Bring on the Night

I met C. and the interpreter in the lobby.

C. was a very sweet girl, like I had felt through our letters and the pictures she sent. I instantly liked her smile and eyes. She even gave me a handshake, though she in a letter had told me that this was not common in China, and that I should not expect this. I was told that a big smile and a “Ni hao” would be sufficient, since handshakes would make most Chinese uncomfortable. I felt really flattered that she would do this to make me feel good and welcome. In Denmark it is a common way to say hello, as I guess most western countries do.

The interpreter was handpicked by C. Since our communication before we met had only consisted of letters translated by the matchmaking bureau, we needed the bureaus assistance translating every letter. During our last letters before my departure from Denmark, I noticed one letter translated particularly well, and praised the agency’s work to C. Being a very thoughtful and considerate girl, C. especially asked for this person to be our interpreter during our first time together. She chose wisely. Not only was the interpreter a lively and friendly girl, but she also spoke a very decent English. When I compare to the general English level in Shenzhen, the interpreter really was a catch.

Besides the usual embarrassing shy looks the first meeting really went well. Even better than I could have hoped for. Unlike what I expected beforehand, I was not that nervous. I guess it was a combination of many other things. Normally I would be really nervous, but even though it was a very exiting moment, there were so many other things that also took my attention. I was in a new country. I was out of touch with the time, because of the time difference. I felt seasick from the jetlag, and the heat was killing me. The day before I had a taste of the heat, but it was after a long journey flying and going by bus. When I left the plane I felt pretty wasted, dizzy and sweaty already, so I did not go from totally fresh to sweaty in 5 minutes. As we left the hotel I could immediately feel the heat hitting me. Since the day before I had been in air-conditioned rooms only. This made the transition bigger. Going outside was like going into an oven. 5 minutes and I was sweaty again. Gave us a good laugh and something to talk about. First time I felt sweating beyond control could actually have a positive side.

C. soon saw that I was heavily affected by the weather and suggested that we found somewhere cool to sit and talk a bit. She suggested KFC since it was nearby and not that crowded normally. I swallowed a big cup of water very fast. The heat worked on me even after 5 minutes in an air-conditioned KFC restaurant. See, this was the 30th of April and in Denmark this equals a blend of cloudy, windy, sunny and rainy weather. Even on a sunny day the degrees would not surpass 15 degrees, and the chill factor made it feel colder. Taking my bike to work could be freezing to the hands, and feel like winter. Suddenly you stand on the other side of the planet in 28-30 degrees warm climate with humid air. Quite a shock to Dane with a healthy appetite.

One thing I learned pretty fast was to buy a load of the invaluable paper tissues. In Denmark these are not needed, though most girls always have a pack in their bags for makeup stuff. Men don’t carry these much, but I was taught the hard way in Shenzhen. Walking slowly round the streets you work up a sweat unwillingly, and you really learn to appreciate having a paper tissue or two to wipe the forehead. The first days C. pitied me and gave me a tissue whenever people mistook me for a fountain. Important as carrying tissues is, there is an even more critical usage for these. Yes, you guessed it. They are indispensable for visiting the toilets. In Denmark you never have to bring your own toilet paper, but this is a different case in China. Fortunately I had learned the lesson of carrying these before my first visit to a public toilet, though I was not prepared for the meeting with a paperless toilet booth.

Ohh got sidetracked again. Back to the first meeting with C.

Hearing that I had not been eating since the day before at 4pm (the time was now about 2pm), C. felt sorry for me and suggested that we went to a restaurant to find some food. I was really not hungry, and I know it may sound strange, but the heat completely put a hold on my appetite. I guess I must have been a bit nervous too, because I felt no urge to eat at the time. Still I realized that it would be a wise choice, so I accepted and we strolled to a restaurant inside a big store nearby.

I was told that it was a pretty good an expensive place, and the entrance proved this. It was a pretty big place, with a little room for guests waiting for a free table. There were many hostesses greeting us. Always someone free to help like I later would find out goes for all stores, shops and so on. Fortunately the big run was over, or not yet begun, so we only had to wait for a short time. Meanwhile we had the time to go shopping for belt bag to carry my wallet, camera, passport and so on in.

I have never been to a restaurant looking like this before. The tables all had a big swiveling plate on top, and I could see Chinese happily turning it regularly to pick a treat from one of the many plates. At the entrance there was a big tank of water containing many big live fish of which I don’t know the name. I saw a few sharks there too. I have never seen these fish tanks at Danish restaurants, and asked the interpreter if this was normal? I told her that this would never be seen in Denmark, and she quite witty replied: “Guess Danish food is not as fresh as Chinese food?”. Yes, she was right of course. I never thought of this and felt quite stupid asking.

Somehow Danes are a spoiled people. We are brought up never facing our dinner when it is able to look back at us. My wildest adventure comparable was going on a camp being forced to behead a chicken if we wanted dinner. We are not stupid though, because we know that there are slaughter houses doing the dirty work for us, and we all know that this slice of tasty meat once had a name or a at least a pulse. During life we just tend to conveniently forget this. Got a little reminder that I am actually a carnivore and that meat do not grow on trees.

We sat down and since the restaurant had no English menu card, I asked the girls to pick something for us/me. I was not let of the hook so easily, because the girls politely asked me about some dishes. Some I did not even understand what was, so I just said: “ok” and “yes, yes” but pointed out to stay of the fish (not my favorite, and really had nothing to do with the fish tanks). After all I was there for the adventure and I just wanted to suck it all in. Unlike Danish restaurants we did not have to wait long from order to delivery. I was quite new to chopsticks, though I had tried these a couple of times earlier on special occasions. Never got the hang of it, but did not feel completely helpless. Willing to learn I threw myself into the race staring at the girls gracefully using chopsticks. As expected I was the cause of many laughers to C. and the interpreter. Picking up small round things like whole peanuts and likewise really can be difficult. My table was not clean after I was done. No wonder if the staff coursed this big pig to h

Well, after about 22 hours of no eating the first thing I tasted was spicy chicken feet. Actually I did not realize this until the interpreter asked me if I knew what I was eating. All I knew was that it looked funny compared to the food I was used to in Denmark, but did not taste that bad. The herbs and spices gave it a good flavor, and the rubbery skin/meat was acceptable. My biggest problem was getting rid of the bones. In Denmark we have a saying that “Bird and fish can be eaten using hands”, while all other meat must be eaten with knife and fork. Not thinking much about this I picked the leftover bones (very tiny bones) from my mouth with my hand and put them on my plate. Now the girls were very forgiving to this stupid foreigner and did not comment this behavior, but I later learned that this was not polite to do this. Well, learning by doing is never that bad (unless you are a minesweeper of course), so I guess nothing is so bad it is good for nothing. The correct way is to grab the bones with your chopstick and lay them on the plate. You can even spit them out (if you aim properly) but do not use your hands.

Besides the Chicken feet, we had some spring rolls, some soup and some dumplings. I cannot remember exactly but we had some more vegetables or similar. Actually what I remember strongest was the chicken feet and the soup. The chicken feet, because this is not considered food in Denmark, and the soup because I liked this at beginning, but soon found out that there were hidden surprises in the bottom. I really do not know what it was, but I know for sure some of it was boiled meat. I must admit that I had a very big surprise when I fished up something that I to this day do not know what was. It was a big lump of something looking like a clone of jelly, fat and eggplant. When I had this in my mouth I was really concerned if the girls could spot my discomfort. I did not want to appear impolite, and would do much to swallow it, but it almost got tears in my eyes during the effort and concealed a gag. I succeeded without anyone noticing, but I swear to god if I had to do another similar piece I would not be able to keep it inside. Fortunately I did not have to. I never told the girls about this one bad experience.

I most point out that this was the only time I had any food I did not like. The rest of my days in Shenzhen were an adventure packed wonderland of new flavors and great food. I have become a big fan of Chinese food, and wish I could have it every day. The dishes not only seem to be less fattening, but also more varied than the food we eat in the west. Also I like the way of eating. The swiveling plate on the table, the chopsticks, the small bowls make eating a nice get-together ceremony and not the usual “food for fuel” principle many singles have accustomed with in Denmark. Guess the many years of living alone gives you this habit. No one to make food for, and no one to enjoy it with. Just a quick load of fuel down the old drain and then go on with whatever mind numbing task you were doing before.

Since the day was 1½ month from now, I really cannot remember what we did afterwards. It is pretty hard to remember the days as they went so the next posts will be about things I experienced in the order I believe they happened.

More to come