The Year of the Cabbage

Cabbages have arrived in Dalian, and they have done so in style.

As it turns out, it is not just my ayi who is currently hoarding cabbages. The entirety of Dalian appears to be doing so. There are cabbages in our hallway, cabbages on the stairs, cabbages that line the pavements outside, and cabbages that are stuffed into the grilles covering the windows of all the first floor flats. I feel sorry for the people living in those flats. It must be like looking out on a triffid invasion, cabbage style... All you would see is that green pressed up against the window and looking desperately for a way in, the sunlight now barely penetrating through the massed leaves...

There were people yesterday outside with a huge cauldron, making cabbage pickle, and rumours persist of people who come in the night and bury cabbages in trenches for some arcane purpose (heard from the ayi of a friend). And yet still, every day there are more cabbages.

In other news, I met my host father's elder sister. In true ayi style, her first words in my presence were 'She's pretty, but too thin. Are you feeding her enough?', and was somewhat taken aback when I answered 'Yes, I am definitely fed enough, I'm getting fat', and then asked my ayi (instead of me) 'Does she speak Chinese?'. They proceeded to discuss me, in front of me, despite my ayi going on to say 'Yes, she understands almost every word we say'.