What's on the menu...

[Hamish]

What he said.

My Doc. says I be bound to spend my last days alone, in a room with no mirror.

@&^%$#@!

[Lotus Eater]

He hasn't told me to m'kay off yet - does that mean he doesn't like me? I now feel like a pariah. Will another drink help?

[Ruth]

I once had a water bottle for the cooler/heater that developed green slime on the INSIDE of the bottle. That was only once. Not sure what caused it. But I've been here for 18 months and haven't died yet. My husband and I are supplied with bottled water by the school. That's what we use for drinking water. The students carry it up all four flights for us. We are very spoiled. I boil tap water for tea and coffee (flash boil according to Mr. N). I wash veggies and fruit in tap water. I brush and rinse my teeth in tap water, but don't swallow it.

We eat restaurant and street food often with no ill effects, other than becoming totally lazy and spoiled about having to prepare my own meals. (So cheap and delicious here we don't cook often.) The only time we have been seriously sick with stomach rebellion was when we ate mayonnaise that was (in 20-20 hindsight) obviously out of date. My own fault as I didn't check the label carefully enough when purchasing. The 'manufactured on' date had been covered with white tape. Should have been a clue. What the others have said about not worrying about the hygenic state of the restaurant kitchens. Just enjoy the delicious food. Try not to look at the bowl of cold water filled with dirty dishes and think that that is how the bowls you are eating from have been washed.

The best advice I had before coming here was to bring several bottles of Buckleys Mixture with me. If you are Canadian you will know what I mean. The air is wicked where we live, especially in the winter, and my husband and I often suffer from congested lungs and sore throats. Buckleys does the trick, along with some lozenges we buy here. We did bring Halls with us, and went through them rapidly, but it's not necessary to bring them since there are Chinese versions that work just as well.

The only time I have been truly out of commission for a day was over the mayo experience (and that is Western food that the Chinese don't usually eat). Crippler has chronic health issues and taking a Chinese friend to the hospital has resulted in great service every time - on an outpatient basis. We have been blessed with not needing to spend time there.

Hope some of this helps you. I think you (and anyone else who has done it) are brave to come here alone. Not sure I could/would without my husband. That said, the Chinese English teachers are great. Some have become very close friends. Hope your experiences are as good as ours have been in that department. And Raoul's is a great source of info, help and good ol' moral support. You aren't really alone if you have a computer with internet connections.