Om nom nom!

So it's been close to three months being in China, and something didn't feel right. Maybe it was my ever growing hair (got it buzzed, now). Maybe it was that funny tasting pork at the cafeteria (it was). But not just that, there was a certain taste I hadn't had in a while. I was feverish, delusional - then during a period of self reflection I knew what was missing.

Chili.

"How in the world can I make chili here?" I said. Well I'm glad to report after scouring every grocery store I knew, I was able to obtain the critical ingredients, some quite expensive since they were imported. The end result is meat from China, beans from Mexico, tomatoes from Italy, spices from India, and chili powder from America. Simply put, the stuff that went into this chili has seen more miles than Indiana Jones, but isn't quite as handsome. Behold, the fruits of my efforts!

As far as the taste... pretty good! The problem I found was that meat in Asia tends to be quite fatty. They really like their fat here. I thickened it up with some corn starch, but honestly it was a bit too greasy. Next time I'm going to have to look for leaner meat. The plus side is I still have all the spices, I just need some tomatoes, beans, and of course the meat.

Now to skip gears, I'm going to tell a story that has the oddest set of circumstances ever. I will tell you it begins with us getting wifi in the office, and ends with animal blood. Now, let's Tarintino this and go back to the beginning.

So, we have wifi in the office. I don't really know why we didn't earlier, but honestly it's not a big deal because there are cables everywhere. Really the only plus I can see is that there is a deck here at the office that'd be nice to sit out on during hot days. And you know, fresh air and all that.

In eager anticipation I configured the router for a small bit of extra convenience. I said how nice it would be to work outside on the deck. I was met with a "Oh god, you don't want to do that."

"Why's that?"

"They keep animals out there in the summer."

"What, like pets?"

"No, for eating."

What I was told is that the older, Chinese staff here will buy things like chickens, and slaughter them on that deck for dinner. So, avoid the stone tables. The idea of a 90 pound tiny Asian woman murdering a chicken is hilarious enough. And while I respect the fact that they REALLY know where their food comes from, I find this to be a touch unprofessional. I was told last year that was brought up, and they were shot down for being "culturally insensitive". Culturally insensitive?! I think it'd unproffesional to be dicing carrots for dinner at the office, as well. So sensitivity be damned, I'm going to raise a stink if the one bit of outside relaxation we have is turned into a chicken factory.

Although you can bet before I do I'm going to pluck me some dinner.