We ate yummy food....we being Erin, David, and I.

I got to speak Chinese--and I finally realized why it is that I can understand this particular lao ban (shop owner/worker - usually male) better than all the other lao bans... ying wei ta dju zai Tai wan...Because he lived in Taiwan.

How refreshing the Taiwanese accent is.

Here are some blurbs from our conversations (they were in Chinese, but I will translate for you):

-important note--David and I have been there before, and he remembered us.

"He's lucky." said the lao ban.

"Why?"

"Because, he is your age, and can be your boyfriend, but I am too old."

This one was in English - to David:

Context: I had given David the rest of my soup because his wasn't a special... but the lao ban brought him out a bowl later anyhow (apparently they had run out, and were making a new pot)...but, when he came, David had my bowl. The lao ban looked at Dave and said:

"See, I told you" and gave him that knowing man look, where he implied many things of the excellence of my character and wife-worthiness.

"I know" said Dave, "It's just taken me a while to see it."

Aside from all the compliments however, is the benefit of getting your way more readily when ordering in Chinese. We asked for green beans and brocolli, together, with our beef. Mr. Lao ban replied (in Chinese), "Normally, no. But for you, OK."

Oh how I love being the small white girl who speaks Chinese.

The best culteral language lesson though was when the lao ban asked David some question, in reference to me, oh! I remember now. We were talking about going to Taiwan, and he said to David that I could help him if he ever wanted to go there. They talked some more and David said, "Right, I know her."

The laoban repeated, "oh, you know her" and as soon as he gave David a look back, David understood that to know someone in Chinese is different than to know someone in English.

I blushed and laughed and told David, "Um, you just said something very different if translated into Chinese."

"Right" said Dave. "And Adam knew Eve."

I blushed a little more. "Yeah, it's more like the Hebrew meaning of the word."

The Chinese say, "Wo ren shi ta" which roughly translates "I am acquainted with her." To say, I know, or "Wo dji dao" has certain connotations.

But boy how I love going to New China for lunch.

Always an experience.

Wan an (Good night) - Trace

p.s. I would like to recommend a dish I call he fen, and restaurants call "Chow fun." It is really quite delicious---better than chow mein.