This Christmas was absolutely insane. It totally snuck up on me. It's like before I knew it, Christmas had came and gone and I barely had time to regain my balance as I saw it floating away.
Christmas always sneaks up on me in the US, but in China it's way worse. We work before and after Christmas (No Christmas break, just a break for Spring Festival in January and February) so Christmas just feels less. . . real. Chinese people treat Christmas like Valentine's Day. It's a romantic holiday that they don't really know how to celebrate. They literally run around downtown with masks on. It's great.
Anyway, this year we totally rocked Christmas Eve with a Mexican Feast. Our friends all came together bringing tidings of salsa and tamales. Earlier that week, Eric and I received a package from his dad with refried beans and taco seasoning in it (wahoo!). Some of our friends made tamales (a traditional Mexican dish steamed in cornhusks) in a tofu skin, a queso dip, and three different kinds of salsa. We were out of control. In the US, I can easily pound 4 tacos, but in China I could barely finish two. We were stuffed out of our minds. It's so crazy to me how my body has adjusted to Chinese dieting. Western food makes me feel like I'm going to burst!
Christmas day we spent with some friends from all over the globe. Some of our British friends hosted a potluck lunch, which was awesome. We had stuffing, pasta salad, spaghetti sauce, homemade bread, muld wine (A British custom), brownies, cheesecake, and much more. This year I was honestly more excited about the food than I was about any gifts. I seriously get giddy when I know I'm about to eat food from home. It's the most comforting thing in China. I love it.
The best part of it all, is that my bathroom times were the most enjoyable I've had in five months. Now we all know the stanky result of Mexican food (particularly beans) that occurs a few hours after consumption. We definitely suffered from some very smelly gas, but the loveliest part is that our business was regular. With Chinese food, you get smelly gas and then diarrhea (sometimes burning hot diarrhea). It sucks.
Eating so much western food the past few days got me regular again, and I couldn't be more grateful. Over here it's the little things that count, people! I'm enjoying my last few regular visits and preparing for whatever is next in my crazy Chinese bathroom adventures.
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! May you be ever joyful during your bathroom adventures!
A somewhat graphic guide to navigating bowel movements as an American in China
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