NUREYA NAMAZ, Film major, writes: Fried tofu with a spicy chili sauce, quail eggs, and roasted sweet potatoes are just some of the excellent cuisine I've eaten from street vendors and in restaurants. When I travel I tend to remember my interactions with the people and the food. I have a taste for all things personal. I have to agree with the masses (my fellow classmates) for once and say that Shanghai is an ultimate experience. It's not very often when one experiences what it's like to feel accepted in a culture not your own. And I feel that the Shanghainese accept me even though we don't speak the same language or share the same politics. Simply, we are complete strangers who understand one another.
What I've realized for the past three days of being here is that what America has forced down my throat about China has been nothing but our own propaganda. At least in Shanghai, and from what I've observed, the Chinese are very much open. In other words, they simply don't care about the stupid stuff or sweat the small stuff. No matter if you are wearing a business suit or you're a peasant, no one's going to stare at you if you hang your laundry between two street poles, eat some roasted chicken legs while walking to wherever, or if you simply want to throw a can over and over again into a receptacle. No one cares. What may seem weird to some Americans may seem to be just a respectable way of living to the Chinese. We're talking about having a 360-degree view of the world, instead of our linear one. Also, the energy of this place is amazingly positive. This is going to sound incredibly corny, but every day I wake up rested and with a smile on my face. There's an upbeat vibe here that I see in the people's faces, be it when I'm sharing a laugh with a passerby over taking a picture of some random building, or simply sharing a smile in greeting.
I thought that being in China, I'd also see many officers wearing olive-green suits with a touch of red. I've only seen three. I've seen only three pictures of Mao Zedong in Shanghai: one in a quotation book sold in a market place, on the yuan bills, and on my friend Greg's watch showing Mao comically waving to the masses. Granted, there have been problems with the government between some experimental artists and the government shutting down their exhibitions due to a lack of true understanding. And these occurrences happen also because there's no one in the government who's an expert on art, especially of the contemporary kind. The most jail time any contemporary artist's spent is about a few days. There are no excruciating tortures involved from a government that doesn't understand how anyone can create anything without money being the end goal.
Later, I want to explore the Muslim side of Chinese culture. From what I understand, the Muslim population is second to the majority. So, later, I'll pass the word on the shared and private spaces of the Chinese Muslims.
Oh, and one more food mention: Kit Kat bars and Minute Maid have never tasted better than in China. I give a huge thumbs up to the chocolate and real orange in Shanghai.
