Sometimes, it is good to tell a lie (China)
I was at my favourite café in Shamian Dao, a charming little island in Guangzhou. The café has outdoor tables right by the river. I am often here reading, writing, or simply watching the couples waltzing, the kids drawing or later at night, the brightly lit boats pass by. The staff recognise me from my many visits over the years, which always makes me happy.
One of the café workers, a young woman, asked me for a favour. She needed help translating a text message from a foreign admirer, a customer who had visited earlier in the day and somehow managed to get her number. I attempted to translate with my limited spoken Chinese. The message was asking, "Can I meet you tomorrow?" The woman responded with some reluctance, "Bu yao!!" ("Don't want!"). She added something else that I didn’t understand, but her tone made it clear she was not too keen on the meeting. I then had the tricky task of replying to the hopeful admirer. I softened her response and typed, "Sorry! Very busy tomorrow…cannot meet."
I noticed a new item "hot coke with ginger" on their menu, which seemed like a translation error. It reminded me of a time in a Sichuan hotel when Ou showed me a dish called "Fried Indian with rice." Out of curiosity, I ordered the "hot coke with ginger." It turned out to be exactly what it said – hot coke with ginger, supposedly a cure for colds.
One of the things I love about this café is that they let me stay past closing time until its time to stack the chairs indoors. Jenny, the ever-smiling young woman who runs the place, often stops by for a chat. She is one of those bright-eyed young people I meet all across China, working and studying part-time - learning languages, management, or IT. We talked about her job, her studies, and my travels.
I asked Jenny about her childhood. She shared memories of growing up in Guilin and learning English phrases from foreign cartoons on TV and later reenacting the scenes with her friends. Ou once told me that the first English phrase she learned to say fluently was "Prepare to die," from an American cartoon. It has become Ou's catchphrase whenever I annoy her.
As Jenny stared at the river, I could tell she was thinking about her hometown. She said she would be going home for the New Year. She turned to face me and invited me to visit. She asked if I had ever been to Guilin. I had visited Guilin on my first trip to China, but I wasn't sure if I would be in China around the Chinese New Year. It would be fun to hear Jenny's childhood stories and, of course, enjoy the New Year food. I could come to China if I really tried. fibbed, "Guilin? Oh, I've never been there. It's in Yunnan province, right?"