The Muslim Noodle Shop just got better. I think I’ve mentioned that I love this place, partly because the food is almost always delicious, partly because it’s cheap, but mostly because the staff doesn’t laugh hysterically at my attempts to speak Chinese. They actually go out of their way to figure out which dish I mean when I say the main ingredients.
We have dishes we always order, but we like to see what people at other tables are eating or what looks good going past, and order a bowl of that, too. Most people are really friendly, they tell us what they’re eating and that it’s really good and we should get it, or if I don’t understand what’s in it, they offer us a bite. And our usual waitress recommends dishes for us.
Today Stick and I went there for lunch, and while we were waiting for our beef-and-potatoes to arrive, another customer walked over with his bowl of spicy tofu. He asked if we wanted some, and before I could say “huh?,” he scooped tofu into each of our bowls!
Hey, foreigners, try this!
Trying to fatten you up?
Is there any city in China that doesn’t have one of those “Muslim Noodle” shops? That’s exactly what I called it in Guangdong, and exactly what we call it in Jilin. And for my money, they are awesome.
That’s strange, when I lived in the States and asked people what food they were eating, I was told to **** off.
Without stereotyping too much, I can assume that no one in the US touched your hair while shrieking that it’s yellow, poked your skin while shrieking that it’s white, followed your around the supermarket taking your photo, or shouted HELLO LAOWAI.
Isn’t that a good thing? I’d rather be idolised (yes, that’s what it is) for simply having brighter coloured hair than the majority of the world than be another one of the “nobodies”.
I’d never tell someone to F off! but I think my answer to “what are you eating?” would have been more like “Reuban sandwich” and not “This is called a reuben, it’s made of rye bread, corned beef, swiss cheese and salad dressing, would you like a bite?”
As for the laowai treatment, please believe me that the 10,000th time someone takes my picture, it’s not flattering anymore. just annoying. I still smile and pose, though, because if I’m going to be in someone’s album, might as well look cute
And anon, the yellow hair reminds me of when we did descriptions and my students they all told me I had yellow hair and green eyes. Huh? I have dark brown hair and brown eyes, barely a shade different from theirs! What must it be like for a real blonde!?!?! I expected the kids to describe me by my huge glasses, but they were all about my yellow hair.
Pingback: Simpson’s Paradox » Blog Archive » Bosphorus