I figured that eventually I would come across some food I neither cared for nor cared about knowing the true origins of it. My rule was eat first, ask later. Thank goodness for that. I enjoy having lunch in the cafeteria because is has real traditional Chinese food, and its loud and crowded but that's pretty normal I think. The food varies everyday but they have a vegetable, maybe a meat and or a tofu, rice and some kind of steamed bun. I've learned quickly that fish is a great way to eat startling amounts of needle-like bones, that some vegetables look like meats, some meats look like something else and that there is no such thing as naturally brown tofu.
I sat down with my tray of delicious foods and dove into a spicy soup with tofu and egg, and then into a dish with diced "brown tofu" and other various vegetables. Let me tell you, it was delicious! I ate it so fast I barely noticed its texture variance from normal tofu. My Chinese friend (yes, I've made some!) smiled when I exclaimed how scrumptious the dish was. She laughed at my amazement of there being brown tofu, and in between laughing she said, "Its pork blood". I just looked at, and my stomach clenched up. "What?" I said slowly, wishing I misheard her. "Pork blood," she repeated smiling very big and obviously enjoying my suddenly less enthusiastic expression. I gave a weak smile back and told her I guess I better just not ask at all, ever.
Lesson learned.
Another part of being a foreigner is being well, noticeable. I get waved at, smiled at and a lot of curious looks but the event that happened today could give me a bit of a diva complex. We got to tour the city and mountain/seashore today in a company van, see the beautiful misty seaside of Dalian's mountains. Along with taking many pictures and stopping frequently we got to step of the van and explore some plazas.
Have you ever been told by a stranger that you look like a model? No? If you are American, come to China right now. They are nondiscriminatory, and hugely over complimentary. I was approached several times and asked if I was a model, and people literally ran up to take our picture! I was prepared for the interest in taking photos of us, but they acted like we were celebrities. I won't lie, I might have worked that camera angle a bit, and been a little more than proud people were excited to have us in their pictures. We even got some more surreptitious ones of us being in the background which was played off as an accident, I'm sure.
I haven't mentioned the friends we have made here yet. I cannot describe the joy it is to have these people willing to hang out, shuttle us around, explain over and over what's going on, teach us Chinese only to have to repeat it the next day, and still appear to enjoy being in our company. I think my time in China would be so severely depressing if I could not make friends with my coworkers. Immersion is best done with caring friends who have your best interest at heart. And really, that's how I feel about these lovely persons. They care about our experience here, they want to make it a good one. They've taken us shopping for groceries, down to hip hangout in a cafe bar thing, and even to a giant skate park like structure that is perfectly suitable for sliding down in jeans. Mind you, your bottom will be dirty, but the 6 year old in you will crow with glee.
In two days I will have been here a week, and I trade off from the view of thinking how long I've been here, to how little I know still about Dalian. I cannot wait to get to know this city of contrasts. Talking to one of the locals about Dalian makes me feel more at home, knowing they love living here could me I could as well. I might even join a super nice gym here (dance and yoga class included) and become even more of a native.
Talk to me in three months and maybe I'll have started smoking and rapidly firing of Chinese...(ok maybe not) in any case, I'm planning on living here to the fullest extent my Visa and I can handle.
Also, a combo washer dryer is not easy to use, and even more troubling when every direction is in Chinese. Lets just say I'm now the proud owner of mildly cleanish steam washed jeans.
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