We got really tight with our new friends. We often make connections with folks who rent rooms at our house. This pair from China made it to "next level single serving friends." Today we took them to have something they have never tried "Mexicans food" we took em to our favorite spot, the Mercado. Actually our friends still haven't tried Mexican food since they got dishes from the Cuban truck.
I got the "dirty Diaper special" aka Mole plate. After eating and discussing everything from politics, romance, fashion, life and the daily grind we decided to take them to see us depicted in the train station mural.
We talked a lot and Olive and I have been taking a crash course in Mandarin. It's very embarrassing to me that I don't know many Chinese phrases. They do appreciate that I know a lot of Chinese history, politics and culture. They seemed surprised. I don't blame them. Americans are known for not knowing things. They
say that all the world is into American culture but why isn't America hip to any world culture. I have to explain to them that our country is groomed to mentally never leave high school. Our people think of leaders like sports teams and have too much groupthink to tolerate or see the value in understanding other cultures.
China used to suck royally as well. They come from a place that had no pop culture for a long time under Chairman Mao. Everyone wore a uniform and music was only to glorify the state. Our friends like that we can speak out against the leaders here. In China you go to jail for speaking the way do freely. We made it clear that we don't like 45, they thought his trade war was unnecessary and ugly. We agree.
All of us noticed how our respective country's are wondrous places full of interesting cultures, cuisine and traditions but also plenty of dumb-asses and authoritarians who make things suck.
We are all smarter people after spending this week getting in each other's heads. They worked similar hours to us so we had a chance to chill out together a lot.
Took friends to first Mexican food, they choose the Cuban. These particular patrons have zero points of reference looking at a line of carts containing cuisine from all over Latin America. So it's the photos of the food that made the deal. Fidel won this round. I had the Mole plate. That looks like a dirty diaper so I can forgive them for not throwing up a glamour shot of that mess.
Unlike most of the guests, they are not on vacation. They were at home. We related to their hustle and teamwork because that is what we employ as well.
Now It's close to the end of our single serving friendship.
They will go on to other adventures and we will miss them.
When we met it was mutual suspicion and mechanical courtesy. As the days went on we started eating together, having awkward silences, sharing and ignoring each other...and now we kind of jelled.
They giggle with Olive a lot and we hang allover each other like we been friends for years. We won't see them again most likely but we will always remember the great connections and think of them when we use their language.
It may come in handy, some folks from Taiwan are due to land in one of the rooms tomorrow.
:) zàijiàn
