| I force myself to leave my computer and
| |
| | Enough of my linguistics!The boss emerges
|
| walk down for lunch. I have been writing
| |
| | from the kitchen a few moments later. He
|
| all morning after my little jaunt down at
| |
| | is the chef of his restaurant while his
|
| the artificial-turfed playground for my
| |
| | wife doubles as the cashier and waitress.
|
| run and exercise. It's been a late start
| |
| | The little boss, the daughter, has her
|
| and breakfast, a simple meal consisting
| |
| | own double role. She plays usher and
|
| of wholewheat biscuits and a tetrapack of
| |
| | waitress. The three of them run the
|
| sweet strawberry flavoured milk, was
| |
| | restaurant without outside help. I
|
| delayed, too. To lunch or not to lunch is
| |
| | suspect they hire help in peak season or
|
| the question.To lunch, I decide, is a
| |
| | when there is a sudden rush of diners.
|
| better option... This evening I have to
| |
| | There are eight table-cloth'ed,
|
| eat pizzas for dinner and though they're
| |
| | glass-topped tables that seat four each
|
| a tasty enough repast, they're not quite
| |
| | on the ground floor and a couple of those
|
| what my body thrives on. A university
| |
| | hideaway, round-tabled, private dining
|
| official has invested in a new pizza
| |
| | rooms that all 'respectable' restaurants
|
| joint in downtown Huainan and I have been
| |
| | in China have, on the first floor. They
|
| asked to 'grace' the opening ceremony
| |
| | would certainly need extra help when all
|
| along with the other two foreign teachers
| |
| | those tables are occupied. A television
|
| here. They're Amercians, and, therefore,
| |
| | is mounted atop a raised shelf and I turn
|
| high-profile. I am Indian, therefore,
| |
| | my eyes in its direction. There's a
|
| tolerated. India's rapid economic
| |
| | family drama being played there and I
|
| progress, of late, makes me less of a
| |
| | don't understand too much. 'My Chinese is
|
| pariah than I might have been some years
| |
| | too poor,' I mimic some students' 'my
|
| ago. A man is known by the country he
| |
| | English is too poor' in my mind as I
|
| 'keeps', to rephrase an old proverb, and
| |
| | watch the drama unfold. A middle-aged
|
| a touch inappropriately at that. I,
| |
| | woman scolds her husband who leaves her,
|
| sometimes, lie and sometimes joke about
| |
| | apparently for good, while her pretty
|
| where I come from. I don't want to be
| |
| | daughter alternates between scolding hers
|
| identified with merely my origins.
| |
| | and giving the most beatific of
|
| There's more to me than where I was born
| |
| | smiles.Today, I am the sole customer.
|
| and raised. In any case, I don't see my
| |
| | Others have come and gone or will come
|
| lies as lies as I neither hope nor expect
| |
| | and go. The boss comes over with a bottle
|
| to gain from the lies in any way. It's
| |
| | of baijiu (white wine) and offers me a
|
| just a momentary thing.I walk past my
| |
| | glass. I ask him to make it small, 'yi
|
| favourite eating place, Xiawu Fandian
| |
| | tiantian' (a little). The baijiu makes me
|
| (Afternoon Restaurant). Of late, the fare
| |
| | drowsy and takes me away from my writing,
|
| served there has failed to tickle my
| |
| | as does the beer. My afternoon naps last
|
| palate or inspire my intestines. They
| |
| | longer than intended and I add an extra,
|
| have changed the oil they use in their
| |
| | unwanted layer to my 'pijiu duzi' (beer
|
| cooking. It has an unpleasant flavour and
| |
| | belly). The boss smiles as he pours me a
|
| leaves a strange aftertaste. I informed
| |
| | drink. I thank him and begin to sip
|
| the laoban niang (boss's wife) and
| |
| | leisurely while the ta baicai waits. The
|
| pointed out my unfinished plate on a
| |
| | boss has disappeared into the kitchen
|
| couple of occasions. She looked stoic and
| |
| | and arrives a little later, dish in hand,
|
| unmoved so I decided it was time for me
| |
| | following his wife carrying another. They
|
| to move, instead. Past the Afternoon
| |
| | place their lunch on a table across from
|
| Restaurant and then the Friendship
| |
| | mine.Chen Tai Cao, the boss, goes over to
|
| Restaurant across the street, where I
| |
| | a stack of brightly coloured plastic beer
|
| sometimes eat. They serve cabbage with
| |
| | crates and picks out a bottle of
|
| pre-fried tofu (the Chinese pronunciation
| |
| | unrefrigerated beer. He opens one and
|
| is doufu) in medium spicy, sweetish style
| |
| | looks at me. Picking up a plastic glass,
|
| that tickles my taste buds but leaves me
| |
| | he heads in my direction as I protest. He
|
| bloated.The sky is overcast but the
| |
| | insists and pours me a glassful. Like so
|
| temperature is comfortable at about ten
| |
| | many of his countrymen, a 'no' to Chen
|
| above. I notice the open door of a
| |
| | means a 'yes'. It's polite to say no when
|
| neighbouring optician's and decide to
| |
| | one means yes and a no can rarely
|
| have a word with the boss as I ask for a
| |
| | dissuade a determined host. He, then,
|
| little tinkering with my spectacles. I
| |
| | sits down to lunch with his small family,
|
| hand him my metal-rimmed, plastic-lens
| |
| | pours himself a full glass of baijiu
|
| glasses and he notices the problem. We
| |
| | while the remaining beer in the bottle is
|
| chat briefly as he tightens the screw on
| |
| | aligned with the dishes.Chen and his
|
| my spectacle arm. It's done in seconds
| |
| | family are soon absorbed in their meal
|
| and he hands them back to me. I notice
| |
| | and pay no more attention to me. His sips
|
| that the lens have the oily fogginess
| |
| | of the fiery baijiu are large and soon
|
| that fingers leave on glasses and ask for
| |
| | his glass half-empty. They're half-way
|
| a spectacle cleaning cloth, demonstrating
| |
| | into their meal and a pair of diners
|
| the act of cleaning to tell him what I
| |
| | arrive. Chen leaves his seat without a
|
| want. He opens a drawer and hands me a
| |
| | moment's hesitation, takes the order and
|
| shiny new cleaning cloth. I ask him how
| |
| | disappears into the kitchen once again.
|
| much. He motions, nothing. I feel a
| |
| | The little boss also leaves the table to
|
| little little guilty accepting it for
| |
| | set the table for the new arrivals.
|
| free but he refuses to accept payment. I
| |
| | Laoban niang continues with her meal. Her
|
| thank him as I leave, wondering what
| |
| | turn to leave will come later.I watch the
|
| makes the people in China so generous. I
| |
| | goings-on and eat quickly, having
|
| head slowly away from the dongmen (east
| |
| | finished my baijiu and most of the
|
| gate) as the main gate of the university
| |
| | beer.Soon, I am done with my lunch and
|
| is commonly called.I find myself at the
| |
| | walk over the counter to pay for my
|
| door of Yi Da Pan (One Big Pan), the
| |
| | lunch. Chen has come out and pushes my
|
| restaurant that kept me alive when all of
| |
| | hand with the proffered money resolutely
|
| Huainan and most of China had shut shop
| |
| | away.'Wo bu hui lai' (I can't come) I say
|
| for the Spring Festival barely a month
| |
| | in my inadequate Chinese, threatening him
|
| ago. All the little eateries near my
| |
| | with never visiting his restaurant again.
|
| school, including Xiawu Fandian and
| |
| | Chen pushes my hand away again. I pretend
|
| Friendship Restaurant had closed shop
| |
| | exasperation, repeating 'wo bu...' This
|
| then, leaving those without culinary
| |
| | time Chen looks uncertain and says
|
| skills and the handicapped to survive on
| |
| | something to his wife who takes the money
|
| universal love and firecracker-affected
| |
| | and gives me the change. All she takes is
|
| not-so-fresh-air. Yi Da Pan was about the
| |
| | san kuai qian (three yaun) for my lunch
|
| only restaurant then that opened its
| |
| | and that after much no-noing.I walk out,
|
| doors to welcome the hungry and
| |
| | feeling a sense of elation that one feels
|
| homeless.Laoban (boss) welcomes me with a
| |
| | when one sees man display his finer
|
| warm smile. Laoban niang and xiao laoban
| |
| | qualities. I think about the optician and
|
| (little boss), the wife and daughter are
| |
| | Chen and his family and marvel at how
|
| equally warm. 'Ta baicai (cabbage)?' the
| |
| | some people can be generous though
|
| boss asks as he turns towards the
| |
| | they're themselves relatively poor. I
|
| kitchen. I nod as I return his smile.The
| |
| | wonder what it is in China that endows
|
| plate of stir-fried ta baicai, as it is
| |
| | some people with large hearts. I wonder
|
| spelt in Pinyin (Chinese written/spelt in
| |
| | why some people are so accepting and
|
| the Roman script), arrives a short wait
| |
| | endearing. I wonder why the rich often
|
| later. The Chinese language has thousands
| |
| | want more while the poor are happy with
|
| of characters and no one can tell for
| |
| | the little they have. I wonder why more
|
| certain how many there really are. Pinyin
| |
| | men cannot be like Chen and the optician.
|
| is the script they use to work on
| |
| | I wonder who is happier - the rich or the
|
| computers or they would have needed a
| |
| | poor. I wonder why the rich scowl behind
|
| keyboard the size of a mini. Pinyin uses
| |
| | their dark sunshades while the poor
|
| a phonetic system quite different from
| |
| | smile in the sun.I smile as I think of
|
| English or other Romance languages. The
| |
| | the name Chen has chosen for his
|
| sounds used in the Chinese language are
| |
| | restaurant. 'Yi Da Pan' can so safely be
|
| different from English and other European
| |
| | changed to 'Yi Da Xin' (One Big Heart -
|
| languages. Therefore, they needed to
| |
| | or three - or more, perhaps!)Rajesh Kanoi
|
| devise a system that included their
| |
| | (Jack) is a published writer, now living
|
| phonemes. The 'ta' in ta baicai is
| |
| | and working in China. Many of his
|
| pronounced with a soft 't' and a long
| |
| | short-stories, poems and articles have
|
| vowel sound while the 'cai' in baicai is
| |
| | been published, including a book of
|
| an aspirated 'chai'. The 'ch' sound is
| |
| | short-stories, 'From China With Love'
|
| also different than the one used in
| |
| | (Lipstick Publishing).
|
| English and has a little 's' ring to it.
| |
| |
|
