Well, maybe only the second part, literally.
In today's New York Times: (free registration required)
Every American tourist should see before they come.
I've always wondered about the difference in sequence between Chinese (Eastern) and American (Western) names--in a Chinese name, family name goes first, followed by given name. In an American name, it's the reverse. My Chinese name has two characters, one for family and the other for given. When I came to the US, I went with American custom and reversed it--every Chinese in America does except Yao Ming. But because between friends, when we write email we often go with the Chinese sequence, there came the confusion for my Chinese friends. They were often not sure as to which is which as it's hard to tell just by counting the syllables.
Maybe I should be like Yao Ming and say "to hell with it" and keep my name in its original sequence?
I'm not sure, but one thing I AM sure of is not to have an American name. I hate altering my name just for others' convenience, as any American would agree. Maybe this is a sign that I'm *Americanized*? After all, there are already too many Johns, Brians, and Davids. Just tonight, I found it funny to hear the democratic presidential candidate call his running mate the same as himself. :)
Chinese names are actually not that bad compared to, say, Indian names. Once you master the Xs and the Qs, you are in good shape. I have an X in my name. Before, I don't even bother to explain to telemarketers or call center reps how to pronounce it right. Now one out of three can pronounce near perfection. See, Americans are smart and they learn, especially if it's part of the job. We just have to trust them.
When I came back to the US from my one-month visit home, the first thing my Chinese friends asked me was always "how did you like the food"? Looking into their envious eyes, I knew my answer would probably upset them:" I only enjoyed the food for the first ten days of my trip."
That was my honest answer, and often was greeted by the what-are-you-talking-about disbelief for the next ten seconds or so, until I broke it with the following:
"Yeah, my stomach was so overwhelmed that after ten days it just took whatever was offered and could not really tell the difference."
My mind fast rewinded to those days in Chengdu and Beijing. Even days right before I came back. Yes, like every Chinese about to go back, I visited the food forums and downloaded the Beijing food map, Chengdu gourmet directory, etc. I’ve asked my Chinese friends here what they had last time they went back. I started to make plans for my little food tour. I couldn't sleep for a couple of days before my trip, thinking of all the food that are waiting for me, those I grew up with, those I have read about for so many times online and those I haven't heard about. What a joy to see, and eat, all the foods I'd been dreaming and reading about!!
It was true. For the first ten days, at least.
Then I started to realize how important the atmosphere can be in an dining experience. It's one thing to eat the food you grew up with in the environment you grew up with--like the 卤煮火烧 I had in a small no-name restaurant in Xisi—don’t take me wrong, it WAS delicious. Yet when the food you want to enjoy is always served in a noisy, steamy, crammed setting, it takes away the joy so much that the taste simply does not matter any more. I tried to blame myself for such snobbishness and force myself to forget the environment and concentrate on just the food.
That did not work. Like foreplay to sex, the atmosphere is indispensable to enjoying good food. Yet unlike the foreplay, I found it out the hard way. :(
Finally, I've jumped on the bandwagon. It's been, oh, almost two years since I first saw a blog. I was in a lab, asking a student of mine what the hottest trends among college students were. The answer: IM and blogs. Now I've long abandoned IM (1998 was the last year I used ICQ) and blogs, bumbling thoughts as random as they could be, didn't really excite me, back then.
How have things changed! A trip to China last month made me realize 1) how backward we are living in the US (look at the migrant works playing with their fancy mobile phone); 2) I need to feel young (if I can't look so :)). With the many feelings I had about the trip, and my life in general, and to catch up with the whole world, it's time that I start a blog.
So here it is.
Like the grand opening of anything, I want to thank Nana for graciously offer this place as my little corner of the web. And friends at Paowang. Even though I don't post that much, I enjoyed reading all your posts.
Finally, apologies to those who hate to read English. I decided to write in English solely because it's convenient for me to type. Plus I've always wanted to be a little different--so I didn't waste time to set up the first English blog at Paowang. I hope you'll come to like it. If only for a chance to read some English.