I have talked about my Ayi (cleaning woman) briefly before but she really deserves a proper introduction because she is quite possibly one of the most magnanimous individuals I have ever met. She is never without a smile and is always bringing me gifts: snacks her mom made, face mask treatments, drinks, etc. But the greatest gift has been her friendship. Although she speaks no English whatsoever we have developed a wonderful relationship and while she is terrible in the cleaning department (I’m not buying the windex for my health sista) I always look forward to her coming. 
Without fail, she bounces into my apartment, sits down at my table and asks how I’m doing and wants to know all the gossip of the other int'l students she cleans for. Match made in heaven! She told me about Elin and how black she was after her 2 weeks in Thailand. Elin told me later that she had brought her whitening masks from the store (whitening in China is as common as using anti-wrinkle cream since it is thought that the whiter you are the prettier you are). Ha!When I told her my parents were coming to Shanghai to visit without hesitation she invited us and Elin and her boyfriend to lunch. Always open to new experiences I of course said yes (with her understanding that I am a vegetarian, naturally). Prior to our lunch date she must have called and text about 4 times making sure we were still meeting and the day of she arrived an hour early to my apartment but since we were downtown she went to Elin’s and hung out there for a bit all the while calling to see when I would be back.
I could only appreciate her giddiness and pure excitement. I knew we were in for a real treat.
We arrived at her apartment building, which, like 95% of the apartments in Shanghai, has all the character and charm of a cement block, and was built for the masses. I thought I knew what to expect since Elin had been unwillingly housed in a “local apartment” when she first arrived. Although that apartment was barely livable by our standards, for a low-income couple (I think she has a boyfriend- could be a husband but at the time of that convo I was at a smile and nod Chinese level) it was very comfortable. Oh how my naive Western mind was skewed. Elin’s apartment was for more of the upper middle-class type. The apartment of my Ayi was barely bigger than my dorm room at UCLA. You have to walk through a small area where there is a cooking station w/ 2 burners and a sink then into her bedroom, which fits a double bed, table, TV and small plastic cabinet for clothes. There must have been a bathroom somewhere but I have no idea where it was b/c there was just one other door, which I found out later was her brother and his pregnant fiancé’s room. I would have been shocked and taken aback had it not been for the beaming face of my Ayi when we arrived. She was SO happy to have us in her home and to cook for us. Never before have I seen a greater example of pride in oneself. Despite her lack of “things” she was the wealthiest person in the room that day. Her willingness to share with us enriched all our lives for the better. I for one feel extremely lucky to have met this special soul.Anyway, this lunch was my Ayi’s equivalent to a Manhattan dinner party. Ensuring her guests were well taken care of she went to Wal-mart and bought new chopsticks, paper cups, bottles of water and beer and enough food to feed an army. She even bought a package of plastic forks for the non-chopstick savvy guests. The menu consisted of:
Starters: Pickled something vegetable-like, fried chicken legs and (shriek!) chicken feet
Mains: Spicy tofu (I had mentioned to her that it was my favorite Chinese dish), sautéed mushrooms and bok choy, fried tofu and vegetable and some unorthodox mini-shrimp dish that, based on user reviews, was un-edible.
Luckily my early proclamations of vegetarianism saved me from having to eat the chicken feet. She even said she made the tofu and veggie dishes for me since I don’t eat meat (grin). My Dad
however, was not so lucky because he was nominated by the rest of us to be the one to eat the feet. Growing up I always heard about his Peace Corps days in Venezuela and the unusual dishes he was forced to eat. Well, it was time for the big guy to not just talk the talk but walk the walk. Not to be outdone though, Jostein, Elin’s boyfriend, sucked it up and chomped into one too and Elin even took an adventurous nibble. The consensus?? It tasted like chicken.We stayed there for over 2 hours talking with my Ayi and her pregnant sister-in-law who was also joined the feast. We did our best to eat everything up but just couldn’t possibly finish it. Besides, in China it is polite to leave some food uneaten so it doesn’t appear that your host didn’t make enough food and you are leaving hungry. I also served as interpreter for the entire afternoon. Let’s just say we weren’t discussing the classics. Still I enjoyed myself tremendously and this will be an afternoon I will never forget thanks to the generosity of one humble woman.
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