Pudding and Chopsticks

So I was at KFC the other day enjoying my fries and scrumptious chicken sandwich type thing when I saw a dad and his son roll out of a shopping center. This shopping center is quite large and contains probably the biggest grocery store in town.

I knew exactly what they where going to do. He sets the kid down and pulls his pants down and BAM. He makes tinkle at the entrance of the shopping center. In front of everyone that is walking in. But to everyone else this is normal. Because everyone else does it. I understand that in an emergency situation that you might have to let it rip, but come on. Oh, did I forget to mention that there is actually a bathroom inside, on the same floor, not too far from where dad help little guy pony up.

That’s China for ya.

Yes folks I took photos. I remembered this time and did my best to snag them while I could.

This is inside the Forbidden City. Yes that’s right. One of China’s most precious landmarks and a boy is taking a leak on a tree. Nice.

This is near the Great Wall. To the kids credit, the wall is off the beaten path, much like my house in America. I would mount up near a tree or something. But I suppose if my house was near the great wall, I would say, go inside my house and sit on the john. To each their own.

So there are the photos that you asked for. Enjoy.

It’s kinda weird not being in the States for the fourth of July. But you know, I still get to stay in touch. I kinda miss …. well lets just leave it at that. There are many things that I did back home that I probably could get in trouble for. But anyway here I am in China. No fireworks, although I could go get some for cheap and light them off in the middle of the street and no one would blink an eye. But no, I am going to blog and tell you about a slice of Chinese life that I experienced the other day.

A pal and I were walking down a popular street the other day. It occurred to us that this street has a Dairy Queen on it. We bee lined for it and the air conditioning that it contained. Anyone that has gone to DQ with myself knows that I don’t joke around when it comes to my Oreo Blizzard. This is serious stuff. Since there is no way in H that I can say Oreo Blizzard in Chinese I had my pal order some. Big ones. I can remember hitting up A-basin the first month it was open and shredding the only hill in North America that had snow. My fellow Vail people and I would then hit up DQ for some much needed calcium. Ahh the good days in Colorado. Anyway, back to DQ in China. A large in China is a small in America. This sucks, but is also good. America is fat people. It’s true. Why, well, because when you order a large in America it comes in a 5 gallon bucket. Awesome… but not so awesome, if you know what I mean. So we took our Blizzards and had a seat in the back of the seating area near the bathrooms. Nice spot, cold air. About half way done with my little slice of heaven I noticed a mom holding a kid up to the sink. I could only see their back sides. Probably just washing his hands. The sink was pretty high. She then set him down and he looked like he wiped his hands on the front of his pants. Not big deal, do it all the time. Oh wait nope, he’s not done washing his hands, she lifts him back up and then I noticed it. He was actually peeing in the sink. His mom was holding him up to the sink so that he could them pee into it. I suppose that the bathrooms that were 5 ft from then were out of service somehow. Nice little slice of life in China, huh? It’s a little better then the clothes little kids wear with holes in the butt so that they can pop a squat next to a tree and do work while their mom looks on. Got to love it.

I leave you with a little roadside Chinese wisdom.. Happy fourth everyone. Stay safe, have fun, get out the welding gases.. Shhh. I didn’t say that.

Peace.