the blind can see."
Life is composed of many small moments. There are so many beautiful, funny, instructive occasions. They go by and never come back. That's why I like to pause and enjoy the moment. Too soon everyday obligations always bring me back.
Eating
As it is with many people when they are asked how their vacation was, the first response is a detailed report about the food as if this were the most important aspect. Honestly, this is not so wrong. After all, food is an elementary component. So of course it is obvious that the issue of food should receive adequate attention when sharing my impressions.
Once we received a large order from a company and, and as is often the case, the customers invited us to dinner. My colleague and I were together along with 7 or 8 Chinese customers. Even organizing the trip with several cars turned out to be loud and chaotic. Once arriving at the restaurant, we were led into a small private room with a huge round table. This becomes a special challenge to me, who dislikes any seafood that is not clearly identifiable as fish. We are invited to a so-called hot-pot meal. Well, I think, that doesn’t sound too bad after all. A drink of hard liquor is offered as an aperitif. Of course, we are being tested as to how well we hold our drink. Chinese love heavy-drinking as if there were no other variety. I get the impression that it's a shame not to be an alcoholic. Nevertheless, I hold myself back due to an empty stomach, etc. There is a large pot on the table that is divided down the middle and has two different boiling liquids in it. The waiters appear while balancing several trays which are filled with something that looks like striped intestines with a yellow-greenish shimmering patina. This indefinable something is poured into the pot and some vegetables are added. This very sight alone and the accompanying thought that I have to eat it causes me to break out in a sweat.
I feel scrutinizing eyes watching us as if we had been invited to dinner with a future mother-in-law. How will these “long noses”, meaning Europeans, behave now? My colleague exhibits a similar horror which is written all over his face. Well, what do we do now? I decide to drink a glass of schnapps that is about the size of a small drinking glass (no shot glass) in one go; this of course to the delight of all those present. At least this temporarily fogs my senses and innards somewhat and I pacify myself with the thought that at least the boiling broth has killed all the bacteria and I should expect no signs of intoxication. The two liquids in the pot differ in each case from very hot to indescribably hot which under the circumstances suits me just fine.
Another Chinese culinary experience takes place in a locality that reminds me of a butcher shop with a giant aquarium, which, however, offers anything but normal fish. There are oversized worms, animals with strangely long antennae, and ‑ excuse my idiom ‑ other elements that look like floating, snow-white penises. Just totally disgusting. Our delegation goes straight to these aquariums and I reluctantly follow behind. My worst fears are confirmed when I am made to understand that I should put together a selection of food from it. My imagination is not big enough to see myself eating anything of what is swimming around here at all; I'd rather starve to be honest. So I sneak back and forth for about 10 minutes and always have to go around a strange big black pile of something that lies on the floor which I do not even consciously perceive since my eyes are so glued to the diving vermin in the aquarium. When I notice that this heap is moving though, I am very shocked and look more closely. Bullfrogs! My stomach flinches involuntarily and tells me that it does not agree with any of this. Like a sign from heaven, I find something edible on a shelf. It’s a kind of dessert, steamed bread. I like this foamy sweet bread very much, which I finally select after a felt eternity and to the incomprehension of my Chinese companions.
The story of "fresh" oysters in China as a farewell dinner before the trip home also gave me an unforgettable flight home. I would just like to mention that here but not go into any of the details. Just let your imagination run free. The result certainly comes very close to my own experience.
Sanitary facilities
Not that I want to lower expectations any further by sharing certain experiences, but the sanitary facilities are quite peculiar here and there in Asian countries and these quiet little places are already a chapter in and of themselves. However, in making comparisons, I realize that there are big differences in this area.
Once I enter a restroom and am quite startled because the toilet lid rises automatically. This is obviously a high-tech toilet, a quiet place with extremely extensive electronics such as a lighted and heated seating area with targeted warm water jets at the push of a button. How would you like it, a little further ahead or rather a bit further back? Pulsating or rather with a light jet stream? No problem here. And naturally with subsequent blow drying options! Everything at the touch of a button. Even flushing and lowering of the lid happen automatically. But that's not all that new after all. I am reminded of a song that we sang as children, "My grandma has a chamber pot with lights!" And what is this, a remote control option in the restroom? Shouldn’t there be a TV hidden somewhere? I really can’t find one. But what is that for a dull spot in the mirror? No kidding, a mirror with an integrated TV. This is unbelievable. They are crazy, the Chinese. And once again I think that my kids would love it. Of course the bathroom would probably be constantly occupied...
India
Let's take a quick detour to India. One of my sons spent a whole year there and summed up the country in a short sentence, "Chaotic but sympathetic". And how right he is. In any case, I can only confirm this.
If you know what a gecko is and if you've already seen one, you also know that it's a useful and harmless animal for humans. You may not be as upset as I am by finding such an animal in the bedroom. It looks like a transparent lizard. I almost freeze in horror when I see it from the bed and find no peace until I have done away with this vermin. There was a wet spot on the wall caused by my hotel slippers. When I complained about this uninvited guest the next morning, the hotel personnel instruct me to let him be. The gecko eats insects. I do not care. I do not want this creature in the same room with me. What if I turn off the lights and the eyes??? No thanks! Not with me.
Let us spend some time in India. I'll take you on a short drive through downtown Bombay. Not everything is bad there, but it might be a bit bad for you. This consists of the noise and shaking from driving over and through potholes and various odors and other things. We see beggars who gather around the vehicle anytime you have to stop. Begging women with babies in their arms knock against the glass. A policeman, who has rolled up his newspaper, hits the begging woman on the head as if she were a bothersome fly and drives her away. There are crippled people and many children. To my right are habitats of the poorest in the form of plastic sheets over a wooden pole as a dwelling; around it mud, garbage and dirt. There is a water hole where the whole family washes, after which the food is washed and afterwards the clothes ‑ or in a different order. I have to swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. I wanted to take a few impressions with me but do not dare to unpack my camera. But I do that without a camera. These are images that my brain cannot process so quickly. Yes, there are even two men, both of whom do nothing but hold a big billboard of a world-famous electric company. One stands on the left, the other on the right, each with a water bottle at his feet. I wonder if they are still standing there.
There is another curious picture I see while driving past. There are women in brightly colored robes, barefoot and with a pickaxe and shovel to perform any road construction work or pile stones on top of each other. There are those living under bridges and lying on the ground who have become one with the dirt on the streets and aren’t even recognized at first glance if they are already dead or alive. After about a 2 hours’ drive across Mumbai, I arrive at my destination in need of a cognac. Even without food, it hits me in the stomach. Oh dear, alcohol is apparently extremely frowned upon in India. Apologies are made to the restaurant staff and mention is made that the alcohol is needed for medicinal purposes only. As an additional lesson, I am told that when a man goes to a restaurant to eat without his wife, it is said that his wife is a bad cook.
In addition, I must