Can't Buy Me Love

I’m not a Beatles fan although I do have a few of their songs on my iPod. One of them is “Can’t Buy Me Love”. This song popped into my head several weeks ago when I was in China on a business trip. Why? I ran into a couple who stayed on the same floor level a few times during my first week there. Was there anything special about them? Not really, other than that he was possibly in his (very) late 40’s, judging by the lines on his face. She was not much more than 20 – 22, 24 at the most, quite pretty in her own right. 

Let’s call him “John”, and her - “Jane”. John is of slight built, with a small, pudgy mid section. His appearance actually reminded me of the mascot from San Diego’s baseball team - the Padres. John sported a pair of black, wide-framed glasses, he looked “seasoned”, if you will. Jane on the other hand, got this “fresh out of college” look, long straight hair, wore little makeup, not exactly tall and quite slender. With a pair of low pumps, Jane stood a tad taller than John.

So, why did they catch my attention? They could be a father-daughter pair just happened to stay at the same hotel. Sure, that might be true. But what dad would place his arm around his daughter’s waistline so tightly as if he were clinging on to her? One morning, while taking the elevator down to the restaurant for breakfast, I ran into the duo. I gave them both a smile and said good morning. They said good morning to me back. We lined up and stood patiently for the elevator.

I’m not sure if men have intuitions like women, but the impressions which I received from them were very different. I could be way off base on this, I felt as if John was showcasing Jane. “Hey man, look at the hottie I’m with!” He pulled Jane closed to him as elevator light slowly made its way up. Jane nodded at me but sort of had this "hollow" expression, kind of like she didn’t want to be there. She looked down at the floor most of the time. Spring autumn romance is possible but I failed to see it in the couple next to me.

The elevator came up and we all entered. It was then I “heard” the song by the Beatles.

Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no

Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

老盧廈門遊記 – 4

I'm guessing Tom is in his late 50's, his family is back in Tao Yuan, TW. Colin's family is from Malaysia, his 閩南語 isn't quite the same as ours but we can still communicate nevertheless. After about 15 minutes of weaving in and out of traffic, we arrived at our destination. Mobile food vendors occupy the street sidewalks while store displays spill out to the storefront. The electronics / computer district extends two city blocks, covering two, maybe three buildings.

We browsed through over a dozen stores, they were more or less the same. We also checked out several food vendors, Tom and Colin bought something that looked like a sandwich with meat and veggie fillings. I wasn't hungry (surprised?) so I waited and took photos of the street scenes. Among the vendors was one gentleman selling BBQ squids. I asked if I could take a photo of him and he gladly posed for me. We resumed our tour and walked into one of the buildings. The stores on the first floor usually have larger display of merchandises, the prices are typically higher. We took the escalator to the second floor, I could smell the smoke before the escalator was mid-way up the floor.

"OK, take a deep breath and pull up my shirt collar.", I prepared myself to combat the smoke. The second floor and beyond, were like a labyrinth, with small shops occupying every square centimeter of all available space. We looked at some newer gadgets - hand-held computers, smart-phones, surveillance equipment. I didn't have any shopping in mind since I didn't have much space left in the only suitcase I had brought on the trip.

We got out of one building and entered the next, then the next building. As I walked by one store selling digital media players, I thought to check out the goods. I brought with me a portable hard drive with several movies and family photos on it. I had been watching the movies and viewing the photos on my travel-size netbook. I thought to get a media player so I could use it to hook up the hard drive to the hotel TV.

I looked around the store and compared several different models. One of them had all the functions I wanted at 380 RMB. I asked the store clerk if he could reduce the price to 350 RMB AND throw in an HDMI cable? He paused for a few seconds then nodded. I have a similar media player back home which I paid $75 for. This one, would cost around $53.

Our tour continued on until late afternoon, where we slowly walked our way to one of the general shopping districts. The famous Gulangyu, just a short walking distance away.

老盧廈門遊記 – 3

I sat around the hotel lounge area and watched people go by. There were quite a few foreign travelers, come to think of it, I was one of them. A little girl roamed about the lobby with an entourage right behind her - her parents, and grandparents from both sides. It was an upscale hotel that we stayed in. I could imagine it must cost the little girl's family quite a fortune to all stay there.

2:30 pm arrived as I kept myself entertained, no sign of my tour guide yet. Knowing the culture very well, I certainly wasn't expecting Colin to show up promptly. I supposed I would actually be surprised to see him walk up at 2:30 pm. Anyhow, I waited in the lobby, out in the courtyard, then back in the lobby. At around 2:45 pm Colin showed up, Tom came with him. I had a hunch that Tom was sent by Peter, to "cover" my shopping needs. Peter is the CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer as he calls himself) of one of our biggest suppliers. Tom is the VP in charge of the Xiamen factory, Colin is a project manager. Peter usually goes out of his way to "take good care" of his business affiliates.

I greeted them and we chatted briefly. The electronics district is a good 15 minutes away by car, not exactly walking distance. We walked to the street corner hoping to flag down a taxi. One after another zoomed by us, all with passenger(s). We decided to walk down to the main intersection to try our luck. Wave after wave of taxis passed us by. We must have walked some 1/4 mile from the hotel before we finally saw an empty cab coming our way.

The driver was in the middle lane but he swiftly changed lane as soon as he saw us. Along the way he cut in front of several drivers. No sooner than the taxi had pulled to the curb I heard a raspy voice yelling out loud. One of the drivers was displeased with us (and the taxi driver), he cursed at us. "x你娘xxx!!", he yelled in 閩南語. "Hahaha, that was just too funny!", I thought. We all hopped in the taxi quickly and in no time we were gone in the traffic.

吃

Now, isn't that a surprise topic for a foodie like me? I'm not a food critic, "gourmet" food to me, it's more of showpieces rather than food items that we consume. I would highly doubt anyone's stomach can tell the difference between Kobe beef ($200 per pound) and rib eye steak ($7.99 per pound) .

I was extremely glad that our two-week trip had concluded. I missed my family but being homesick wasn't the main reason that I said that. I was happy that I wouldn't have to dine out with our suppliers, not until next trip. Too much of a good thing sometimes has a negative effect. By our third evening in China, I weaseled out of dinner duties, for two nights.

In part, it was all the smoking I simply couldn't handle. Restaurants in China really ought to consider separating the dinning halls. I know it's impossible right now to ban smoking in public places there. Fortunately I had several days away from the smoking crowds on this trip.

I kept a foodie journal on this trip, you are more than welcome to come take a look.

"吃"

Guess which dish/item was my favorite among them all?

老盧廈門遊記 – 2

將一桌食物一掃而光後, 我大約有個七分飽, 本來是想到街頭的便利商店跑一趟, 買個果汁, 零食什麼的, 只是一雙腳這幾天已經走累了, 想想算了, 結果喝了兩泡茶充數. 想著明天是星期天, 可以到附近走走, 看看還有什麼好吃的.

週日上午沒有安排節目, 也沒有飯局 (thank God!), 只是跟Colin約好下午兩點半在我的旅館會面, 他正好住在附近, 要帶我去電子商場逛逛. 洗過頭, 泡過熱水澡後混身舒服, 坐在床上看看新聞及當地的節目, 上傳FB的照片搞了一個多鐘頭終於傳畢, 看看手錶, 是該去找周公聊天了.

週日上午8點半左右多被肚裏的蟲吵醒, 本來是想大睡到9點後, 算了, 去沃瑪特買早點吧! 其實旅館的餐廳部早就開了, 只不過我想見識一下附近有什麼不同的東西. 走著走著, 經過一個不小的公園, 有許多上的了年紀的歐吉桑/歐巴桑在公園中散步, 運動. 公園旁有一座小廟, 廟前及廟堂外聚集了不少攤販, 菜,肉, 魚樣樣都有!

十點多, 在逛了接近一個鐘頭, 終於到了沃瑪特, 肚皮裏的蟲可能是餓扁了, 反而不覺得很餓. 我隨便看看, 漫步到餐飲部, 東西還真多! 我挑了幾個小點, 付了錢後到樓下找了個賣飲料的地方坐下來享用早點. 可惜美國國內的沃瑪特沒有像樣的餐飲部, 不然還真是方便.

東西下了肚, 力氣也來了, 繼續去逛街吧! 出了沃瑪特時已經接近十一點半了, 繞著大街小巷我一邊看一邊拍, 不知不覺的, 已經快一點鐘了. 找個地方休息一下吧! 我看見巷尾有個小吃店, 店外有幾張桌子, 我走近點去看看, 哦, 有糯米大腸? 還有筒子米糕?! 肚子雖然不是很餓, 但是看到幾樣平時吃不到的”美食”, 我禁不住的吞了好幾口口水, 進去探個究竟吧.

老闆跟老闆娘看起來很年輕, 我坐了下來, 點了糯米大腸, 筒子米糕及現搾豆漿, 我問老闆娘, 菜單上的, 都是他們自製的嗎? 老闆娘說不是, 他們的師傅是台灣高雄人, 平常一個月台廈來回數次, 那天中午他已經搭機回台了.

老闆的媽媽揹著小孫子在店門口漫步, 臉上泛著滿足的笑容, 看著祖孫倆, 勾起我想家的念頭. 這時候老闆娘將我點的一一端上來. 平時我吃得很快, 但是這次我細嚼慢咽, 喝著濃厚的豆漿, 品嚐著家鄉的口味, 真是一大享受! 結帳後, 我問老闆娘他們幾時打烊, 老闆娘回答說”11點”, 或許晚上再回來吃個宵夜吧!

我走回大街上, 繼續在街頭獵景, 在這時我收到同事發出的電子郵件, 一個在鼓浪嶼, 剛作完禮拜不久, 他在港口買了烤烏賊,還說很好吃! 同行的兩位老美, 一位比較敢於嚐試不同口味, 另一位就沒有那麼大膽了.

在走回旅館的途中, 我聽到小孩子的喧嘩聲, 我走近一看, 有兩個家庭各自帶著兩三個小孩子, 好像是小孩子們起了爭執,吵了起來, 雙方將孩子們拉開, 不過其中一個個子最小的還不肯罷休, 一副小霸王的樣子, 也不知道是他媽媽還是阿姨連忙趕上去把他扯回來, 兩邊家長沒有什麼大反應,可能是見怪不怪了, 看著這一景, 我會心的笑了笑. Boys will be boys!

“台灣原味大高雄黑砂糖刨冰“, ”台灣手抓餅”, “台灣糕餅舖”, “台灣生活館”, 看來, 台,廈兩岸, 並沒有因為一峽之距, 還是政治因素而隔閡很遠. 其實呢, 拋開政治立場, 兩岸都是華人, 兄弟鬩牆, 要何時才能和平相處呢? 柏林圍牆能垮, 蘇聯鐵幕能毀, 二十一世紀是屬於華人的, 讓我們好好把握吧!

我繼續逛了一會兒,在兩點半前回到旅館,就在樓下大廳等Colin.

老盧廈門遊記 - 1

"各位女士, 各位先生, 多謝您搭乘廈門航空.....", a recorded announcement played through the intercom in 閩南語. The friendly voice put me at ease as I settled in my seat. My colleagues and I were on our way to Xiamen for a 2 day stay. It only took roughly two hours to fly to Xiamen from Shenzhen, where we had stayed the previous week.

One of our suppliers had arranged for our pick-up at the airport. Upon exiting the airport terminal the feeling of "home" definitely hit me. It wasn't that 99% of the people there were Chinese, it was the familiar 菜市場 noise and traffic chaos that made me feel like home. Funny isn't it?

We were greeted by Tom and Colin, whom we had met the week before. I chit chatted with our hosts and tried to absorb in the surrounding scenery as much as I could. Xiamen ,I have to say this, there isn't anything small about this harbor city.

Massive architectural structures in Xiamen actually remind me much of Los Angeles, also a coastal city. I didn't waste any time snapping away photos. It started to drizzle soon after we arrived at the hotel.

I got a map from the hotel lobby and quickly plotted out my “老盧到此一遊” coordinates. There are two shopping malls on two opposite directions with the hotel in the center. One is a Walmart, which I figured I would visit the next day. While my colleagues stayed in their hotel rooms, I grabbed some cash and my camera and hit the pavement. I headed for 天虹廣場, roughly 2 km away.

Obviously the road signs and store 看板 are in simplified Chinese. I was kind of surprised that I actually didn’t hear more people using 閩南語, whether on the streets or in the stores. I walked past a few street vendors along the way. I could tell that they were from other provinces judging by their accents.

I took the “sky bridge” – 天橋, to the other side of the street. “Look what I’ve found, a KFC!” Colonel Sanders definitely has a good grasp in the Chinese market with his greasy fingers.

天虹廣場 is right next to KFC, it’s actually quite small. I didn’t see anything particularly interesting inside and quickly got out. Right about then my stomach started to beat like a drum, that tiny voice – “feed me” soon turned into a holler. Well, it’s time to tame the beast.

I returned to the street vendors for a second look. As I surveyed the goodies I also pondered on one issue – sanitary. Should I get something from the store or trust the vendors? “Oh, what the heck!”, I decided to try my luck.

“Hey, what’s this?”, Taiwanese sausages? The girl tended the stall was talking on her cell in閩南語, cool! I asked how much each then bought two of them. Check out my loot!

While uploading photos to FB I began my feast. All that walking on foot had made my legs hollow. I was pretty sure I had eaten everything in a record time. I noticed there was a convenient store not far from the hotel, in case I needed a late night snack, you know.

I looked at the small pile of bills on the dresser, they looked like Monopoly money to me. BTW, no stomachache or any discomfort after eating street food!

Home Coming

I just got words of my upcoming trip to China, that it has been booked. It's going to be a busy 2-week trip, covering 8 or 9 factory visits. Going from Shenzhen to Suzhou, then to Xiamen. 深圳 - 蘇州 - 廈門.

A couple of weeks ago I sent in my passport to get the China visa processed. In the safe where we keep all the important documents, I found my mom's old Green Card and her old 身分證. On it, 本籍 - 福建省廈門市.

A little story that has been passed down - my maternal grandfather (born and raised in Tainan County) had traveled to Xiamen on a few occasions. On one of his trips he met a local gal in Xiamen, they had two daughters in the years that followed. The second daughter is my mom. Soon after my mom was born, grandpa brought grandma and the girls to Tainan. Together they would start a family and more kids were produced. (ten kids in all, which was quite normal back then)

I have no doubt that I still have maternal relatives in Xiamen, perhaps other parts of China as well. How do I go about finding them? I'm not even going to try. That's beyond me. Nevertheless, it'll be sort of a "home-coming" for me. I will be sure to pick up something for my mom when I visit Xiamen.