the United States in less than two decades. What I have to ask myself is, “Are they ready?” While dedicated and “good” people, I am deeply troubled by some of their thinking. The “normal” way of doing business here is extremely inefficient and the reasoning behind decisions wouldn't fly in the West. They will not question the boss or authority in general. There is little or no creativity or innovation. I got into a heated exchange with one of my co-workers over the meaning of the word “contract.” She literally kept giving me the legal definition of the word, and wasn't able to process what it was that I was trying to tell her. For if it didn't meet the definition in the dictionary, it couldn't possibly be a contract.

I should also point out that the real business capital of China is Shanghai. That is where the American companies set up their operations. Perhaps the Chinese in Shanghai are different and approach these things in entirely different ways. I recall a story I read in Business Week last year about all the MBA graduates that China is producing. Unfortunately, Western companies don't want them. An American CEO was quoted in the article as saying that most of them were “incapable of making a decision.” What it makes me realize is that China will dominate very soon because of the size of their population. This means that they will stay successful in manufacturing and factories. But China's leaders resent being viewed as a place where you can get “cheap labor.” The new economic policies, including a landmark law allowing people to own private property, are also creating a New China. But if they don't adapt and innovate, China may end up as nothing more than a paper tiger. [1]

Watching some high school students on the bus, I realized that kids really are the same everywhere. They were loud, rowdy, and rambunctious. It's just nice to know that for all of our differences, we have many things in common.

How do you tell a really nice restaurant? The back sections of the menu will have a cigarette list. After your beer and dinner you can simply light up. Because tobacco is a state-owned product you're not going to find any warning labels on the packages. In fact, the government regularly extols the virtues and health “benefits” of tobacco on government websites. You can't blame them really. Tobacco keeps the economy pumping and it's another form of population reduction. Unfortunately the non-smokers are all getting it too!

There was somewhat of a crashing of the cultures here. The Chinese are very direct and don’t follow our social norms (I'm sure that's come across loud and clear in previous entries!). Anyway, Scarlet was at her desk and felt “stressed.” She ate three milk chocolate bars in a row to help calm down. As she was finishing the last one, she asked Judy if she wanted any. Thinking it was chocolate from America, she said yes. Then Judy decided to share some information with Scarlet. She did so rather loudly. “Scarlet, you shouldn't eat so much. It not good for you. Phoenix told me this.” A lot of the Chinese girls in the office started giggling. She continued, “And you shouldn't eat sugar. It not good for you.” Scarlet responded that chocolate was in fact healthy as it has antioxidants (that's actually only true of dark chocolate). There was a rather long silence in the air for several minutes after. What was sad about this was Judy wasn't trying to be cruel. She sincerely thought Scarlet should have this information. She herself didn't know better until someone had told her. Nonetheless, it would have to be considered a breach of American protocol.

Nick is ADAMANT that I look like Nicolas Cage. He kept turning around and staring at me like he'd seen a long lost friend. I heard him speak to one of the girls in Mandarin. All I could make out was “Flan” and “Nicolas Cage.” She started studying me too. Scarlet asked them what was going on. Nick said, “Flan looks like Nicolas Cage!” I should say from the outset that I've never been a Nicolas Cage fan, so I was naturally disappointed by this. Seeming to sense this, he quickly added, “Nicolas Cage very handsome.” All day when I would go to his desk he would look at me and then kind of shake his head like, “Wow, it’s so eerie how much they look alike.” All I can think of is the angular face and the blue eyes. I don't see the resemblance, do you? [2]

Scarlet's birthday is on Tuesday, so I decided to plan a small get together on Saturday night. I called WooJung and asked her if we could get together. I'm also on planning a lunch at the office on Tuesday. Anyway, WooJung said she would love to have dinner and was going to bring her friend Kuong Ly. I'd met him last week when we were in Salintun.

Scarlet was craving American food, so I did some research in my Frommer's Guidebook and found a place called “Steak & Eggs.” It was owned by an American and had won some awards from expats living in China as the “best” American food. Sounded good. We went to the neighborhood where the diner was located a couple of hours early to explore. This neighborhood is where all the embassies are located, so it had a very international feel. A number of U.S. establishments were there (Starbucks, TGIFriday's, Sizzler, Haagen Daz) and the Beijing International Club. There were a number of Russian institutions in this area. There was a “Moscow Restaurant” that seemed very popular.

We turned the corner and found one of those Friendship Stores, a symbol of a more difficult past when diplomats used foreign exchange certificates to take comfort in familiar food and shoes sizes not sold elsewhere in the country, while the Chinese suffered rations and were barred entry. Many of the Friendship Stores are being torn down as China's economy opens up more. Indeed, during our visit the grocery store section was practically empty. There was some comfort though in finding more American brands and having easier access to staples like milk and cheese (although the cheese was extremely expensive). In the other areas of the store I actually located some current American magazines (Business Week, Time, Newsweek, and The Economist) and a few books. Again, it’s just nice knowing that this store is here.

We met WooJung and Kuong at the diner at 6. The outside of the place was really shabby looking. We went in and were one of the few customers. The server spoke English and gave everyone their own menu (we usually only get on to a table). They serve breakfast all day and Scarlet ordered a waffle, I had these tempura-like chicken tenders, WooJung had chicken primavera, and Kuong had a hamburger. The food wasn't great; it's just that you don't have access to it really. The guidebook said this place was really famous for its carrot cake. During the dinner we kept hearing the owner, Paul, talking to his staff. He seems like he's from the East Coast and the place is covered in photographs and news clippings of his achievements. We were really disgusted about how he was treating his employees. He was really condescending and had this long and bizarre conversation with one of his waitresses about how she should try on a blond wig and see how she's treated. Yuck. It made me sad that he'd decided to act just like any other Chinese boss. Wouldn't it be great if the employees could feel lucky that they work for an American? No, he's decided not to set a precedent or an example. We were so offended by his behavior that we decided to go elsewhere for dessert. We were voting with our wallets. What a creep.

We took a cab back to WooJung and Kuong's area of Beijing. We went into a new really cute coffee shop. Kuong needed WiFi in order to work on a grant proposal. We stayed for several hours and had a really wonderful conversation. Among some of the tidbits:

· Koreans oppose “quota” systems at universities because they know that they can score very high on any necessary entrance exams and a quota system would actually limit the number of Koreans at some universities.

· Scarlet's family was not served at a restaurant in New Jersey because they were Asian.

· Tokyo is outrageously expensive. Have you ever seen those “tube beds” that some hotels offer where you're basically getting to sleep in a morgue drawer? One of those tubes goes for about $100USD a night!

· There is a pecking order in terms of Asian countries. China is of course at the top, followed by Vietnam. Then the various countries rank in different order according to some system that they all accept. Thailand is at the bottom. Apparently some Thai's do take offense to this because they like to brag that they were never invaded by a Western country or colonized.

· I mentioned that I was looking forward to eventually traveling to Shanghai. They were very dismissive of it. They said it's just like any other Western city and there's nothing to do there. This seemed very disappointing. One of my favorite movies is the Steven Spielberg epic Empire of the Sun, about a young boy's harrowing and remarkable experiences in World War II-era China after the Japanese invasion. I would love to see the international settlement where the British lived before the attack. That would be really special. If you haven't seen Empire of the Sun, you must rent it. Christian Bale was only 13 when he made it and it's the most impressive film debut of any teenager that I've ever seen.

Kuong opened up about his past. He's probably 21 and is a junior at Boston College. He was born in Cambodia and his ethnicity is Cambodian, Vietnamese, French, and Chinese. He has unique looks. He spent a summer working for a non-profit on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico and was immediately adopted by the Navajos; they claimed him as one of their own because he almost looks Navajo.

His parents were successful business people in Cambodia and lost everything in the aftermath of Pol Pot. They needed to get out Cambodia and get to the United States. The only problem was that the U.S. wasn't interested in Cambodian refugees. However, the U.S. would accept Vietnamese refugees. The family moved to Vietnam and had to learn the language. When Kuong was seven years old, he and his four siblings were placed in a refugee camp in Vietnam. The parents told the oldest boy to contact them after they were settled in the U.S. and bring them over.

The children were extremely lucky as they got adopted by an extremely wealthy family in Lexington, Massachusetts. The family was extremely loving and kind. The parents back in Cambodia believed that their children had forgotten them. The older brother searched for them and was able to locate them within five years. The adoptive parents were totally supportive of bringing the parents over to America and did so. The family was reunited at last.

Kuong and his parents moved to Dorchester, Massachusetts. He said this was a black and Hispanic neighborhood and extremely violent. Because of his good grades he was bussed into one of the better white schools. Because of his ethnicity he didn't fit into either world. Some kids would come up to him and ask him to speak his language or would make funny sounds trying to imitate an Asian language. He was really an outsider on all sides. He just didn't fit in.

Nonetheless, he managed to turn all this drama into a remarkable academic career. He was just notified last week that he's a recipient of the Truman Scholarship, which provides $30,000 graduate scholarships for students interested in public service careers. After he receives his degree, he will head to England and get a master's degree from Oxford. He spends his summers doing volunteer work. He helped a village in Africa one year and spent another working on a coffee plantation in Brazil. He's thinking of spending this summer working in Rwanda, after a brief visit to Cambodia. He is a remarkable young man and I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him. I don't think it's the last any of us will hear of him!

I was told the sandstorms would start in April and like clockwork they did. Scarlet and I were shopping on Sunday when seemingly out of thin air we were hit by a sand blast! We stopped in our tracks to clear our eyes and mouths. The Chinese just turned on their heels and started walking backward. They weren't going to let a little sand stop them!

We'd been meaning to buy some sunglasses in advance of the storm. We saw an optometry store and went in. They had various stands of sunglasses out. I picked out a pair and the optometrist showed me on the calculator that they were on sale. He put them in one of those glass polishers and really cleaned them. Then he put the sunglasses on me and looked to see if they needed any adjustment. He made some slight tweaks and then put them in a very nice case. Not bad for a $13USD pair of sunglasses! As it turned out he actually spoke wonderful English. When we left he even held the door open for us. We had a lot of nice experiences on this street.

Armed with our sunglasses, we only needed to pick up some face masks and we did. Our daily uniform throughout April will be the mask, a hat, and a pair of sunglasses. It should make for some interesting conversation!

I've been complaining a lot about the cold weather and someone told me to enjoy it while I can. Apparently the summer temperatures reach about 120 degrees. I've heard different things about whether or not Beijing is actually humid. I was told that it gets so hot it would be better just to walk work because the bus is like a cooker. Sounds enchanting, doesn't it?

Speaking of the bus, I can't believe how the Chinese try to cram onto them. It's really something to watch. No matter how full it is, they think they can get on – and they usually succeed. Some people will stand on the front and back stairs and wait for the doors to close, effectively sealing them in. They literally have no room. The bus I took on Sunday was absolutely packed. I was supporting someone's weight on my back and I had to hold on so tight to the bar. If I had lost my grip I would have taken a lot of people with me! They seemingly don't mind about the maximum capacity.

I've tried some Taiwanese food. There's a very popular place called Din Tai Fung. It's headquartered in Taipei and has expanded to several locations, including one outside of Los Angeles. Chinese food is bright and festive. The Taiwanese food was colorless but had lots of flavor. There were these dumplings that have hot soup inside. I ordered a fried pork and noodle soup dish. It was extremely good. There's another Taiwanese chain here called Rabbit, but it strikes me as the McDonald's of Taiwan. I don't think it's very legitimate and they make most of their money selling fancy looking drinks.

Tuesday was Scarlet's 22nd birthday. It was also the day she decided to quit. She packed all night Monday, and presented me with a letter and her keys for our boss. It's probably not the best way to leave a job, but it's not like this is something she'll be able to list on her resume anyway. I helped her get her huge suitcases in the tiny taxi on the street. She was crying as she hugged me. I think she felt as though she couldn't hack it. It's not that she failed; it's that she didn't fully succeed. To only be 21 and decide to move to a place like China without knowing a word of the language is an extremely brave thing to do. I admire her for taking the risk.
She's going to stay with WooJung a few days while she searches for a room to rent. She’s thinking about tutoring English. The only problem is that she doesn't “look” American. Most schools and individuals won't hire her because of this and if they do, it will be at sharply reduced rates. I suspect she'll stay in Beijing a few more weeks and then head back to New Jersey. It was really sad because I had planned a lunch celebration for her with the people who work in our office. Nick came in early and was surprised I was there. He asked me if Scarlet was coming in and I told him the situation. He was very concerned about where she'd gone. He had also gone out the night before and bought her a present that he'd wrapped. It was so touching. I know when I deliver it to her tonight she's going to be extremely pleased. (It ended up being a pair of red slippers).

I went to lunch with Nick again. It really does help going out to eat with a local. A lot of the restaurants give you those sealed packets that have chopsticks and a moist towel in them. He told me that they charge you extra if you actually open it and use them. This was a BBQ place so everything is served on skewers and you don't need the packet. Who knows how much money I've wasted opening those things!

Nick is from Harbin, an extremely cold community on the border with Russia. I've actually met tons of people in Beijing from Harbin. They are all migrating to the cities for better jobs. He's going to school on the weekends to study accounting. I can tell he really loves teaching me about China. I don't pretend to understand all of it. For example, the host should never completely fill up a person's tea cup because leaving a little room represents the “heart.” He also told me where the host would sit in a restaurant and they would face the door. I said, “Oh, is this like feng shui?” He just blinked at me.

He wanted to let me know that there were KFC's in Beijing in case I missed them. I told him I had already located them. He said he's only been once. I told him that KFC really isn't that popular in the States, but McDonald's is. He said in China these places (which I told him we call “fast food”) are really only popular with kids. He said, “Americans really like fast food, yes?” I had to admit that it's very popular with the masses. Nick's cell phone ring is a really bad rendition of “We Will Rock You.” Nick lives with three girls and has his own room. He said he pays under 1000RMB a month for the room.

Sometimes when Nick doesn't understand me he thinks I'm asking him for help to purchase something. I told him that I'd been listening to my iPod on the bus in order to gain a better understanding of Mandarin. He knew what iPod was but wasn't following the rest of it. “What do you want?” he asked very concerned. Nothing, Nick, nothing.

When we were walking back to the office he wanted to ask me if I had ever been to a certain part of America: Laughing Gas.

“What? Laughing Gas?”

“No, Laughing Gas.”

Then it hit me: Las Vegas. I confirmed that I had and used to have relatives that lived there. He knew that Las Vegas was the top tourist destination in America. I told him that he needs to visit America eventually. He said its very “difficult” for people to go there. I asked him later if he had ever been to Hong Kong and he said “no” because it requires a passport. I asked him if that was hard to obtain. “A little.” I don't know what this means. It could be that he's trying to indicate that it's expensive to get a passport or go to these places. I'm not sure.

Nick seems to be very concerned about my eating habits. Since Scarlet left he's become my lunch buddy. The past couple of days all I've wanted is the “quick food.” I don't buy it from the lady in the van anymore because you can't see what you're getting. A couple of guys have set up a competing stand across the way from her and I like how you can actually look at the food. I felt bad because they were going to give me a pear and I told Nick I'd prefer a banana. It sounded to me like he was screaming at them to fix it. The inflections they use in their tones are so confusing. I overheard a conversation in the conference room and I asked one of my co-workers if someone was in trouble because it sure sounded like it. “No, he just getting new project.” Wow, and to English ears it sounded like, “I will cut your heart out!” Nick always orders two rice packs at lunch. I noticed that he didn't today and I thought perhaps my custom banana order had thrown him off. “Oh Nick, you didn't get two rice's. Let me give you mine.” He seemed kind of upset about this. When I came back in, he turned around and told me, “Glen, you not eat enough. You need to eat more. It healthy. Rice is good for you.” Uh huh.

I asked Judy the day before if she knew that women in America were jealous of Chinese women because they can seemingly eat all they want and remain thin. “Is the meat. Meat makes you fat. That's why Americans are fat.” Oh really? I told her that in America people try to avoid white rice because it's so bad for you. Remember Lilly, the woman I met on the plane? We talked about weight and diet and she said it's the different portion sizes. She said Chinese eat a lot of different foods but not too much of each. We all know about our American portion sizes (Venti, Big Gulp, Texas Fold Em’, etc.). There was a book out last year called “French Women Don't Get Fat.” I didn't read it but I seem to remember that the author also made the portion argument.

Judy desperately wants to work in New York. She asked me again about it. “Glen, could I get a job in New York?” I told her that with her ability to speak both English and Mandarin she'd have a better chance than most. I also told her not to get hung up on New York and that America had many other nice cities. I said the best thing she could do is try to get a job with an American corporation that has an office in Beijing. “Just get your foot in the door and try to prove yourself.” She wanted an explanation on what this meant. I recommended that she try McDonald's or Pizza Hut.

I've actually been confused about how everyone got their job. I asked Judy how she got hired and she said she “sent an e-mail.” Hmm...Ok. I asked Nick the same question and he said he “found it in the nighttime.” Wow. The job opportunities are really few and far between here. There was a story on CCTV about a job fair in Shanghai for recent college graduates. About 10,000 showed up and there were only 150 positions. The jobs paid 5,000RMB a month which is decent but in a desperate attempt to land a job the applicants were telling the employers they would take as little as 1,500RMB a month in order to undercut their competition.

I was chatting with a Chinese-American man who's lived in Tokyo, Seoul, and now Beijing for the past decade. He gave me a really helpful tip: use the hotel concierges as your personal translator. He's programmed into his cell phone all the major hotel chains in Beijing. When he runs into a problem, he whips out his phone, asks for the concierge, tells them the problem, and then hands his cell phone to the Chinese person. He said it's just vital that you rotate through the different hotels so they don't start recognizing your voice. What a great idea!

China Daily, the only state-run newspaper printed in English keeps running articles and editorials asking if the United States and Canada will ever open their borders to Chinese tourists. I didn't realize it was a problem? I don't know if this is in reference to some type of post-9/11 regulation or something. The articles make the U.S. and Canada seem quite hostile to Chinese visitors.

I've written before about how the Chinese love their lunchtime naps. If you make too much noise while they are sleeping they will “shh” you. Judy loves her naps so much that she's trained herself after lunch to sleep sitting straight up at her desk. Scarlet had told me about this but I didn't believe it. Well I saw it with my own eyes. She faces her computer, puts her hands on her mouse, and literally sleeps. You wouldn't be able to tell she's asleep. Those tricky Chinese!


[1] The phrase paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhi laohu (紙老虎), meaning that the nature of a person or organization appears powerful but in reality is powerless and ineffectual; "He reminded Mao that the paper tiger had nuclear teeth.”

[2] A very popular website, My Heritage, allows you to upload one of your photos and their face recognition software matches the dimensions of your face to a database of celebrity photos. According to them, I resemble Josh Groban, Roger Daltrey, Michael Phelps, Patrick Stewart, Jason Lee, Matthew Fox, and Richard Gere. You can try it yourself at: http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/tryFaceRecognition.php