The habits I picked up in China

Pretending to dance Gangan Style at any type of party… China has also given me this

Why I had the desire to write this article just today,almost a year and a half since I left China, is easy to say: up until last month I’ve lived in small cities and towns.

The social dynamics were therefore quite different than those of Beijing, Hangzhou or Shanghai, where I spent four years that I would define as… intense.

Last month, however, I moved to London, where the only thing small is the Euro/Sterling exchange. Consequently, the habits large and small have returned that subconsciously bring me back to the land of Chun-Li, the latent sexual fantasy of my generation, grown from Lemonissimo and Street Fighter.

Here are a few:

Using passersby as human shields when crossing the street

This habit goes back to 2008, or my first trip to Beijing, when the avenues of Dongzhimen were harbingers of second thoughts and paralyzing doubts. And so I resolved the problem crossing only when well protected by a crew of travellers.

In London this habit is very useful considering the cars ride on the left!

Cutting in front of people without mercy on the Metro… excuse me, The Tube

Despite being Italian – we are certainly not famous for respecting lines, – in this aspect I was always well-behaved. That is until I landed in China, where if you don’t slalom between those dragging seven tons of potatoes behind them and those on autopilot, hypnotized by what’s happening on their cell phones you’ll never get on the subway. It’s worth mentioning that in London the shoving is less violent and someone might actually say “I’m sorry”.

Among other things, thinking about traffic and lines made me recall this mythic video:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Finding my bearings with cardinal directions

Beijing is a rather symmetrical city, with the Forbidden City in the center, an unending avenue that cuts east to west changing names several times – from Chang’An Dajie to Jianguo Lu and other names that I’ve ignored – and several concentric rings where deadly traffic pours out.

Even in less-symmetrical cities, like my beloved Shanghai, there are indicators “north”, “south” (or “east” “west” depending on your orientation) at every intersection. Yes, I’m talking about your eternal friends 北南东西.

Now, in London there are no cardinal directions on the signs  – to be honest, compared to China there are far less street signs – however if you know the 3-4 streets that, even in the most torturous way, cut through the city horizontally and vertically, you’ll manage to gain your bearings well enough. If you then add the Thames, The Shard, and the major parks, you’ve won.

Checking that the dish I’m about to eat doesn’t contain sugar

The cuisine of Shanghai and Hangzhou is heavy on the sugar. The only plate that I never had trouble with it is ravioli, but I might be wrong.

The problem is that I hate sugar in any dish that isn’t called tiramisù or cheesecake. In London I have the same problem because they have the bad habit of putting a type of sweet and sour marmalade on their hamburgers.
Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/the-habits-i-picked-up-in-china/