Becoming a bit more Chinese

We took a foray into China this weekend.

Yes, we live in China. But its easy to forget, if we keep to the right places. Our compound is quite international, and most of the staff speak English. I shop at the import grocery store, where they stock plenty of cheese and cookies.

Across the street from the main entrance to our compound is an alley. Step through the gate, and you step into China. You don't hear English, and you rarely see it written. They're not selling muffins or pizza, although they are selling DVDs. We walked along past markets and food stalls, ordered various tidbits for lunch and chatted with a few locals.

2 orders steamed dumplings: 6 RMB
1 order fried rice: 5 RMB
2 bottles water: 5 RMB

This meal fed a family of 4. Granted, 2 of the four have pretty little bellies. Still, when you're in the real China, its amazing how far your money goes. 16 RMB is just around USD$2.

And I've got to brag a bit. I ordered the fried rice entirely in Chinese. I'll admit, I did a lot of saying I'd like that, but I also asked her a question and understand everything she said to me. I guess I learned something in my language class.