"Hometown"

In an effort to get some weekend vacation ideas, I asked a few coworkers if they could live anywhere else in China where would they live?  That was their answer.  It's sincere and poignant. 

The largest human migration in the world is underway.  I've read estimates between 2.8 and 3.65 billion trips are scheduled for Chinese New Year.  It's a time where families come together, stay in the same house and celebrate.  Most of my coworkers said they may only see their family once or twice outside of this holiday.  It's why “hometown” means so much to so many.

I learned a lot about culture, tradition, and even some superstitions over the last few weeks.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Shanghai men normally cook for the family, which is different than the rest of China
• They say if you have a boy you should get him a “construction” bank account; since he’ll need to have a house and a car if he wants to get married
• If you have a girl you should get her an “investment” account
• It’s common for parents to give their son a down payment for a house
• If a man is wearing a green hat it means his wife is cheating on him
• You don’t use scissors or clean the house on the first day of Chinese New Year unless you want bad luck
• Parents will often hide scissors and cleaning suppliers from the kids (I don’t think my parents ever had to hide cleaning supplies from me or my brother)
• It’s common to bring small gifts home to your family for CNY.  It could be cookies, meat, alcohol, smokes, or pig face (viewer discretion is advised)

It’s easy to talk about language barriers, irritating cab drivers and comically weird food.  The stories I haven’t really shared are much better.  These are the stories where my co-workers pick me up on Saturday's to show me around, or the one where they insist on buying me lunch when it’s their birthday, or the one where they fight with the hotel about ensuring my room isn't on the 13^th floor.  I've met some really great people, and I'm happy they're going home.

Since I can’t have a post without food (pig face doesn't count), I’ll leave you with Hong Shao Rou.  This very famous braised pork belly dish is incredibly rich (read: fat), and amazing.  It’s often described as “in grandmother’s style”.