(Photo opposite: Spicy Korean Kimchi) On Friday night I enjoyed having dinner with a handful or so of students in a Korean restaurant. They’d asked me about it on the spot after their exam in one of my classes. It took me a little by surprise given that there are more exams for them in the pipeline. Who knows? Perhaps my sermon on how to gear up for exams did accomplish something. Perhaps they’re no longer spooked by upcoming exams.

Be that as it may. Over dinner in that Korean restaurant a couple of things drew my attention. First, Korean food quite often turns out to be a little spicy. It initially doesn’t taste spicy. A few seconds down the road, when you’re still chewing, you reckon all of a sudden that a fire extinguisher may be quite a beneficial device. Second, ordering food in China’s done differently to doing this sort of thing in western nations.

In western nations each person at the table orders his food separately. When eating out in China you order for the entire table. Everybody at the table then shares the food on the table. You help yourself by putting slices of the respective food on your plate. There’s plenty more to food and eating in China than just stuffing calories into your stomach. Sharing a meal together entails in China quite a significant social meaning. The shared food on the table reflects that social meaning.

The Chinese philosopher Kao Tzu from the warring states period noted with regard to food: “Appetite for food and sex is nature.” I couldn’t have put it more accurately. Kao Tzu’s observation means for me “don’t forget to enjoy life across the board. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Surging Prices

Enjoying life doesn’t necessarily equal sugarcoating circumstances. Prices for food and petrol as well as…..are surging. The carefully selected financial newsletters I subscribe to get the message across that we’re heading for stroppy waters. They recommend dumping bonds and being very picky on securities. Instead of holding bonds and securities, they recommend raising cash and holding gold as well as silver.

I subscribe to these financial newsletters for a reason. I eat their cooking. After all, you’ve got to be positioned to enjoy life across the board. Otherwise, what’s the point?

* More Articles on Living in China
* Real Estate in China
* Banks in China - Worldwide Banking Directory
* Universities in China - Colleges & Universities listed by Country
* Embassies and Consulates of China