| Subject: Maggie's farm (Part 21) |
Author:
taxi driver
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Date Posted: 21:13:07 08/18/03 Mon
Call me a petit bourgeois.
Call me a spoiled brat.
Call me anything you like.
But I would never get used to the public toilet, especially the stinky, door-less pit toilet next to our living quarters. There's no nice way of saying this, so I'll just say it. The pit was covered in shit – milky brown ooze that stank of rotten chilies and ammonia. To make matters worse, my private parts would be wide-exposed to the curious patron shitting across from me.
When I travel to the motherland, I could easily and quickly adapt to its weather, food and lodging. I could blend in with local tradition and daily life without any difficulties. I could sleep soundly in a seedy hotel. I could get by without taking a shower for weeks. I could even enjoy myself in a public bathhouse. But I knew I could never be able to blend in with local people in that dirtiest public toilet I'd ever seen.
After taking the piss there, I started wondering where the hell could I shit comfortably in the next few weeks. And the coffee. I needed the caffeine so much to jump-start my day every morning. Unfortunately, there weren't any coffee shop or western restaurant to be found in our neighborhood.
When I was about to give up the hope in having the basic necessities of my daily life in Chongqing, Iris and I happened to walk pass the Chongqing Hotel on our way to the market to buy some food for the dinner that night. We immediately went inside the hotel to take a look. Staying at the hotel was out of question, as it would cost me RMB 200 for a night. But there's a coffee shop at the lobby. We sat down and checked the menu. I was glad to find out they provided western breakfast that included ham, eggs, toast and COFFEE for RMB 8. A cup of coffee itself would cost RMB 2. When I saw the sign of toilet hanging at the far end of the coffee shop, I felt like a thirsty man just discovered water in the middle of a desert. I was thrilled to find out the toilet was so nice and clean. For a minimum cost of 2 bucks and 15 minutes walking distance from our stand, my problems were solved. From then on, I went to the hotel to have a cup of coffee and take a crap every morning until I left Chongqing.
Iris's parents were already there when we came back from the market, with Zhang Cha Ya (Camphor and Tea-Smoked Duck) and Suan Ni Bai Rou (Garlic Pork) in our hands.
Jiu Jiu was busy making the Chongqing hotpot. Jiu Niang (Uncle's wife) was setting up the table. Dai Ming (Uncle's son) went out to buy some beers. Iris's father was chatting with grandma and grandpa.
"Driver, thank you for bringing my daughter back from GD,” Iris's mother said emotionally. Her eyes were all wet. She's a fat woman in her mid-fifties.
That's the first time I met Iris's mother.
That's the first time I met Iris's whole family.
I felt right at home in her family gathering.
To be continued………
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