The food court

Just around the large electronics store, where Jessie helped me buy a Toshiba memory stick, there's a big shopping center, Chicony, with many floors. I told Jessie I was treating her to lunch and she must pick where we would go. She decided we should see what we want to eat before we eat it, thus our destination.

Entering the mall we walked through major clothing brands that made me feel like I had stepped into a time warp and was back home, except, of course for the Chinese signs. Once in the door, Jessie headed like a shot towards the elevator. I followed. We stepped into the elevator and the smartly uniformed elevator operator punched floor 7 for us. As the elevator began to rise I watched the floor lights glow as we passed each one. Oddly enough, I could actually read what was on each floor, since they were in both Chinese and English, so I knew what floor 7 is called: Food Court.

Thinking what Food Court means at home, I figured I knew what to expect: different fast food vendors lined up and we would pick what we wanted for lunch. One thing I sometimes forget (not often) is never think you know or understand anything. I relearned this lesson. (I think I got a little heady since I could read the elevator sign.)

The elevator doors opened and we walked into a cavernous floor that I think stretched the entire building. Tables were scattered all over and as we walked through the endless numbers of diners, we found the heart of the food court.

Jessie knew the protocol. Selecting a prime table, she called a waiter over to give her a sheet of paper with, of course, Chinese writing on it. Simultaneously a woman appeared and put two dishes, two bowls and two sets of chopsticks on the table. Jessie then pulled a textbook from her backpack (Kotler's Introduction to Marketing!) on the table and told me, "Let's see what food we like!" Thinking about what just happened as we picked up round trays I reflected on how I would have made a mistake; I would have sat down at a table that was set up with dishes (indicated occupied), not one that didn't have any on it.


To call this a big Chinese version of a cafeteria—that's the closest I can come—really does a disservice. Walking up and down the lines of food, Jessie explained if I wanted something point at it and the server behind the table will pick it up and put it on your tray and will take the paper and make a note on it. Sounded simple. What's difficult is making food selection decisions. With literally hundreds of different dishes to choose from, it's like being a kid in a candy store, so much to see and ask. I asked Jessie if she had eaten all possible varieties of Chinese food, the answer was no.

I recognized a number of food items: lotus soup, marinated lotus, the hot vegetable dish I'd had Sunday, sweet and sour pork, a vegetable I'm fond of and never can say its name, and others. Jessie and I agreed to pick items to share, so we both had to agree on what we put on our plates. A few items I never considered (and neither did she!) included: thinly sliced pig ear, dog tongue, pickled chicken feet. I'm sure there were others, these were just the ones I inquired of Jessie, "What's that?"

We completed our food quest and returned with the following: two different green leafy vegetables they cooked and delivered to our table, a bowl of spicy shrimp, a skewer of cooked squid, a bowl of tasty pumpkin, fried rice, spicy bamboo shoots, cooked mushrooms, a bun with sesame seeds on it with sticky rice inside, a fish dish, some sort of sticky rice dessert and two bottles of water. The bill: 52 RMB ($6.50)

On our way out of the shopping area Jessie spied a man behind a counter at another store. He had what can best be described as foot long delicately crafted figures made from some sort of sugar mixture. Jessie was excited to see this since it reminded her of her childhood and her parents buying one for her. So, naturally I bought one after we made careful selection: a deer. Cost: 2 RMB. Literally pennies bought a wonderful memory to the surface and I had a chance to share in it. What fun!