A couple weeks ago while I was leaving yoga class, a girl stopped me, looked at my bottle of ice water, gasped and then told me that I “should not drink cold water because I would not be able to have children.” I just smiled at her and said “okay” but in my head I was thinking that I’m pretty sure all the mothers I know have drank ice water in the past. Sorry China, not drinking the Koolaid. But, it did make me wonder about other Chinese health beliefs (or as I like to call them, superstitions).

This post is in honor of my mother, Fabien’s mother, my favorite “mother to be”, my sister-in-law, Heather, and all the other mothers reading. I thought you could use a good laugh on your special day, so here are some of the common pregnancy antics of China.

– Pregnancy is considered a hot condition, therefore to balance hold and cold (known as yin and yang) only cold foods should be consumed during pregnancy.
– Do no use sharp objects, such as scissors or knives, during pregnancy because if you do your child could be born with a cleft palate or lip.
– Do not touch anything adhesive or with glue, as this will cause your baby to have birthmarks.
– Do not do any heavy work or lifting or have sex because it will could cause a miscarriage.
– Do not eat pineapple because it causes miscarriages.
– Do not eat shellfish or your baby will have a rash.
– Do not eat too much otherwise your baby will be too big to deliver.
– The first month after birth is considered a cold condition and the mother should not leave the house incase the wind blows because she will get sick. Also, no washing with cold water.
– You should not wash or comb your hair during the first month because you will get a chronic headache.
– Drink plenty of hot water and tea and eat lots of fish and pig knuckle soup to compensate for the loss of calcium.
– Babies should be put to sleep on their backs to produce a flattened head which is considered more beautiful.

I hope this gave you a good laugh. Happy Mothers Day!

A business idea for China….hire me to help you make food sound more appetizing to Westerners. Just because you don’t mind “Italian Red Meat” flavored potato chips, doesn’t mean I find them appetizing.

While fighting my way through the grocery, which is an experience in itself, I decided to write down a few of the most interesting English interpretations.

– Curry glutinous rice dumpling (with the first ingredient being lard)
– Aged & soy (sauce) marinated eggs. These can be found in a regular aisle (no refrigeration). The older the better.
– Crab spawn cake
– Meat floss egg roll
– Black bean & walnut tea
– Chicken balls
– Chicken feet

I know, your mouth is watering, right?

In addition to changing the English names on some of their packaging, they also need to beautify their displays. For example, I don’t want to buy chicken out of a bin that people rifle through with their bare hands. May I remind them of the toilet situation and that there is almost never any soap in public restrooms.

I get a lot of questions from people asking me what I eat and whether I’m adhering to Dr. Ramm’s advice (refer back to “Travel Alert Yellow, as in Yellow Fever”). Fortunately, the food here is really good. And now that my profession is domestic engineer, I cook on weekday nights, everything from spaghetti to baked chicken to Dim Sum. Okay, I know I wouldn’t make that at home, but it’s really good. As for listening to Dr. Ramm….not really. I eat cold food (including salads), drink off brand water, fruit with a skin and even milk. I am careful about where we eat and I don’t think I’ll ever be brave enough to buy food from a street vendor. Fabien and I have both been lucky and haven’t encountered any sort of serious stomach issues since we’ve arrived.

And if I get a little food homesick, the American chains are plentiful. There’s a McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, Papa Johns, etc. about every block of which all deliver (on bikes) to your door step. Since I’ve been here we really don’t go the the American chains, but that would change if a Taco Bell opened, which I miss dearly.

Guangzhou is the heart of Cantonese culture and a big part of that means tasty food. On the weekends we go out with friends and eat mass quantities of sushi, Thai, Japanese. It’s all amazing and, again, cheap.

Dollar DVD of the Day: It’s been a while, so I’m going to give you two unlikely suspects…

District 9: I took another one for the team on this one and really liked it. The main character accidentally becomes part alien and the movie chronicles his journey to fix his little problem. Mean while he befriends the aliens and exchanges warfare with the government agency trying to catch him, all so he can get fixed and back to his wife. So, ladies, it’s a bit of a love story, but don’t expect a happy ending. Again, this falls under the category of “watch it if it’s on TV”, but it was a solid movie.