From Pain to Elation!

Using chopsticks was the part of my LST training that I liked the least. I understood that it was important to learn to abide by the Chinese culture so as not to offend anyone I came in contact with. However, those silly little sticks gave me a cramp in my right thumb and forefinger.

Margie and Ken gave me a couple of pairs of chopsticks to practice with. I took one pair to my mom so that she could learn with me. The other pair, I am sad to report, still lay in the same spot on the coffee table where I put them the night I received them. I just figured that I could bear the pain when it was absolutely necessary, and the rest of the trip, I would secretly eat with a plastic fork.
**************************************************

On the day of travel, our team ate mostly fast food or on the airplane, so I was in no danger of having to use the sticks. However, the first day we were on the ground in China, we had lunch in an actual Chinese restaurant. I was a little bummed thinking about how clumsy I was with the eating utensils. But, I was there, actually in China, and I was ready to try anything.

We began walking to the restaurant. On our way, we passed many street cafes with extremely rank odors wafting from their kitchens. On the sidewalk, these cafes had their wares displayed for all the see. There were crabs, craw fish, shrimp, snails, and live eel. Yum???

Each cafe we approached, I wondered if it would be the one where we would stop. Finally, I asked our tour guide where we were going. She was very secretive about the journey we were on, giving me not even the slightest hint of our final destination. So, I walked on in wonderment.

Finally we arrived. This restaurant was very nice, with no hint on the sidewalk of the food we would find inside. The tables were dressed in nice red tablecloths and cloth napkins. We were led up a wooden staircase to a small glassed in room with a door for privacy. Inside the room was our very own air conditioner...high class, from what I gathered.

After filling our juice glasses with lukewarm water, the moment of truth was upon me. I decided I needed to choose a dish with large pieces of meat and veggies that would be easier to pick up with the chopsticks. I was nervous about not having the ability to read the ingredients of the meal written in the Chinese language.

The waiter handed me a picture less menu, with no hint of the contents inside. Slowly, I opened the hard cover to reveal the entrees. To my complete surprise and total relief, the first item on this menu was PIZZA!

Oh, for joy...for JOY! I know how to eat pizza! It is my favorite "American" meal in which you don't need any utensils at all, except the ones God gave you...your FINGERS!!

The elation must have shown brightly on my face, because my team and guests burst out in laughter. It was a happy event, one that I hope to hold on to when recalling this short lived trip in China.