Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day in China is a funny thing. First of all, they have their own Valentine's kinds of day in August, but since westernization and commercialism are very big, V-Day can be a huge thing. Who doesn't love love? What I found most funny was the popularity of what we call "junk food chain restaurants" to be the cream of the crop in the Middle Kingdom. You don't go to McDonalds cause you have the midnight munchies. That's just too pricey. (a regular giant ass delicious noodle soup will set you back about 6rmb, a crummy fast food meal though at least 20rmb, so...do the math) You DO go there on a date however, and V-Day, they are PACKED. Every western fast food joint in my town was full to the brim. I wouldn't be surprised if you needed to reserve a table.

Hygenic Differences

 

This kind of thing would happen EVERY time I laid my eyes on some handsome guy. Every time. 

 

Hygenic norms are a bit different between the east and west. The point in China is to rid your body of all nasty, ill things, which is all good, minus the ways a lot of people choose to get rid of them. This involves growing out the pinkie nail to pick any crevice on your body (yup, I said ANY), snot rockets, and extraordinarily loud coughing up of who knows what. However, me coughing in my elbow when I would have a cold was seen as disgusting and unhygienic. Why would I cough my own germs on myself? Kind of has some sense to it but... I'm still divided.