Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings [First published May 17,2014] There is a modern mall near my apartment with a modern grocery store and, until I recently discovered a farmer's market in the neighborhood, it was where I did most of my grocery shopping, Now I get my produce and meat from the market but still go to the grocery store for other things.
When I first started shopping at the mall, I thought that the clerks were saying "good morning" to me. And I was pleasantly trilling "good morning" back to them, even when it was afternoon or evening, and thinking how cute and hospitable they were. But I finally realized they were speaking Chinese when I heard them saying "good morning" (or something that sounded kind of like "good morning") to all the customers.
This attractive display of rice dumplings is for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. I wonder if Chinese shoppers mutter, "What? Qingming Festival is barely over and already the Dragon Boat decorations are in the stores!" ...
When I first started shopping at the mall, I thought that the clerks were saying "good morning" to me. And I was pleasantly trilling "good morning" back to them, even when it was afternoon or evening, and thinking how cute and hospitable they were. But I finally realized they were speaking Chinese when I heard them saying "good morning" (or something that sounded kind of like "good morning") to all the customers.
This attractive display of rice dumplings is for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. I wonder if Chinese shoppers mutter, "What? Qingming Festival is barely over and already the Dragon Boat decorations are in the stores!" ...
I could give the price of various grocery items (small loaf of bread, 6.5 yuan, large bunch of green onions, 2.5 yuan, one small lemon, 6 yuan or a little more than a dollar), but prices must be considered relative to income.
The cost of living is much lower here, but so are salaries. "Foreign expert" (that's me) teachers of English are paid more than their Chinese counterparts, or so I'm told.
In Western grocery stores, the "buy me a treat or I'll pitch a fit" zone is at the cash register. In this store, the center two aisles are devoted to treats for children. And instead of candy bars at the cash register, there's condoms.
As I approach the cash register, I'm humming along to the Chinese muzak. Occasionally they play English songs but usually its Chinese pop music. Just before coming to China, I heard a concert by Wanting Qu on CBC Radio. She is a native of China but divides her time between Vancouver and her birthplace and records songs both in Mandarin and English. Worth a listen!
The cost of living is much lower here, but so are salaries. "Foreign expert" (that's me) teachers of English are paid more than their Chinese counterparts, or so I'm told.
In Western grocery stores, the "buy me a treat or I'll pitch a fit" zone is at the cash register. In this store, the center two aisles are devoted to treats for children. And instead of candy bars at the cash register, there's condoms.
As I approach the cash register, I'm humming along to the Chinese muzak. Occasionally they play English songs but usually its Chinese pop music. Just before coming to China, I heard a concert by Wanting Qu on CBC Radio. She is a native of China but divides her time between Vancouver and her birthplace and records songs both in Mandarin and English. Worth a listen!
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