THE ADDENDUM AT TEA

Tea time, as regular readers know, is very important to me. But instead of going to one of my regular places I gave it a miss today. I just didn't feel like being the hairy savage on display. "Oh look, he can babble in Cantonese! Clever monkey!" Besides, the two or three American born fellows who drop by late in the afternoon have not been there as often, and the last time one of them went off on a bizarre tangent that was distinctly uncomfortable. Weird political crap about the Pacific and the United States. Given that he is in his seventies and has a snooky bit upriver from Canton, that shouldn't surprise me. And it doesn't.

He know which side of his pants the butter is on.
And he won't piss in his own porridge.


Besides, I'm still miffed at being a kwailo instead of a human.


Did tea time by myself at home. Our landlady (Toisanese American, born here) had gifted us some delicious pastries, and I made myself a cup of milk tea.

SWEDISH PRINCESS CAKE

Had lunch treated like a human. Upgraded bus card treated like a human. Grocery shopped treated like a human. Offered an old auntie on the bus my seat treated like a human.

Also picked up latanoprost at the pharmacy treated like a human.
An advantage there is that I do not complain about things.
And know their procedures at this point.
In two languages.
Human.



Of course, to villagers and many younger American born folks that isn't quite what I am. And to speakers of Shanghainese and Mandarin, because I did not bother to learn how they speak, I am not worth bothering with.


To the folks at the herbalist I visited (pills to aid digestion), I am a fabulous creature worth showing off. Probably because they know I can read, and are still pleased that I used their products to stay alive before I had health insurance. They also consider me human.


Not just your typical honky.



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