Christmas in China
Christmas is definitely a little different in China. But at least I found some great turkey and dressing!! And got in a couple of rounds of golf too!
As I mentioned in another recent posting, any day is most like any other day here. Christmas is no different. Our factory was working right along, like most in China. Since our company is owned out of Hong Kong, they do observe Christmas as a holiday, so I and all our staff had the day off. But the factory kept right on putting out products.
I even went out Christmas Day to get my new PDA phone fixed, and you would have thought it was that shopping day they call Black Friday in the US, instead of actually being Christmas Day. The stores were packed with folks, and many sales were in process. I think they believe Christmas is a day to hold sales.
My favorite local pub, One for the Road did have some great festivities for the weekend. For many it was one long party of about 4 days. I just visited several times. Thankfully! The complimentary shots were nice, but there were too many rounds.
The other kind of shots were more enjoyable on the golf course. We had a couple of good rounds between friends at our nearby course. Weather was ideal for it too. All days were cool in the morning and evening, but as the Brits like to term it: “fine” during the day.
But it was Christmas Day buffet at the pub that was the highlight of the weekend. Having turkey and dressing was great. They even had custard and bread. And the other items were good too, even if most were of the English tilt.
It was particularly refreshing to get the turkey and dressing, after the unique Christmas Eve dinner I shared with some friends. We had a great meal, but Thai food for Christmas Eve just doesn’t seem right. The Thai restaurant even gave out party favor bags to all the patrons. I didn’t know they bagged Santa hats with horns and poppers. It was fun, but again just didn’t seem right for Christmas.
Even the pub got into the party act. They pulled out the confetti guns planned for the New Year’s party. They may not have any left for next week now. Oh well, it was fun anyway.
Christmas..... Just Like Any Other Monday
Is it really less than a week before Christmas? It really has a way of slipping up on ya, doesn’t it? Well, it really does over here.
There is a saying I learned from one of my ex-pat friends here: “Everyday is a Monday.” And how right that is. I was even sitting with him for dinner last Sunday night, but he had to leave early to go to a meeting! Yes, I said Sunday night! It’s just like any other day.
Well, that makes Christmas even less of an event. It has really sneaked up on me. I do get a couple of days off, and hope to make a couple of parties like last year, but the invitations haven’t been forthcoming. Maybe soon………. Or I should say: “Better be soon!”
Christmas does get some attention here. Folks are picking up on it, particularly the stores and businesses that cater to foreigners. They are counting on that extra kabling in the cash register, just like stores in the US. They have stocked extra, and many are having events geared to getting us to spend our money at their locales. It usually works.
But anyway, I’m not doing too much. Hopefully, I will be off to a Christmas Eve or Night dinner. And I will probably play golf one of the days. Otherwise, “Everyday is a Monday.” And I work most of those! Only I do have Monday and Tuesday off. YES!! Even though the factories will be working right along, like any other day, or (should I say) “any other Monday”
Confetti flies as the champagne flows for Fang Fang and See Wai at recent wedding reception in their honor.
See Wai's Wedding Reception
There is a very polite tall young man that works closely with me at Decca, with a pleasant smile and a timid manner. His name is See Wai. It is a joy to try to poke fun at him, or pull his leg. He’s one of those characters that just tilts his head and tries to determine if you are serious.
Upon my return, See Wai came to me bashfully informing me that he wanted to invite me to his wedding reception. When I asked about the date of his wedding, I was a little surprised when he informed me that it had been in October! Wow! And I didn’t even know! I can’t be too surprised though, it was in Hong Kong. And that’s just the way some things are here; a little more private about some things than others.
But so what…………… it was another party! And what a joy! See Wai was a real gentleman and the pride he shared was evident in his joy and happiness.
It all started out a little awkwardly. The nearby hotel was good enough to send a couple of buses to haul most of the management and staff to the event across Dahlingshan. Only, the bus I was in suddenly stopped less before we could get out of the industrial complex. We had a flat tire! Of course, everyone blamed me, saying it had to be my weight gain from Thanksgiving, since I had been riding over the delinquent tire.
We soon had alternate transport, and got on to the event before missing any activities. The wedding reception was like so many I’ve attended here now. The bride, Fang Fang, was beautiful, and changed her attire after the cake cutting. See Wai was resplendent in a grey tuxedo. There was a champagne glass tower, cutting of the cake, plenty of food, and a lot of wine! And being a Decca party, there was a lot of wine consumed quickly!
The host did a great job of sharing in his joy. The bride’s parents were present and quite pleasant. Her father even presented the Decca management with a calligraphy print he had prepared himself – being an educated scholar in this Chinese art.
And who would believe it, See Wai is a Cyclone. An Iowa State Cyclone! Yes, that Iowa! He has an architecture degree from Iowa State. There he was in the standard wedding slide show in his Iowa State sweats on the steps of one of the classroom buildings there. Now he does a great job handling our quality coordination in the factory.
Congratulations See Wai and Fang Fang!
(Pictures available from the link under Photos in right column.)
Me with the bride and groom, Fang Fang and See Wai, and Barrett Plasman on the right, visiting from our Bolier partner in the USA.
The Red Mustang
The red Mustang I drove all over North Carolina during my recent home leave. Here it is parked in front of the JH Adams Inn in High Point, where I stayed the last few nights.
Grocery Shopping in China
I went to the grocery store the other day, and I hardly recognized anything. I was at the Ole grocery store nearby. It’s a beautiful well lit, and abundant shopping experience. The store reminds one of the new Fresh Markets in North Carolina.
But it’s amazing that we think of having such variety in the USA, when in fact, we don’t have nearly the options probably served here in this country. There are probably 10 bins of different races for bulk serve-yourself bagging. And then there are another two rows of prepackaged rice varieties. Oils take up at least four long rows. And that doesn’t even begin to include the odd type oils, like soy sauces.
I can’t even begin to tell you what most of the fruits are. There are so many, that it is truly incredible. And whatever you do, be prepared when you get near that big spiny one that smells so bad! I’m told that they even have bans on that specific fruit from the subway in Singapore.
The meat section is a real experience. It is more like walking into the back of the meat market than USA Winn Dixie. It’s my understanding that Wal-Mart learned a lesson the hard way in the marketing of meat. They first tried to sell it prepackaged, but consumers felt it was not fresh. They had to switch, so that now at Wal-Mart like any other grocery store in China, it is cut right there to your specification. And they do cut and sell any and every part of most every imaginable animal. Don’t be taken aback when you stumble upon the pig’s face.
Simple potato chips amazed me the other day. Now most everyone that knows me from Ruffton, knows that I grew up on chips, with my father being a distributor for Tom’s Foods. Well, here the bags look like standard Lay’s chips (unfortunately none of the superior Tom’s brand here), but you have to be extremely careful about the flavor you select. I have made the mistake before of assuming a potato chip bag is a regular Original flavored chip. Well, they have a lot of flavors here. It’s proliferated here just like in the States. But oh, are the flavors a little different here! There’s tomato, cucumber, drumstick, shrimp, and wasabi to name a few. Yes, they do have Original and Texas barbecue, but you better look carefully and be sure you have the right one. It is a rather rude awakening to bite into a chip, expecting standard potato flavor, and getting a fish flavor
Where is Everyone?
Here I got back and it doesn’t seem like I came back to the same place.
As you may have remembered one of my friends, Toby, had recently left for a promotion to a hotel in
Hong Kong.
He starts in a few weeks.
Well, since I got back to
China, it seems many other friends have left too!
My favorite band at the Sofitel Royal Lagoon Hotel, the Mia family, returned to the Philippines. My buddy Mitchell headed back to USA, and is probably not going to be back. . Friends Lucas and Bjarne are off on holiday. It’s like I got back here and no one is here.
But life goes on, and new friends enter the picture. It does seem odd though. At least Lucas and Bjarne should be back soon. Best wishes to Mitchell and the Mia family in their new pursuits.
The Mia Family singing at the Royal Lagoon on a recent night in the Jazz Bar. Wendy on keyboards in the rear, with wife, Grace (left) and sister Linger.
China ......................... Finally
I'm back! At least I made it out before the major storm hit Chicago! And I even had some luck and got an upgrade to Business Class. It was my first time getting the upgrade, and was probably due to the weather too. I think some passengers didn't make the connection, so I was able to get the upgrade.
Boy is Business better than Economy! So nice to have a wide seat to oneself!
Anyway, I'm back in China! Now I got to get used to this time zone again. Just when I was getting used to US time zones, here I am back here again! Typical.
