Yin cha hour

[galled]

Also sorry to hear about your allergies. They are terrible and can be extremely debilitating when they're bad.

It's very exciting to hear about the trip to Hong Kong. It's very interesting (and kind of crazy) to know that both languages are so different.

When is your trip?

[Adol Christin]

Yes top is Mandarin.

I think Mandarin easier but I mean, I speak natively, not like Cantonese. Lol
I knew a little Cantonese before because wife's folks speak it so I really should teach the kids. They'd benefit.
By the way, I have triplets and triplets in Mandarin is 三胞胎 Sān bāo tāi

I hope you doing well.

[Adol Christin]

Galled, so sorry, I didn't see your reply.

Allergies are terrible and definitely throw wrench in the gears, a new phrase I learned. Lol

They very different and I think the term "dialect" is misleading to have people underestimate the differences.

My trip is in fall, hopefully it will not be cancelled due to covid.

How are you doing?

[Gingerale]

Triplets in China must be extremely rare - its rare where I live! You have good fortune!!

ugh, Flu season starts again in the fall. Hopefully our countries and the World health organization (WHO) will have all this under control. I think if people conscientiously practice good hygiene, transmission of ANY disease will be less.

[galled]

That is a good phrase!

I hope things will clear up by the fall--the way some politicians are talking they'd be happy keeping the lockdowns permanently.

I've been fine. Health has been good and getting pretty good sleep these days actually. Perhaps that's a side effect of more free time. Thanks for asking!

I want to introduce you to Shamrock Shamus
Both of you guys speak/teach/learn English and Mandarin.

[Adol Christin]

I learned today that my cousin has covid19. I am feeling upset and afraid. I was told that she doing ok though so I feel also hopeful.

Triplets I think are rare most place. I do not know anyone else with them we just got luck of draw. One child policy was only for Han Chinese, which I am but was extended to two children. But triplets won't effect because it's a single birth so we did not face consequence.
Good hygiene is important some people seem not to understand why.



I hope so too. Political people are crooked I would not doubt.

I have not sleeping very good but I think because I am overwhelmed.

Hi Shamrock Shamus. How long you speak Mandarin?

[galled]

Sorry to hear about your cousin? Do they live near you? Are they in a compromised group (pre-existing conditions, over the age of 70)?

The preliminary antibody tests (that tell if you've had it covid19 already) are showing that about 1/4 of the population tested have already had it and got over it and didn't think it was bad enough to go see a doctor or didn't have any symptoms.

Speedy recovery to your cousin!

Yes, triplets are rare everywhere! Must be wonderful to have three bundles of joy, but the work load must be crazy! Twins might benefit from economy of scale a bit, but still must be a big work load. God bless all of you!

Sorry to hear you're overwhelmed, but I sometimes try to think (focus) about the positives and try to remember that "this too shall pass." All things do sooner or later. Hang in there!

[Gingerale]

Edit: Galled got their post in first.
80% of the covid19 are just flu symptoms and even if she has pre existing health conditions it doesn't mean she will have to go into the hospital or won't survive it. So stay hopeful. But it does show that the virus is still active so people still need to adhere to good hygiene practices and stay vigilant. I hope those she lives with are ok, were you thinking you had visited with her in the last 3 weeks?

Do they have testing for antibodies to see if you have already had the virus where you are? They are starting to do it here. I think a larger amount of people have had it and got over it then what they realize which is reassuring in a way.

[+] SPOILER

From what I am reading, I'm looking at the COVID19 as similar to mononucleosis, everyone eventually gets it, some are mild cases like feeling like they have a cold or allergies or are just fatigued but some are very serious cases and can end them up in the hospital or can turn into cancer or a chronic autoimmune problem.

A person coming down with any herpes virus, like with chicken pox, mono or one getting a cold sore, can be contagious right before they show any symptoms - "silent carriers". All of these viruses can have life long consequences. For this reason we should always be vigilant, not just during this COVID-19 time.

I read somewhere that China is rethinking how they eat at a gathering. People in America usually have a serving spoon and dish food onto their own plate so that the cutlery they put in their mouth never touches the food that is on the serving plate. In Asian countries they tend to just take the chop sticks they are eating with and remove food from a serving dish that way, or use their chop sticks to put food onto someone else's plate (normally a child or senior), which contaminates the food others may eat.

I think that we need to rethink how what we do might affect someone else and modify those actions. For example, my Mom always said not to share drinks, straws, but she would go to communion and share a cup with 100's of others (and my Mom gets cold sores!). The Priest would wipe the cup with his cloth after each person but seriously!??? So later communion at churches, Protestant anyway, went to single use individual cups. I think some Roman Catholic churches still use the same cup though. Or another example, all you eat buffets started putting up plastic shielding so people weren't breathing or spraying saliva on the food as they dished it up and some places started having someone that served you the food at the buffet so that only one set of hands was touching the serving utensils. (Like Panda express here does, plastic shielding and someone serves it).

Ultimately we need to do what we can to reduce spreading our germs and mainly not touch our face or eat with dirty hands and wash our hands frequently when we are out to reduce other germs on us. The breathing "bad" air is more difficult but masks can help with that. Wash your clothes when you've been sitting with lots of people, (like on mass transit), shower at night so you don't sleep on the germs of the day, change out your hand towels daily, eat healthy and get rest. Simple basic solutions.

[Adol Christin]

From my understanding she is doing good, so I just worry about her young daughter. I have not seen her since Christmas because she lives farther from me.
Thank you two.

I think maybe but I don't know surely because I pay no attention to the news (dangerous, I know) because it causes too much anxiety. I have lost a lot of sleep over it.

How are you two doing today? China starts crackdown on eating cats and dogs. I have a cat and I would rather die than eat her. Even though it was legal, a lot of people shocked by it because they are popular pets. So this news of making it illegal to eat such beautiful creatures makes me happy. It feels embarrassing when westerners ask me if I ever eaten them. There are lots of things Chinese are known for in western world that embarrass me. But probably same for them of I say that American tourist in China known to be easy to spot because they usually loud, obnoxious and disrespectful. I usually don't buy in to stereotype though.

[Gingerale]

Westerners eat rabbit even though they are considered a pet and in the past some States ate squirrel and other rodents. I think it is all relative to how much food is around and how many generations have been eating the "off limit" foods.

You are wise to not read much news, everything is about the corona virus /COVID19 and not any valuable news at that. I keep hoping actual research findings will come out.

I hope your cousin has good neighbors/ friends that will drop off food and run errands for her while she is sick.

Stay hydrated, stay vigilant!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Rabbit is leaner then chicken, people who can't eat chicken eat rabbit for that reason. Makes you want to become a vegetarian!

Adol, all we can do is our best to keep our family safe and help out in whatever way we can with out jeopardizing the health of our love ones.

If tourist ask if you have eaten cats or dogs before say "no, have you?". Or the other curt response is "I hear it tastes like chicken". I had a boss who lived in Indonesia for awhile and they ate tiger and I asked how it tasted and he said "like chicken". He said he had eaten snake so I asked how it tasted and he said "like chicken".

[Adol Christin]

I've eaten rat. Admit, that Chinese people eat weird but it do not mean that people need to be asking me weird question though I am sure they not meaning to be rude but because it must seem exotic to westerner.

My wife pays attention so if any break through happen, she'll tell me. China has a thing where people want to help each other out. So I'm sure my cousin is taken care of.

That's a good response though. I will try to use it.
I once bought a bottle of alcohol with cobra in it. I looked for picture but couldn't find mine, so I find one on internet. Don't look if snake or scorpion make you frighten.

[+] SPOILER

[Vivianne]

People eat bugs. I heard of companies trying to popularize it or something. Everyone eats weird and judge others.

Thanks for the warning! I strongly dislike snakes.

This is a nice place you've got!

[Gingerale]

I read that bugs like crickets, grubs, etc have a lot of protein. One day we may need to eat them for protein, which I would assume that manufacturers would disguise it by putting it in powder form, but until that time I don't plan on eating them intentionally.

The more exotic products seems to sell.

[Adol Christin]

Thank you Vivianne.
I think so to. People eat strange but quick to judge other.

I had deep fried cricket in vendor stall in Vietnam. Has same feeling as eating popcorn.

Exotic stuff sells to foreigners quickly here, I think because it's so... foreign to them. I think they get trill from it.