It looks like suan tang rou mou and mantou are becoming the staple lunch items now for Tan and the kids respectively. I didn't really fancy the carbs though so stuck to sugar-free fizzy grape juice that for some reason tasted like it had alcohol in it. I hoped it hadn't, but after a couple of glasses I felt as if I was tipsy. Could this be the phantom drunkenness you apparently can feel when you believe you're drinking alcohol even if you aren't? Wouldn't it be great if you could fool yourself into feeling a little bit drunk? But I guess that would be the equivalent of getting the placebo effect even when you know you're just taking a sugar pill. In fact I've heard that this really is a thing, feeling better when you know you're not taking medicine but still putting down a pill with some water as if you were. Somehow I think the alcohol business would collapse if we worked out how to do it with booze.
But there could be a sort of halfway house. Literally. Imagine buying 12 bottles of identical fizzy grape juice (zero sugar), and putting some V in half of them and then mixing them all up (you'd have to take the tops off non-V ones too though). Then picking one at random. I guess if there was no change in taste and you couldn't perceive the slightly less fizziness there would be a chance you could fool yourself to feeling a little drunk. But that could be neutralised by knowing your next bottle might have no alcohol and you might get the opposite effect of zero effect even though you consumed a double's worth. I'm possibly over-analysing though, and anyway despite V being supposedly odourless you would almost definitely be able to tell by the taste if it had a decent amount in.
But I didn't want a potential afternoon binge so a bit later I set upon another walk, this time to the south, over the bridge and around the river and back via the road bridge, this time managing 8.71km and it didn't rain too heavily. I picked up four duck legs and was back in time for tea and Tan actually appreciated them and didn't even moan about there not being any rice. One leg is usually enough for me but I had an unusual craving for carbs so grabbed the leftover mantou from lunch. Fair enough after walking nearly 9km on a fairly empty stomach and possibly tipsy at the time.
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| A rather pretty flower during my walk |
Zhang Hua pinged me to go over to his to eat, which was convenient, but said it would be "later" as he was busy. I knew better than to ask what time, knowing it could be from 8-11pm, so thought I'd go for a piano practice. But I also needed more provisions from Guanmart and as that was for more than just me it took priority, which was fair enough as when I got back Zhuang Hua pinged me to come over at 9.50pm as I was cracking one open. Come over or go over? From my perspective I was going, and from his I was coming. But when he pinged for me to move from where I was to where he was is that coming or going? I guess coming as the message came from him so it was his perspective.
Luckily Leilei had just come back so I took the dian dong che and as I pulled in I heard a "Peng Duoming!" from above me and with no idea who it was said I'd come over in a minute for a drink. I met Zhuang Hua, whom I hoped would be with those people eating, but had in fact just plonked six beers on an empty table and we sat down for a chat. As I'd only had that single beer before, I decided to go over to the other table for the inevitable ganbeis that would get me up to speed, and told Zhang Hua I'd be back momentarily.
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| We tried to do a publicity photo for Zhang Hua's new bbq place but it wasn't easy to see the faces...we'll retry in the daylight one day |
I didn't recognise anyone at the table but I was welcomed for the inevitable until a bloke in a Pingguo Haliao shirt shouted at me and I sort of recognised him so went over for a few more ganbeis before making my excuses and going back to Zhuang Hua who was now downstairs helping out in the kitchen. I don't think I've ever brought Zhuang Hua a present from the UK before, and as I still had an un-given bottle of Portuguese rouge I'd remembered to bring that to give to him. He suggested opening it up there and then but I sort of wanted him to keep it as it has a really pretty label, so told him no, we'd stick to beer.
A couple of blokes turned up, then four women, then a few more blokes and we started arranging three tables together. One of the women had brought a cake and said “生日快乐” to Zhang Hua. Of course, I should have remembered it was his birthday, and he'd certainly not reminded me. Instantly I wished him a happy birthday too and was so glad I'd given him the bottle of wine, if not accompanied with a "生日快乐" so he definitely knew I'd forgotten. A few more people turned up and by 11.30pm it was in full swing with ganbeis left, right, and centre. Of course Tan pinged to remind me of my curfew at 12.40am but I tried to explain I was at a birthday do, as if I'd chastise her for being out with friends. But as it was I had had quite a few and wanted to get up relatively early tomorrow as early I'd bought an afternoon train ticket to go and meet A Wu in Nanning.
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| Lovely unexpected meal for Zhang Hua's birthday |
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