Week 2: Food adventures continue and the the university bubble starts to dissolve

Art!

First, I will quickly recap some of the food adventures I’ve had. I’ve learned that Chinese rice porridge is not for me. The porridge itself isn’t bad, but the insistence of putting fermented vegetables into the porridge has officially ended my trial. That, plus a serving of fish I attempted, have been my only ‘rejects’ – I consider this to be very good.

Better view of those windmills.

                With Bai’s help, I have become more adept at ordering my own food within dining cafeterias. (Number) of this, that, yes, good, no, bad, thank you. Very good for me and even better for Bai, I think. This independence is 100% removed when I am faced with a menu ordering situation of any kind. Unfortunately for me (and those with me), dinner often involves menu reading/describing. Maybe soon, I will be able to do this independently as well. Likely not. Earlier in the week, I desired another smoothie, strawberry this time, but Bai was not able to assist me directly. So she left me a note with how to order one. Ma Jing had earlier alerted me that he would compete in a swimming competition, so I decide to check it out, find myself in a familiar place: The pool. It was a brutally hot day, so I took my note in my pocket and headed to the smoothie bar en route to the pool. I dropped my order on them without trouble – but there was confusion over my actual order. Sure, I had told them what I thought was a decent order, but now I had to clarify it for them. Can’t say I was really prepared for this part. 

First strategy: repeat what I already said, twice. Initially confusion, but a 3^rd employee was able to clearly decipher my order. Strawberry milkshake, yes! But no! I want a large one! I said I wanted a large one! Strategy two: Point at the large one and make signals with my hands for large while repeating in Chinese what I believed to be ‘large order’. Yes! Success! No! One! I want one! How did we get to me ordering two? I didn’t motion 2 or order 2. Ok, great, they’re making me one, problem solved. Why is this guy giving me $15 dollars with the smoothie? Oh, I was double-charged.

I wish I had that umbrella.
Imagine if I was on the lower bleacher? No view.

               

This is a very poor effort.

 Smoothie in hand and smoothie bar employees fully frazzled, I went to the pool. Man, was I glad to have that smoothie. I would have melted into the bleachers. There was no shade anywhere near the pool. The competition seemed to be 100% individual. Maybe 45 people showed up. Who knows what the events were. I don’t. Ma Jing netted a 3^rd place finish in one of them, I guess. I congratulated him and then he told me I’d have to wait 1.5 hours for the next race and suggested I leave. I heeded his advice on the account that I probably would have died in the sun had I not. My smoothie was no more and the heat was too much. Turns out he got 3^rd in that race, too. His prize were two red velvet-bound certificates and mouthwash, soap, body wash and laundry detergent. Quite a haul!
                Later that night the Jings, Bai and I played some table tennis and billiards. Ma Jing proved a good match in the table tennis. Something was different, though. The ball was dancing like a knuckler for both of us. I attributed this to a much tackier table and paddle that you typically see in America. You simply could not get the ball to bounce true on either surface. It was wild. Ma Jing took 2/3 close matches from me, but Bai and I evened the score in 8-ball, with Bai learning for the first time how to play. I predict more nights involving casual competition at the Worker’s Lounge on campus. Dedicated to the country’s laborers, this lounge had games, recital rooms/hall and karaoke rooms. A very neat rec room on campus.

Honestly - this is all starch.

                During other evening walks around the campus, I tried two Chinese favorites: Bubble Tea and Grass Jelly Tea. I found that the tea itself was pretty good. ‘Milk tea’ or ‘red tea’ was the actual liquid part, and was pretty good! I even liked the jelly in the Grass Jelly Tea – it tasted like the tea itself. Where these drinks lose me is at the inclusion of potato starch ’bubbles’ that fill 50% of the cup. I am not sure a human body can even process that much starch and I was certainly not willing to find out.

Endless fun!

                The Jings were also kind enough to take us out to watch ‘Now You See Me 2” at the new (last year built) mall 20 min drive away. The movie was in English with Chinese subtitles, so no issue there! After the movie, we walked around the mall. There were 4 floors above the parking garage, the first two were dedicated to clothing stores, while the top two were filled with restaurants, food bars and the theater itself. There were also toddler playpens and the biggest kid trap in a mall I’d ever seen. They even had helmet on hand and 6 workers to ensure child safety during the romping. At 9pm, though, the 6 employees for 2 kids looked like overkill. I could only see myself in there, playing around forever. Alas, it was time to go home, so I was not able to.