Food day

I've titled this food day because today I branched out on my food experiences

I have ONLY eaten chinese food since i got ere and avoided the temptation for a slice of pizza or a KFC (which are EVERYWHERE!)

even in starbucks i had my green tea frapp. perhaps the greatest drink ever. massively craving.

but today i went to the shaanxi normal university very early to watch their second day of sports games and see where i will be helping teach next week

it was -hands down- the most beautiful university i have ever seen. between the buildings were different parks etc and my host 'tian' told me what they all meant. they were only small but there was like 'the happy rock park' and it was just full of rock water displays! there were the most amazing waterfalls around the library and just sheets of water. all old style chinese trees and those little marquee type things. oh my god. it was just so yummy!

anyway
olive took me there
and so as we were walking from the bus stop she said "you want to try some breakfast" i obvvvviously said yes. i wish i had not



dumplings with sour brown rice.
(they were managable)
then there was this plastic sort of thing with a film lid that you poerced with a straw. the type of container that i can only remember drinks when you were 12 at youth club coming in and they were usually red or blue.

but this was white.
she said 'it is so nutricious, better than milk'
it certainly looked like milk
so i took a slurp.

i was nearly sick in my mouth

i was like WHAT IS THAT
she answered
LIQUID TOFU

i then saw the pieces floating in it

that's right ladies and gentlemen, i had watery bean curd through a straw this morning. i tried to be polite... so i kept taking hugely slurps and IMMEDIATELY biting my dumplings so as not to through up all over her.

after about a third of the satan juice i gave up

then after we watched some sports and i got a picture with a chinese cheerleading team (et you all can't wait for that one) we had lunch
actually before i talk about lunch i feel i need to really explore the concepts of
a) a chinese cheerleader
b) chinese people in photographs or taking photographs

a) = HILARIOUS. some are good some are terrible but overall fashion and choreography are 'different' i saw one group of cheerleaders in knee length silver sequin dresses with red sequin neckties.
their dances tend to be either a) an immitation of american cheering or b) traditional and very floaty and would certainly not evoke a westerner to cheer about anything
but all the same they were very nice to me (the group in my photo wore army trousers rolled up and neon green and white t-shirts - they clashed but they looked better than most)

b) = believe legends and myths
olive is the first to admit that chinese people take photographs of everything! she lives in teh city and i would say she has taken at least 5 times more photographs than i have! and she also said
'chinese people take more photographs of buildings and things in places like london than of their friends' too true.
also... most common pose in a photo is DEFINATELY the peace sign, two fingers, big grin.
ahhh i love it when stereotypes are based on solid truth


annnnyway
lunch = best sweet and sour chicken i have EVER had in my life for 1.20. tasty and cheap. they said that i look very beautiful eating with chopsticks 'gentle and delicate' so HA to helen and the other spooners who say i eat like a pig.. here in china i eat like a princess!

then after i got home i napped and tutoured those hilarious girls again. there was also a boy today. i'm pretty sure he didn't speak a word of english he was just loving life. barely spoke. and when he did he got it wrong. but i'm fine with that.

they did some more chinese dancing for me. bless them

then, because i had been teaching them about fruit - the mothers bought me LOADS of fruit, and what looked like a juice carton... now i know an apple is an apple all over the world so i knew i was safe with the fruit.. but i opened my juice carton on my walk home.
it tasted like
orange lucozade tablet + listerine + um bongo..
i spat it out first sip.
then i endeavoured to enjoy it. i had five more sips. it is now sitting in front of me staring at me on my computer desk. laughing at me with it's strange scary woman on the front.

yum


erm.
aside from that it's pretty much same old same old.


some people have been saying they are really enjoying this blog but i'm starting to worry my english is failing...
i now speak 'chinese english' aka. all day i have to speak very slowly and i have started to adapt my language so that i intentionally make mistake/sound weird because i have noticed they usually make this mistakes.
probably not good for my english OR their english practice.
for example
olive 'it is very cold in england?'
anna 'yes..... it.... is.... sometimes.... cold.... but.... it.... is.... possible.... to.... be.... warm.... also'
sound like a bloody malko.



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