I travelled to a city called Xuzhou this week where Caterpillar's produces Motor Graders for the Asia market. Xuzhou (pictured) is a city of one million people which is 500 miles northwest of Suzhou. Confusing ? You bet. Suzhou, the city where we live, is pronounced like the English words “Sue-Joe”. Xuzhou on the other hand is pronounced “Shoe-Joe”. I have been on several teleconferences in this new job where we are talking about Suzhou and Xuzhou and it starts to sound like a Chinese version Abbott and Costello's “Who's on first” routine.
Tonight when I checked into my hotel in Xuzhou, I was offered the choice of dinner in the “Western” restaurant or the “Chinese” restaurant. Feeling adventuresome and reminding myself that I like Chinese food I chose the Chinese restaurant.
Thankfully, the menu offered English translations and some pictures of the food. I could not believe some of the food items on the menu. Under the section labeled “Well-Chosen Fried Dishes” were items such as “Goose Liver with Mushrooms in the French Style”, “Fried Silver Carp's Head”, and “Quick-Fried Goats Testicles with Coriander”. The carp's head was one of the items for which they chose to provide a photo. If the name was not enough to discourage you from ordering, the picture certainly was.
I ended up being happy with my choices of pine corn kernels, green cabbage with mushrooms, and Shanghai-style dumplings. Ordering a Diet Coke was a project that involved three waitresses and the hostess. Finally, I sipped the clear tea that they brought me but concluded that it was hot water meant for washing of the hands.
I am imagining that my Chinese waitress went home tonight and wrote an amusing blog about the idiot westerner who studied the menu for half an hour and drank the finger bowl water.
Tonight when I checked into my hotel in Xuzhou, I was offered the choice of dinner in the “Western” restaurant or the “Chinese” restaurant. Feeling adventuresome and reminding myself that I like Chinese food I chose the Chinese restaurant.
Thankfully, the menu offered English translations and some pictures of the food. I could not believe some of the food items on the menu. Under the section labeled “Well-Chosen Fried Dishes” were items such as “Goose Liver with Mushrooms in the French Style”, “Fried Silver Carp's Head”, and “Quick-Fried Goats Testicles with Coriander”. The carp's head was one of the items for which they chose to provide a photo. If the name was not enough to discourage you from ordering, the picture certainly was.
I ended up being happy with my choices of pine corn kernels, green cabbage with mushrooms, and Shanghai-style dumplings. Ordering a Diet Coke was a project that involved three waitresses and the hostess. Finally, I sipped the clear tea that they brought me but concluded that it was hot water meant for washing of the hands.
I am imagining that my Chinese waitress went home tonight and wrote an amusing blog about the idiot westerner who studied the menu for half an hour and drank the finger bowl water.
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