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Q: The smallest things...
As I sit here about to eat my bacon and eggs for breakfast, I consider it one of my greatest comforts - the ability to have a 'normal' meal, instead of the local fare.
Not that I have a problem with (most) Chinese food, it's just that when you move to a fairly different culture, with quite different ways of many of the things you take for granted, having that sense of 'normalcy' is the thing that can keep you sane.
I also stream a radio station from back home, so even though I don't really like much of the music on there, it's still normalising for me.
They're small things, but important - to help me keep my sense of self.
What's yours??
Watching movies and TV shows from back home, music of course...also I have to have pizza at least once a week!
I go on mixed martial arts forums and watch old reruns of my favorite episodes such as Tales from the Crypt. I've been watching a lot of those episodes lately. It's been great!
crimochina:
poor baby still need to work out the kinks. please no one tell him
I prefer to keep my small things to myself (so as to avoid embarrassment).
Just do not mention what Radio and TV stations you use on here
as our local ccp member will get the GFW put around them
I love my HAM and eggs and toast in the morning too..... almost always wait 'til the wife goes to work before I indulge ............. I been watching NHL hockey playoffs for a month now, most every morning..... online, live, but not telling how..... getting tired of them too.....
wish they would end, and I can get back to learning more Chinese... yah right........ bottom line........ You are very right, small things that connect back to "home" are quite refreshing before and/or after a Chinese day.
when football season starts, then baseball playoffs. when i get my hands on a george foreman grill i will add burgers and carlsberg beer to the mix
crimochina:
i almost forgot to mention anytime i get to spend w/ the great friends i made here. i
BHGAL:
george foreman grill sounds good...(the beef???).......I question the Carlsberg (mama huhu) ..... local beer is better price, for optimum drunken pleasure
99Silva:
I already own a george foreman grill. beat you to it...little baby XD!
crimochina:
why do chinese people lie about everything. and where did you get it from?
TedDBayer:
I'd like a small gas portable BBQ. I almost bought a charcoal one, GF stopped me, said I could borrow one, then never delivered.
crimochina:
i wouldn't risk using a propane / gas tank in china. people here are too incompetent and ignorant
For me,there are a few "small things". It's cooking basic western food for myself. The in-laws won't even try it. Taking an ice cold beer outta the fridge and not having to complain because its never at room temperature. ...and if I'm being 100% honest here..watching WWE (sorry but it's been a guilty pleasure for way too long) and MMA pay-per-views with a few buddies + the aforementioned beers and vittles.
And,,,,,,,,I have my iPod loaded with English tunes and I never leave home without it.
Heinz baked beans! They taste bad, they smell bad. But they are from home. Until I get more acquainted to life here and where to find certain specialty items, they will do for me.
Red_Fox:
You can get Heinz Baked Beans in any Metro and some Carrafours anywhere in the country. Pricey, but if that is what you desire, money is no object. (What's an extra 2 bucks for a can of beans compared to home prices?)
But I DO miss beans and although I can find red beans, black beans, garbanzos, lentils, and baked beans in cans, I cannot find dry beans of any flavor or color in bulk bags.
Nothing like beans and rice for protein complementarity. Got plenty of rice in China. Where the hell are the beans?
DaveP84:
I shop at the Metro fortnightly. So I have plenty of beans. The prices are high of course. I could get four tins back home for the equivalent price of 1.4 rmb. Here however, it is one tin for 9,8rmb. I still buy them though.
Red_Fox:
Yeah, I get lentils at Metro, but they don't stock regularly which pisses me off. Still and yet, I really would like to know where I can find the dry varieties, which tend to be a lot cheaper. Where are the effin' beans in China? I just don't get it.
DaveP84:
Well I was quite surprised to discover that I can get decent sized boxes of cereal on taobao. With regards to their freshness, that remains to be seen. But perhaps if you try a particular brand of supplier, you could find some?
diverdude1:
'Moros y Cristianos'...muy delicioso. anybody else spent time in Cuba?
Yeah. Streaming radio... Chicago bar blues... West Coast cool jazz (Miles in the 50s, Stan Getz, Trane...)... soothes my soul after a rough day in my 2-tier city.
Just me and Butch, my dog. And my gf when she flies in from SH on the weekends...
The little things... A walk in the park on a blue-sky day (to get away from my neighbors) or a boardwalk stroll along the beach at dusk. Then maybe a burger at the local cafe and some cheesecake for Butch...
BHGAL:
mississipi john hurt ..... muddy waters ... buddy guy ....papa john creach .. all good stuff
The time difference makes streaming radio live a bit tricky. Luckily a lot of radio I like is available as podcasts. I stream the home news whenever convenient, often at dinner time as bonus language lessons for the wife.
Food is obviously a big thing. Many things are difficult/expensive to shop for here, but I bake bread in a home-like style and sometimes some cookies.
For a bit of sanity I can go to Macau and spend a day there, but also just sitting at home with my dog that knows zero commands in Chinese and watch some American tv shows can be a relief.
Scandinavian:
Today for lunch. Options are. Go down the street for some noodle, mother in laws home made dumplings from the freezer or cook something, there is a couple of different vegetables etc in the kitchen.
Actual choice. Oatmeal with milk and some raisins. It just beats any Chinese food any time. Sad isn't it?
