I didn’t have any plans for this evening, so after I climbed Baiyun mountain and enjoyed some time thinking and praying and looking at green things, I went to the cafeteria for dumplings.
I love the dumpling shop here on campus because you don’t have to choose just one type of dumplings like most shops make you do. Here, all the dumplings are in a big freezer, and you slide open the top and choose which of the dumplings you want. They have lots of different kinds including lotus, sweet potato (with purple skins) and chives.
But I have found my favorite combination, and now I rarely vary it. I usually get 6 or 7 corn dumplings because I love those, one cabbage dumpling (they aren’t my favorite anymore, but I need vegetables, right), one or two mushroom ones because they’re kinda tasty, and 6 or 7 New Orleans flavored ones with green skins. Sometimes I also get the yellow-skinned curry dumplings, but they have something crunchy inside which seems weird to me. Maybe it’s a potato. The colored dumplings are far from traditional, and I’ve never seen them anywhere else (except for curry dumplings in Taiwan), but they’re very good!
After I chose all of my dumplings, I headed to the counter where the lady weighed them and I paid according to the weight. All of those dumplings were about $1.50. The lady gave me a bracelet with a number that matched the number she put on my dumplings when she dumped them in a basket in their vat of boiling water.
I waited at a nearby table until they called my number that my dumplings were ready. Actually she just nodded to me because she remembered that they were mine.
When I got to the counter, the lady leaned in close and asked me slowly in Chinese, “How old are you.” I smiled. I don’t mind the question too much, although it’s rare for people to ask me so directly.
After I told her, the next question was no surprise, “Are you married?” This question sometimes bothers me, but this time I didn’t mind. I’ve come to this shop enough that I have a sort of friendship with the people who work there. I answered in the negative.
She seemed surprised and asked something about if I would date a Chinese guy. I answered that I would if the opportunity came along, but it’s a bit hard.
I moved to the side so I could get my sauce and the lady behind me could order. They continued the conversation when the lady behind me asked the lady at the counter about my age and the other information that the dumpling lady had just learned. I was a bit surprised that they were still talking about me.
“Well, she’s still young.” The new customer announced, and I smiled and told her thank you.
We went on to talk about what we teach, and I found out that she teaches in another department on campus. Before I knew what was happening, she was offering me a job to teach classes in her department. I’ve been quite busy this semester, and I can’t imagine teaching more classes, so I tried to graciously decline and moved away with my dinner.
I love random interactions with random people, and this is just one of many. Somehow, I wasn’t very surprised that ordering dumplings turned into a job offer. Hope you enjoyed this little peak into my life!