Pudding and Chopsticks

One of the benefits of living in a different country is that I don’t have to watch the news or read about all the bs that goes on in America. Face it there is a lot of it. But one of the draw back to this is that the news that I do get comes from the internet. Which at times can’t be an accurate image of what is really happening. For example: right now it seems that the United States is going to implode because of airport security. It’s been a hot topic lately. The TSA, the pat downs, the new see through clothes machines, police states. Who the hell knows what is going to happen. So from the internet point of view the country is going to fall off the map, but really it’s not. The internet makes a bigger deal of things than usually they really are.

So for some contrast here is what it’s like to fly in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The places that I have flown into and from.

Flying in China is much like the US. Check point and what not. Here is a list of things that I remember.

You have to take out your laptop.

You go through a metal detector and get a handheld wand detector waved over your body. Everyone gets it. Not pat downs.

You don’t have to take off your shoes, or belt, and come to think of it I forgot to take off my watch one time.

They spend less time search your junk in the x-ray machine.

It’s faster than the States for sure.

I actually like it better. I don’t have to take off my shoes, or hassle with a bunch of crap like taking off my belt or watch or what not. I would argue that flying in China is actually just as safe as flying in America. Terrorist wise. As for crashing because of pilot error, more likely. I assume that as soon as something happens like some sort of attack on China, then, well, they will sure as hell crack down on these things. In fact probably more so than the States did. I really don’t think that anyone right now wants to attack China. The States are on top, 1st place or what have you. Everyone wanted to knock off first place. Or maybe it’s the fact that we can’t mind our own business and have to go into other countries and “help” them. Thus causing people to become upset with us and do bad things.

Anyway I digress. Think about this. When I was a child I didn’t things that I wanted to do and got in trouble for doing them. I then had to figure out ways to keep doing these things without being caught. I would then get caught again and would have to think of more secret covert ways to do what I wanted. You really think that the “terrorists” aren’t going to get more and more crafty. The only have to really stop it is to take a high res x-ray of inside everyone. Even then I’ve had days after bad Chinese food that I could be mistaken for explosives.

I knew it was coming up. There has been some talk about it on the blogs during the past few weeks. November 1 was the start date for the 2010 Chinese census. One that would included foreigners. So, while I was drying my man body off from a hot manly shower yesterday morning I hear beating on the door. At first I didn’t quite know what it was. I put some manly clothes on and went to inspect what was up. It was a nice young women that wanted to know who lived at the apartment and what not. I answered some questions. 8 or so. Maybe less. Who I was, did I go to college, have kids, when I first came to China, and that was about it. Didn’t check visa or passports. Was quite refreshing actually. She also asked about a friend that was also living at the house. Although he wasn’t home at the time. She wanted to know when he was going to be back. I told her tomorrow night.

So what happens the next morning. She is beating on the door again even though I specifically said that it would be best if she came back tomorrow night. In either case he was home and got it taken care of pdq. So in April of next year we will find out the results. What it will mean, hell, I don’t know.

And now for some photos from America. The second morning that I woke up at my grandmas house. I mean really. Staying with grandma is incredibly awesome. I had her and my mom work me up some pancakes. Of course the stock syrup grandma has is nothing other than real Michigan maple. This is one of the things I love about my grandma. She from a different era, and still lives by some of those customs. One of which is food. Real butter, real maple syrup, and real cast iron skillets.

Totally awesome.