Sugar Overload

Easter came early for me thanks to Mom and Dad. I picked up my package at the post office and nearly had to turn on the tears when they wouldn't give it to me b/c I didn't have my passport with me. Luckily my friend Fang Fang was with me and could translate that I was getting my visa fixed so I didn't have it. Once in hand, I could hardly contain myself. Yes, I know I'm 26 years old and giddy about an Easter Basket but I knew it would be filled to the top with Reese's peanut butter eggs and jelly beans. Given my Dad's affinity for tape, it took a while to get to it and Fang Fang even commented saying, "You are really excited for that." So being F-F's language and culture exchange partner I tried to explain what Easter is and let me tell you 1) its not easy given the religious origins and China's history of frowning upon that sort of thing and 2) try, as a grown woman, explaining what an Easter Bunny is AND why he still visits you...in China. In the end, I don't think I communicated the idea of Jesus-rising-again so well but got across a rabbit bringing you candy and presents just fine. FF even laughed anf called me a "grown up child". After about 6 minutes of fighting the tape with my key in a Chinese restaurant and giving people an actual justification to stare at me I got to the promise land. FF stared at the goodies in wonderment. As an added bonus, and just in time, my parents threw in a Bruin rally towel. I hoped FF wouldn't ask what it was but she did of course so, for reasons unbeknown to me , I tried explaining March Madness and UCLA basketball. I confused myself and obviously her and just said its like Yao Ming's team in college. All those explanations made me hungry and in the last hour that I received the package I have eaten 3 peanut butter eggs, about an entire package of jelly beans and who knows how many chocolate eggs. I gave FF some chocolate and she happily ate it but was a bit more hesitant when I handed over the jelly beans. She smelled it a few times and kept putting it to her mouth but not taking a bite. She even asked me if I was going to wash it first! I couldn't help but think, "You eat chicken feet!!"

Speaking of food, I had a pretty lengthy conversation with FF about American eating habits. We went to a hot pot restaurant for lunch (boiling pot of broth in the center of your table and you add whatever you want and it cooks in the broth: meat, veggies, tofu, noodles, etc) which is my absolute favorite here in China especially Sichuan hot pot (very spicy). Partly b/c you cook the ingredients yourself and know what's going into your food and also b/c its probably the healthiest meal you can get without all the goop made from sugar and oil that goes on other Chinese food. FF said I changed her impression of Americans' eating habits. All I eat with her is tofu and vegetables. She told me she thought all Americans ate was lots of meat and fatty and fried foods. I told her that a lot of Americans do eat that way but now in America, health is a big concern and people are trying to eat more healthy foods. And then I went home and stuffed myself with chocolate and jelly beans. I think I may curl up on my couch now in a sugar coma.

Go Bruins!!