You can’t help seeing all the news stories about China with its booming economy, increasing modernization and how it will probably be the next decade’s superpower. Still, it didn’t hit home until we arrived in Chengdu – this ain’t no podunk town. Besides the slick new airport, the city boasts tons of upscale shopping malls, fast-food chains and feels strangely familiar to us (i.e. American). We had never heard anything about this Sichuan province capital but quickly discovered the joys of its spicy, chili-laden cuisine. Specifically, the red, bubbling cauldron of oil known as hot pot, where you cook skewered bites until sufficiently deep-fried (to your liking, of course). This type of food helps you deal with the heat and humidity, since you sweat like a whore in church.
Fashion seems to be a top priority, especially for women, but they don’t seem to get it quite right. In their zeal to dress chic, they sometimes give the impression that they would sleep with you for money (if you catch my drift). Men also have a unique way of adjusting their appearance to give it a fresh, cool look in hot weather. They lift up their shirts halfway, exposing their stomachs, as they go about their business. We like to call this look, Crouching Belly, Hidden Nipple. It is completely acceptable, nay required, for a group of men to strip off their tops in a restaurant while partaking in a spicy hot pot dinner.
No visit to Szechuan would be complete without gawking at some cute and cuddly pandas. Neither of us had seen one in the flesh so we visited the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu. As expected, they are ridiculously lovable and extremely photogenic (as exemplified by the massive crowds lining the pens). I’ve got to admit that it felt more like a circus sideshow than a serious research facility or even a zoo. We were treated to a cornucopia of panda paraphernalia available for purchase at the multiple gift shops. You could even take a picture while holding a baby panda in your arms – if you were willing to become a “sponsor” for 1000 Yuan ($150). The trip was worthwhile but it was hard to shake the feeling that these pandas were being exploited instead of protected. You have to ask yourself, “If they weren’t so damn cute, would anyone care if this clear dead end of evolution, who eats only one kind of food it can’t digest and who won’t have sex to save its species, went extinct? Doubtful.
Next up – Hiking, monasteries and big-ass Buddhas.
Yay for the spicy!
I’m wondering if the pandas are influencing the tummy exposure? Bizarre.
Was just chuckling at this: http://www.fupenguin.com/2009/08/terrorist-is-born.html