Observations and Anecdotes

Observations and Anecdotes
Now that we have been here a week, I thought it might be time to record some random observations, some funny things that were said and of course, some more Lina’isms and jokes.

Out of the Mouth of Babes
Overheard in the hotel room in Xi’an. Ashley said, “Dad, do you keep giving tips ‘cause you‘re tying to get rid of all of our money?”

Lina’isms (She really is a very charming woman!)
“Sneeze once means someone is missing you; sneeze twice means some one is talking bad about you; sneeze three times means you have a cold”

“In China when you get married you get three rings. First is the engagement ring, then the wedding ring. But I am not ready to get married, I am not ready for the third ring; suffer..ring”

Noted at the breakfast buffet in Xi’an:
Pancakes do not go well with chicken broth as syrup.
When using a Chinese toaster, the best you can hope for is warm bread.
Be happy with one cup of coffee…that’s all you get.

Driving and Walking in China
There are NO circumstances under which a pedestrian EVER has the right-of-way.
Driving is an art. It has little to do with traffic rules and regulations but rather is a highly evolved form of playing chicken.

Bicycle carts are at home on the interstate. We were amazed at how much stuff can be loaded on a bike. They were everywhere. Huge trucks, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians just mix together on the interstate and local roads. It makes Chicago traffic after a Bears game look like a picnic. Lina said “the number one killer in the US is heart disease…number one killer in China is traffic”

Bet You Didn’t Know…
The origin of the term China. Foreigners came to Chang nan where porcelain was made many years ago and is still made today. They had no name for this porcelain, so they referred to it by the name of the town in which it was made ..Chang nan. The French began to refer to this as Chine…eventually westerners adopted the term China. So, the western term for the country was born.

Toilets in China are not really toilets unless you are in a western hotel. They are actually porcelain holes in the ground. I now know why it is customary to take off your shoes when entering a house in China.

China construction workers do not stop working at 3pm like in the States. In fact, they bang steel and run equipment, well at least so , until 10:30PM (and counting).

You can actually buy “candy” made from fish.

The number 4 is very bad in China. It sounds the same as the word for “death”. So, if you want to buy a personalized license plate cheap or a specialized phone number…make sure it has a lot of 4’s, they will practically give it away. You won’t find any buildings with a 4th floor.

The word for good bye in mandarin is Tzi Jian…means see you again. As Lina told us, feel free to use this everywhere but in a hospital or in a funeral home. Under these circumstances it means, hey, I’d like to see you back here again. (I decided I would stick with “bye”).

While sitting at lunch at the site in Xi'an of the Terecotta soldiers, we were having lunch and talking with Sheri (the local guide). The drink cart came by (you only got 1 glass of soda on the buffet, from there on it was pay as you go for drinks). So we notice that on the drink is a large glass container full of liquid an a curled up SNAKE. Of course somehwhat shocked we asked Sheri WHAT IS THAT! "Oh.." she said, "that is snake wine." "You want to be careful, it is very strong." Very Srong! That's all you can say. THERE IS A SNAKE IN THE CONTAINER...strong is not what I was worried about.