Random

I have so many things to write about I have had trouble choosing what to write about so I have not written much lately. I guess I would rather not choose what to write about than to try to write a jumbled mish-mash of thoughts. Here are some topics I could write about in greater depth, but will provide just short paragraphs:

• Flavored potato chips. After purusing the potato chip selection in a Chinese supermarket, I realized the main selection between chips was: blueberry, strawberry, cucumber, tomatoe, beef, or 'American.' A friend has informed me that in the UK one can get hedgehog flavored chips. A few years ago in Thailand I had curry-flavored chips that I have not seen anywhere else I have travelled since. I would love to figure out how potato chip companies cater to consumers in dofferent countries. I am especially interested in this because 'blueberry' is a rare flavor in China. Even in Maine where anything and everything is labelled as blueberry to attract tourists, I never saw blueberry potato chips.
  
• Spring in Harbin. Harbin is melting. The ice sculptures have been blown up and the ice returned to the river. The other night we had rain that slowly turned to snow. With poor drainage on the streets, the result is that during the day I am constantly dodging ankle deep puddles. At night, I am carefully walking on frozen sidewalks. All around me, the sidewalks are filled with hordes of Chinese who walk leisurely. As much as I've tried the lazy Chinese leisure walk, I can't help being a fast-paced American who needs to march through the crowds. I am convinced one day that my fast walk, combined with icy, muddy sidewalks, will have negative consequences. But its cold outside and I need to get around.
• The Financial Crisis. I've had people ask me how people are talking about the financial crisis in China. Given that each time I open the US news on my computer, I see something else related to the financial crisis, I am still trying to figure out how it is perceived in China. Most people ask me about America's economic problems. They understand its a world problem and affecting some industries in China, but do not necessarily see it as affecting their lives. I wonder if this is because of the overly-confident attitude through which the Chinese media is reporting how China will make it through this crisis. I also wonder if the overly-negative stories in the US media are causing too much panic. I know that is an overly-simplistic position to take, but I am not thinking about it too much.
• Markets. This topic could quite possibly turn into quite a long post someday since I spend so much time thinking about where and how food is sold in urban China. But I have too many ideas to make a coherent post, so here is the simple version. I've been exploring Harbin's markets lately, trying to understand where rice is sold outside the major chain supermarkets. The most interesting places I've found have been the Grain and Oil Stores. These stores are leftovers of the Communist era where staples such as wheat, rice, soy sauce, and oil were rationed. They were all placed together in a single store where families could use their ration cards. Today, money is all that one needs. Many of these stores are difficult to find (unless you are familiar with the neighborhood and know where to look, as I've learned the hard way) and are often run-down. But many people prefer to shop at these stores for their convinience. Yeah, there is so much to say, I am cutting myself off here.
• Happy International Women's Day. Today (March 8) is Women's Day in China. Its a big deal here. Its on a Sunday this year, so I am not sure how it is celebrated but when I taught in Sichuan, I think we all got the day off. I did not learn until after I had left China that it is a Communist holiday, started primarily by the USSR, which explains why its a big deal here and I had never heard about it in the US.