NO FAINTING GRUMPS

The old fellow was seated on the curb, semi-slumped, when I first walked by. There were half a dozen policemen surrounding him, and because there would be no conceivable benefit to my presence there, I kept on walking. When I passed by again after eating, an ambulance and medical personell were involved. I lingered within hearing distance as an interpreter was asked to tell him that it had been low bloodpressure and irregular heartbeat, and he should definitely see his doctor soon. He refused to get into the ambulance and instead got a ride home with the interpreter.

Many elderly Chinese are averse to hospitals. And, given that they often self-medicate using herbs and tonics (sometimes barking entirely up the wrong ailment when they do so), that's understandable. No one actually wants a lecture from a doctor about stupidity.

Sometimes a stern lecture from a doctor is a life-saving event.

If the patient can understand it.


Old gentlemen in Chinatown, while often splendid fellows, are not, usually, anywhere fluent in realistic medical terms in any language. "There is a nefarious a wind affecting my stomach" may very well prove a baffling utterance in an emergency room, whereas telling someone not used to even thinking in certain terms that dietary deficiencies, specifically low calcium, are causing muscular weakness as well as cramps, spasms, brain fog, and sleeping problems, well, all he'll hear is that he isn't eating enough. Perhaps he should have a biscuit!

For your information, there is a tonne of calcium in milk tea.
It's because of the overload of condensed milk.
And it's sweet! Energy!

From which we learn that, because of all the old people in Chinatown, there need to be nurses wandering around with flasks of hot milk tea and trays of toasted piggy buns.

Not being Chinese, OR an elderly crotchett, what I had for lunch was soup with pork and chive dumplings (韭菜湯餃 'gau choi tong gaau') and mustard green stalks (芥菜 'gai choi') added to the bowl, plus an extra cup of tea.

Somewhat pursuant which, I am quite overjoyed that the long empty storefront where there had been a charming short waitress years ago now looks like it will soon offer Northern style dumplings and buns. Specifically 北方餃，菜肉包子 ('pak fong gaau, choi yiuk baau ji').

I keenly look forward to one more way to keep my blood sugar and calcium levels up.
If I don't, I tend to turn grumpy by late afternoon.
You don't want that.



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