Feather Stone
asked
Andy Smart:
What a tremendous life changing experience, Andy. I've often wondered how persons who 'hit the road' survive, find enough to eat and remain healthy. My husband traveled to China several years ago and loved it. I couldn't handle the fact that in some places dogs are on the menu. Did you have to change some of your ethics or values during your journey?
Andy Smart
Hi there Feather.
Great to hear from you. Yes an awesome life changing experience to be sure. I’ve been back in the UK for some time now and all I can think about is hitting the road again ASAP! Actually hand on heart I didn’t do a great job of travelling then and I doubt I will in the future. I still make shed loads of mistakes and sometimes still feel as green as when I left the UK back in 2005.
RE Food: Sometimes I see my English stomach as a separate life form that moans if it isn’t happy adapting to foreign lands, especially as it’s used to big pieces of meat and lots of carbs. Also eating with a knife and fork allows me to shovel in the food in record time, whereas in China chopsticks mean you eat at a steady pace over a longer period of time. Consequently I often find myself hungry an hour after eating. But hey, who can complain about that? I lost a lot of weight during the first three years. Yes some food is really hard to handle as are the restaurants including people’s habits.
By the summer of 2008 I’d lost so much weight that my belt had been taken in with new holes by about four inches. I guess that’s Mongolia for you though. I think generally, the bodies’ remarkable ability to heal itself went a long way to my survival. In order to aid the self-repairing process I stopped smoking completely which went a long way as Asian cigarettes are really terrible.
I am quite OCD and have this thing about lists. I have lists everywhere. My office at home is covered in them including a large pin board and white board. I have a line of post it notes on the desk in front of the computer, lists in my back pocket, spare blank lists ready to go, piles of old lists from up to a year ago and I also carry a number of pens around with me. Luckily this is one of the things that becomes an advantage when you’re on the road. There are certain things that jump start your language ability and the one at the very top is food. I had a note book filled with the most useful vocabulary including the things that I knew I could eat. Rice, chicken, pork, tofu, certain vegetables and green tea are available in any restaurant though sometimes you may get stomach if you are not careful, yeeech! If you like sticking around a new place in order to really get a feel of what it’s like there, you get familiar with various restaurants and write down the names of the staff who work there. They get to know you and your habits then receive hospitality to the power of ten when they see you come in again for the third time that week. Never underestimate the power of the notebook! LOL
Some Western values you definitely do have to brush under the carpet. Many Chinese people don’t differentiate between animals as food. I mean why not eat dog? It’s an animal the same as a cow after all. You have to deprogram your Western brain to cope with this logic and get on with it, especially if someone is being hospitable. If something is killed in front of you that’s a tough one as well, but at least it has the benefit of being fresh at least (though unfortunately lacking the ‘crispy crumb’ and fillet shape that you often get in Western supermarkets). More so in the South of China, animal rights is not top of the list of priorities but enough said on that one.
You sound like you’re about to hit the road Feather. If so I’d love to know your destination.
Whatever though, it’s a pleasure to be in touch with you and wish you all the best.
Have a great week.
Andy Smart
Great to hear from you. Yes an awesome life changing experience to be sure. I’ve been back in the UK for some time now and all I can think about is hitting the road again ASAP! Actually hand on heart I didn’t do a great job of travelling then and I doubt I will in the future. I still make shed loads of mistakes and sometimes still feel as green as when I left the UK back in 2005.
RE Food: Sometimes I see my English stomach as a separate life form that moans if it isn’t happy adapting to foreign lands, especially as it’s used to big pieces of meat and lots of carbs. Also eating with a knife and fork allows me to shovel in the food in record time, whereas in China chopsticks mean you eat at a steady pace over a longer period of time. Consequently I often find myself hungry an hour after eating. But hey, who can complain about that? I lost a lot of weight during the first three years. Yes some food is really hard to handle as are the restaurants including people’s habits.
By the summer of 2008 I’d lost so much weight that my belt had been taken in with new holes by about four inches. I guess that’s Mongolia for you though. I think generally, the bodies’ remarkable ability to heal itself went a long way to my survival. In order to aid the self-repairing process I stopped smoking completely which went a long way as Asian cigarettes are really terrible.
I am quite OCD and have this thing about lists. I have lists everywhere. My office at home is covered in them including a large pin board and white board. I have a line of post it notes on the desk in front of the computer, lists in my back pocket, spare blank lists ready to go, piles of old lists from up to a year ago and I also carry a number of pens around with me. Luckily this is one of the things that becomes an advantage when you’re on the road. There are certain things that jump start your language ability and the one at the very top is food. I had a note book filled with the most useful vocabulary including the things that I knew I could eat. Rice, chicken, pork, tofu, certain vegetables and green tea are available in any restaurant though sometimes you may get stomach if you are not careful, yeeech! If you like sticking around a new place in order to really get a feel of what it’s like there, you get familiar with various restaurants and write down the names of the staff who work there. They get to know you and your habits then receive hospitality to the power of ten when they see you come in again for the third time that week. Never underestimate the power of the notebook! LOL
Some Western values you definitely do have to brush under the carpet. Many Chinese people don’t differentiate between animals as food. I mean why not eat dog? It’s an animal the same as a cow after all. You have to deprogram your Western brain to cope with this logic and get on with it, especially if someone is being hospitable. If something is killed in front of you that’s a tough one as well, but at least it has the benefit of being fresh at least (though unfortunately lacking the ‘crispy crumb’ and fillet shape that you often get in Western supermarkets). More so in the South of China, animal rights is not top of the list of priorities but enough said on that one.
You sound like you’re about to hit the road Feather. If so I’d love to know your destination.
Whatever though, it’s a pleasure to be in touch with you and wish you all the best.
Have a great week.
Andy Smart
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