April 1, 2012: Wuhan, China: So, after our trip to Wuhan University, we made it to the night market. The night market was probably just what an American might picture
it as. A long, very narrow alley off of
the main street, stuffed to the gills with people and food being cooked in tiny
stands on portable propane stoves. I did
not see any exotic foods (e.g., bugs) and many of the stands had the same basic
offerings.
I was really in a bind at the market. Sandy
and Squirrel kept offering to buy me things to eat. Local pride, coupled with the common and
previously true assumption that my large size meant I eat a lot, kept the
offers coming. However, I had to repeatedly
turn them down. After having my lap band
surgery, there are just some things I can no longer eat. Many of these things include some very basic
and common Chinese and Hubie cuisine, e.g., dense, dry foods, such as steamed
rice balls or buns and bean curd; all very common to the night market. I asked Raymond if Sandy and her husband
thought I was being rude. He told me no,
but they did not understand why I would not try anything besides fresh
watermelon juice.
I tried to vaguely and generally describe that there were
just some things I could not eat. I was
not going to try to get into a conversation about the nature of my surgery
since it would be difficult, considering the language problems.
We reached a place where we could sit down without being
trampled and I kept thanking S&S for their offers of food. But then Sandy’s husband handed me a white bag containing
a couple of very spicy (dry rub) skewers of chicken that he was craving. He also offered Raymond some other Wuhan specialty and some
donut like item (both of whose names I cannot recall at this time); but both were very dry and not for me.
I took a tiny bite, smiled, and when no one was looking spit it out into
the garbage.
 |
| Trying to Eat Whatever Offered |
***
It was at the Night Market that I saw for the first time in
the PRC, another non-Asian. I had seen
and spoke with some non-Asian gents from Texas
when I was in Taipei,
at my hotel and the nearby 7-11, but
this non-Asian was very different.
***
The Taipei 7-11 incident was interesting. First, Chinese/Taiwanese 7-11’s do not smell
like American 7’11’s. In the US, you get the
aroma of cardboard pizza and burnt hot dogs.
In CN/TW, the 7-11’s smell from steaming rice buns of all types and the
stores have cauldrons filled with boiling eggs.
It was within this strange environment that I bought my very American
Coke and the guy from Texas
bought his pack of very American Marlboros.
I am not known for talking to strangers, but have to admit, seeing a non-Asian
American drew me to initiate a conversation.
Quite coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally) he and I worked
for different parts of the same Taiwanese corporation.
**
Getting Back to the
non-Asian at the Night Market.
First, the non-Asian was a she – and at least to me, really
stood out. She was a white girl,
probably early 20s. I noticed her across
the alley, as my roaming eyes are oft to do,
but she was too far from me for me to hear her voice to see what
nationality she was. For some strange
reason I pictured her as Australian, yet I had no basis for this
conclusion. She had that straight long
blonde hair reminiscent of Jan Brady, pale skin to go with the light hair, was
wearing a spaghetti-strap white with blue-print sun dress, and had a chunky build. She must have had a really strong body image
to be comfortable showing so much skin and so boldly standing out against the tightly
packed, more conservatively dressed, Chinese crowd. I know I certainly felt the eyes following me
and I am nothing to write home about.
The vibe this young girl put out was very impressive.
**
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