First, a note on nearby construction.
When you crane your necks outside our office window, you can see a large empty lot, that is fenced on all sides. A couple weeks back, we saw a lone man digging a trench across the lot. It seemed strange, because construction projects around here happen fast. Usually, an army of men and machines descend on the building site and work around the clock....until it is finished or the developer runs out of money (leaving a half-finished shell behind forever). There are tons of projects going on along the outskirts of Chengdu, so construction is not unusual for us to see.
However, a couple days ago we heard a strange sound.
Now, a note on environmentalism.
In the US, I had been working to become more of a environmentally-responsible citizen (the worms, recycling, using less electricity, less gas, etc.) But here, it has been hard to consider how I can make better choices regarding my environmental impact.
For one, we eat more meat. In the US, I had meat every couple of days. Here, 2 out of 3 meals at least. Meat is a big part of Chinese upper-class culture. It is a major status symbol, so of course our house helper cooks us lots of meat.
On the plus side, we don't have a car or central heat, which cuts WAY down on energy use. (it also helps financially, when it comes time to pay the bills!) And, I am pretty sure most of our produce is local - and NOT flown in from Chile.
But when it comes to making purchases, how do you choose what product to buy if you don't know Chinese very well?
Which brings me to my mystery:
For those of you too lazy to click and zoom in, the English on this package of eggs reads. "Non-environmental Pollution Native Egg." You could interpret this many ways. I give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt, that they are NOT promoting eggs that are "non-environmental" but rather that these eggs are from nearby chickens that live in such a way that causes LESS damage to the environment. Here's hoping.
-alan
When you crane your necks outside our office window, you can see a large empty lot, that is fenced on all sides. A couple weeks back, we saw a lone man digging a trench across the lot. It seemed strange, because construction projects around here happen fast. Usually, an army of men and machines descend on the building site and work around the clock....until it is finished or the developer runs out of money (leaving a half-finished shell behind forever). There are tons of projects going on along the outskirts of Chengdu, so construction is not unusual for us to see.
However, a couple days ago we heard a strange sound.
Now, a note on environmentalism.
In the US, I had been working to become more of a environmentally-responsible citizen (the worms, recycling, using less electricity, less gas, etc.) But here, it has been hard to consider how I can make better choices regarding my environmental impact.
For one, we eat more meat. In the US, I had meat every couple of days. Here, 2 out of 3 meals at least. Meat is a big part of Chinese upper-class culture. It is a major status symbol, so of course our house helper cooks us lots of meat.
On the plus side, we don't have a car or central heat, which cuts WAY down on energy use. (it also helps financially, when it comes time to pay the bills!) And, I am pretty sure most of our produce is local - and NOT flown in from Chile.
But when it comes to making purchases, how do you choose what product to buy if you don't know Chinese very well?
Which brings me to my mystery:
For those of you too lazy to click and zoom in, the English on this package of eggs reads. "Non-environmental Pollution Native Egg." You could interpret this many ways. I give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt, that they are NOT promoting eggs that are "non-environmental" but rather that these eggs are from nearby chickens that live in such a way that causes LESS damage to the environment. Here's hoping.
-alan
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