They Were Calling Hamburgers

Air China may want to stick to Chinese food.  I had the tea, as always.  Nothing wrong there.  But this three-hour flight from Shenzhen to Beijing in the middle of the day also served food.  Normally Air China flights, I suppose the ones a bit later in the day, generally serve the standard, chicken with rice or pork with rice, which is nothing special, but its acceptable.  Today they came by with a tray full of aluminum foil wrapped things they were calling hamburgers.  I’m not really hungry, but sure, let me have a hamburger.  Perhaps I’ll have a go at the paddy. 

Lifting the top of the bun, I found three slices of pickle and a thin slice of something that resembled olive-loaf.  I would not be eating any of that, certainly.  Close the bun.  When the gal came I decided to mention that old Air China may want to stick to Chinese food.   I could tell by her reaction that I was not the first person to wrinkle their nose at this lunch fare. 

Up ahead there is a movie on the back of someone’s seat that I’m having trouble ignoring.  Set in a nondescript “ancient” China, all the fabled monsters:  phoenix and dragons and what I suppose could only be called an Indonesian Garuda, all come to life and terrorize this make-believe imperial city.  Everyone is handsome, everything is clean.  People gallop hard on horses that are clearly stationary.  Now a sewer monster with claws, is battling a matronly lady who is putting up a remarkably good fight.

Before I left Beijing, I was caught off guard by the sight of a plumb tree in blossom.  Nothing more convincingly signifies spring that spring has arrived in Beijing.  The cherry blossoms will be next and by then we can rue the poplar tree puff balls and the dusty spring winds from the Gobi.  Soon I’ll be back to doing my morning ride to the gym in a tee-shirt and shorts.  How fast the seasons seem to go these days.

Wednesday 03/13/19