Does China = Hive Mind?

[Worf101]

A country of Billions, where they tell you what you can see, hear, download, how many kids you can have and what sport you WILL play for the benefit and greater glory of "the party and the state". Wow... perhaps Orwell wasn't half wrong... but as with anything decay is inevitable. They're the second fattest nation on earth after guess who and they're downfall is nothing other than the old slave invention of Fried Chicken... If you think I'm lying google it, they'll show you.

I found this out myself last week BEFORE hearing about it during Olympics coverage. Our kitchen was being painted so we couldn't cook. I'd had a hankering for Popeyes Chicken, so downtown we go. I live in Troy, New York which is home to one of the finest engineering schools in the world, Renselaer (sp) Polytechnic Institute, so we have a very large population of foreign students, especially Chinese. I walk into Popeyes, there's 7 Chinese students in line ahead of me. While waiting three more come in and on my way out, I pass about 3 more in the parking lot.

I remarked to the ole lady "damn these Chinese students looove them some fried chicken. One or two is a coinky dinky, 12 in one trip is a frightening trend." A few days later we got the official word from NBC that the Chinese are killing themselves with the "the 11 herbs and spices" (not to mention the saturated fats) contained in one greasy bucket of chicken . Between capitalism, the internet, T.V. and K.F.C. they Chi-coms are doomed.

Da Worfster

[GMichael]

They'll learn. My wife went through a few phases when she first got to the US. (and i've noticed the same trend with many of her Pilipino friends)
First came the french-fry frenzy. She was stopping at McDonalds every day. Then came the Wendy's phase. Chicken nuggets till she started growing feathers. Then, on to the Burger King trend. I've never seen anyone eat Whopper jrs for so many days in a row. Mixed in-between these were the bacon phase and the Spam phase. She's just now settling back into the healthy trend of a balanced meal with a little variety thrown in for good measure.
Give them time. They will learn. And just like any group, some will learn faster than others.

When you're used to living on fish and rice (or just rice if you can't afford the fish) for so long, it's easy to become taken with one of life's guilty pleasures called fat once you have the means to try it. Chicken was one of the things my wife never had a chance to eat growing up. It was just too expensive, and if you had a chicken, you couldn't give up your only source of eggs. The few times she did get to have "chicken" was when an old rooster died. Can you say tough old bird?

Another trend you may notice, jeans. Back in the Philippines, I noticed that you could buy most dress pants for the equal of $3. The jeans however, were about $20. Only the very rich had them. So guess what my wife thinks are the best cloths to buy. To her, it's like a status symbol.

[kexodusc]

My best friend just took a teaching job there - he's taking a huge paycut from his underpaid teaching job in Atlanta to go teach across the pond from Hong Kong in a small city with only a million plus people just cause he wants to travel and see some of the world.

I found it odd that he was given a list of things he's not allowed to speak about - the Dalai Lama, Tiananmen Square (it didn't happen), the Earthquakes, piracy, etc.
Whenever I think how screwed up our governments are, I just think about free speech. What a simple, but unappreciated concept.

As for the fried chicken thing. Meh, they're only human, who doesn't love that delicious greasy stuff?

BTW, did KFC change it's gravy the last few years? It just doesn't seem to be the same...sure there's no trans-fats, but at what cost?

[nightflier]

You don't have to be from another country either. When we were growing up we never had money to go out, so when I got my first paper-route and had a little money, I was all over McD's, KFC, and BK. I soon also figured out that doughnut shops threw out all their goodies around 4pm everyday - guess where I was at 10 minutes to 4? And it wasn't just junk food either: remember when Pizza Hut started serving the all-you-can-eat salad bar? Me & my friends would spend all afternoon in that place. One of my buddies didn't even use a plate, just the tray. They must have hated us.

Fortunately I was into all sorts of outdoor "activities" so I never got fat (too busy running from cops, dogs, etc.). But I don't think that will be the same in this millennium. I rarely see kids in the street anymore. I seems like everything is forbidden nowadays - even "hanging out" is no longer allowed. We didn't wear helmets when we rode our skateboards and bicycles down the schoolyard stairs. There were no guns to worry about, I knew all the cops by their first name, and I knew how to get free fries from the BK drive-through. Life was filled with "bargains" if you just knew where to find them. We never had to pay to use the outdoor courts for a game of pickup ball. Life was more free, more dangerous, and more exciting - and we relished in it.

Today, if you don't pay for your kids to be "occupied" by someone or some machine, it's all illegal. What can you do anymore that's free & legal? The other day I was walking with my kids in the park, and the cops roughed up and drove off with a guy who was just sleeping on a bench. Sure it may be safer in our park now, but that's only until they come looking for you for something else that will be illegal in the near future. Orwell's vision was about the eventual progression of socialism, but it's ironic that capitalism seems to be converging to the same state.

Ironically, I'm listening to Red Barchetta as I'm writing this....

[GMichael]

You don't have to be from another country either. When we were growing up we never had money to go out, so when I got my first paper-route and had a little money, I was all over McD's, KFC, and BK. I soon also figured out that doughnut shops threw out all their goodies around 4pm everyday - guess where I was at 10 minutes to 4? And it wasn't just junk food either: remember when Pizza Hut started serving the all-you-can-eat salad bar? Me & my friends would spend all afternoon in that place. One of my buddies didn't even use a plate, just the tray. They must have hated us.

Fortunately I was into all sorts of outdoor "activities" so I never got fat (too busy running from cops, dogs, etc.). But I don't think that will be the same in this millennium. I rarely see kids in the street anymore. I seems like everything is forbidden nowadays - even "hanging out" is no longer allowed. We didn't wear helmets when we rode our skateboards and bicycles down the schoolyard stairs. There were no guns to worry about, I knew all the cops by their first name, and I knew how to get free fries from the BK drive-through. Life was filled with "bargains" if you just knew where to find them. We never had to pay to use the outdoor courts for a game of pickup ball. Life was more free, more dangerous, and more exciting - and we relished in it.

Today, if you don't pay for your kids to be "occupied" by someone or some machine, it's all illegal. What can you do anymore that's free & legal? The other day I was walking with my kids in the park, and the cops roughed up and drove off with a guy who was just sleeping on a bench. Sure it may be safer in our park now, but that's only until they come looking for you for something else that will be illegal in the near future. Orwell's vision was about the eventual progression of socialism, but it's ironic that capitalism seems to be converging to the same state.

Ironically, I'm listening to Red Barchetta as I'm writing this....

Careful when you get to the bridge.

[Smokey]

II live in Troy, New York which is home to one of the finest engineering schools in the world, Renselaer (sp) Polytechnic Institute, so we have a very large population of foreign students, especially Chinese. I walk into Popeyes, there's 7 Chinese students in line ahead of me. While waiting three more come in and on my way out, I pass about 3 more in the parking lot.


Da Worfster

If you have ever eat in a school cafeteria, then you will know why the fast food businesses around campus are crowded

[Worf101]

You don't have to be from another country either. When we were growing up we never had money to go out, so when I got my first paper-route and had a little money, I was all over McD's, KFC, and BK. I soon also figured out that doughnut shops threw out all their goodies around 4pm everyday - guess where I was at 10 minutes to 4? And it wasn't just junk food either: remember when Pizza Hut started serving the all-you-can-eat salad bar? Me & my friends would spend all afternoon in that place. One of my buddies didn't even use a plate, just the tray. They must have hated us.

Fortunately I was into all sorts of outdoor "activities" so I never got fat (too busy running from cops, dogs, etc.). But I don't think that will be the same in this millennium. I rarely see kids in the street anymore. I seems like everything is forbidden nowadays - even "hanging out" is no longer allowed. We didn't wear helmets when we rode our skateboards and bicycles down the schoolyard stairs. There were no guns to worry about, I knew all the cops by their first name, and I knew how to get free fries from the BK drive-through. Life was filled with "bargains" if you just knew where to find them. We never had to pay to use the outdoor courts for a game of pickup ball. Life was more free, more dangerous, and more exciting - and we relished in it.

Today, if you don't pay for your kids to be "occupied" by someone or some machine, it's all illegal. What can you do anymore that's free & legal? The other day I was walking with my kids in the park, and the cops roughed up and drove off with a guy who was just sleeping on a bench. Sure it may be safer in our park now, but that's only until they come looking for you for something else that will be illegal in the near future. Orwell's vision was about the eventual progression of socialism, but it's ironic that capitalism seems to be converging to the same state.

Ironically, I'm listening to Red Barchetta as I'm writing this....

Well said man, well said. It's funny though how we start to sound like "ole fogeys" remembering "the good ole days". I won't say they were better but they were different. No more sand lot baseball, no more pick up games, too many dangers, perverts... too much hysteria. Of course folks had more kids then and to keep them cooped up in the house was to risk its utter destruction. No more "go outside and play, come back when its dark". Sigh...

Da Worfster

[Rich-n-Texas]

If you have ever eat in a school cafeteria, then you will know why the fast food businesses around campus are crowded

How's the cafeteria where you live Festus?

Fortunately I was into all sorts of outdoor "activities" so I never got fat (too busy running from cops, dogs, etc.). But I don't think that will be the same in this millennium. I rarely see kids in the street anymore. I seems like everything is forbidden nowadays - even "hanging out" is no longer allowed. We didn't wear helmets when we rode our skateboards and bicycles down the schoolyard stairs. There were no guns to worry about, I knew all the cops by their first name, and I knew how to get free fries from the BK drive-through. Life was filled with "bargains" if you just knew where to find them. We never had to pay to use the outdoor courts for a game of pickup ball. Life was more free, more dangerous, and more exciting - and we relished in it.

Are you serious? You just described my teenage years!!!

[Smokey]

How's the cafeteria where you live Festus?

To tell you truth, I used to work in college cafeteria when going to school. The problem with food was that there were too many left over served the next day, especially with entrees and hot vegetable. You just added more marinara sauce to left over lasagna or butter and honey to day old baby carrots and serve it the next day.

But you really can't blame them as food cost have to be kept low to make any profits.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Yeah, leftover chicken breast from the deli counter usually becomes fajita or burrito meat at the Mexi-fest counter the next day where I work.

[GMichael]

Yeah, leftover chicken breast from the deli counter usually becomes fajita or burrito meat at the Mexi-fest counter the next day where I work.

That doesn't work out so bad. Chop up chicken breasts and serve them as fajitas can be tasty. But when you re-heat veggies, all the flavor goes bye bye. Or if you tried to serve the chicken again as breasts, they would be dry and tough.

[Rich-n-Texas]

True enough. And the chicken for Fajita's is spiced up quite well. I can't really complain because the few times I've eaten Mexican food in the Cafe it's tasted just fine, and more importantly I've never gotten sick from it. The price is right and it's just down the hall a ways.

[nightflier]

When I was in college, working at the cafeteria was the goldmine job because we were allowed to eat for free. And here's a tip: eat what the cooks eat. Our cooks would bring their own ingredients (home grown chiles, roasted pepper salas, platanos, mole, salted pork, even fish they caught on the weekends). One cook who was Korean made BBQ beef to die for - never ate that well in any Korean restaurant. We used to eat like kings in the kitchen between shifts while the "customers" would get the, ahem, meatloaf special. When I'd bring the leftovers home to my roommates, they'd wonder if I actually worked at the same cafeteria. I may have smelled like a pot-roast in class every once in a while, but I was never wanting for food. Good times, people, good times....

Now with my worthless college degree, but a solid experience in food service, I also worked in food service after college. Unfortunately, that's a whole different tale - I can recount stories about the private sector food industry that will scare even the guy from that Dirty Jobs TV show. Anyhow, I'm getting side-tracked. Weren't we talking about China?