Winter Pet Peeves

China Reflections

Now that winter has more or less arrived, I am starting to remember all the little pet peeves I have with respect to winters in Linyi. I share these with you as an insight into the cultural differences between semi-rural Chinese and a somewhat-spoiled girl from the US.

1. The Need for “Fresh Air”

Fresh air and room ventilation are two very important concepts for my coworkers here in Linyi. They regularly stop in and remind me to ventilate my office. In fact, the company doctor even came by last year to inform me that fresh air was vital and important in the winter months. (I don’t know if he stopped by everyone’s office or just mine.) I do agree that fresh air is good for you; and I wholeheartedly agree that a stale, stuffy office is not conducive to good health. Where we differ in our beliefs, and where the peeve begins, is in the ventilation procedures themselves.

I’m all for opening a door or window for a few minutes, but the problem is that (at least in the places I have worked), ventilation equates to sitting in an office with the electric heater on and a window wide open. All day. The workers sit at their desks bundled up in coats, hats and scarves meanwhile they enjoy their fresh air. Windows and doors in the common areas are also regularly kept open, even when it’s 0 degrees outside.

Coming from a society where even just a few years ago homes were heated with coal-burning furnaces, I can understand the need for good ventilation. But do we really need to be so extreme?

2. More Clothes

My first winter in China I was really surprised to see so many long johns on sale. Come November, long underwear appears everywhere – in all the supermarkets, on long tables for sale on the sidewalks, gifts with purchase at McDonald’s (okay, maybe not there). At the first hint of cool weather, everyone around me started stacking on the layers. This is especially noticeable on children, as they morph from skinny little tikes into puffy little Michelin-men.

Now, I personally have a robust internal heating system. If I wear too many layers, I get hot. And when I get hot, my pale white face turns bright red. It’s not a good look. So, to avoid the extreme discomfort of overheating, I wear a lot fewer clothes than my Chinese friends. My friends are very sweet, but it is particularly annoying when they, barely 20 years old, inform me that I am not wearing sufficient clothing. Never mind the sweat on my brow, my red face and my own 34 years of survival, they insist I must be cold. Where are my long johns?

In the beginning I didn’t understand why everyone wore so many layers, but now I can clearly see that when you live in an unheated house and work in an unheated factory or office, you need all those layers to stay warm, since you probably never get really warm to begin with.

3. Wonky Heating

Nowadays most apartments do have heat, although they remain poorly insulated (if you live in the northern half of China. Those in the southern half often have no heat, even in areas where the winters can be cold.) Our apartment has central radiators throughout and an electric heater in the bedroom. My biggest winter pet peeve has to do with the wonky heating schedule employed by our apartment complex. In the middle of our complex there is a huge coal powered boiler which is used to heat the water for the radiator system. When the boiler is in use the radiators are hot and our house slowly begins to heat up. They system was turned on this year on December 1st. Unfortunately, the boiler is only turned on in the evening, which means the house is only heated for about 12 hours, leaving it cold during the day. Because there is little insulation, the rooms don’t always stay warm. This also occurred in our previous apartment and in our first offices in Linyi, except the heat was on only for a few hours during the mornings.

Part two of the wonky heating is kind of the opposite. While a lot of businesses are kept cool in the winter, forcing you to eat dinner in your coat, some have the heat turned on to hellish levels. This is the case at our favorite supermarket in downtown Linyi. It is the best place to shop, but in winter, it is also necessary to strip most of your clothing off upon entering. This is, of course, viewed with wonder and bemusement by the local Chinese who are all still tightly bundled in their coats. How do they do it? How do they not overheat? Have they become tolerant to the high temperatures? Accompanying me to the supermarket in winter is a bad idea. I get really grumpy because of the crowds and high temperatures.

4. Cold Water Washing

We in the West take it for granted that hot water in the kitchen and bathroom is a given. Not so in many homes in China. In our house, we have electric water heaters in the bathrooms. They provide enough hot water for two decent-length showers. After observing many of my neighbors toting baskets of personal hygiene items to the neighborhood bathhouse, I no longer take for granted my precious hot water.

I do, however, have a big problem with the lack of hot water in our kitchen. I’ve never really liked washing dishes; it was one of those chores my brother and sister and I had to do growing up and we cursed whenever it was our turn. Over time, however, I have come to appreciate the mindless nature of dish-washing. I have found it is a golden opportunity for old fashioned mind-wandering. I get really great ideas while I wash dishes and, as a kid, I used to weave intricate adventure stories, out loud, while washing. This whole creative process is completely screwed up by the freezing cold water of winter. How are you supposed to daydream while your hands are screaming in pain? I’ve had to resort to using very thick rubber gloves, which do help somewhat. I’m afraid that soon you will find me washing the dishes in the shower.

5. The Sniffles Reprimand

And finally, a very annoying winter pet peeve. Got the sniffles? Happen to sneeze? Swallow something the wrong way and have to cough? Whether or not I actually have a cold, should a workmate observe any of the above they will very quickly remind me that if I wore more clothes and properly ventilated my office I wouldn’t be sick. “But I’m not sick!” I want to say. There’s no use. I always get the reprimand and the suggestion I go to the hospital for an infusion. <eek!! Not in a million years!!>

Because I believe in balance, here are a few of the things I like about a Linyi winter:

Lack of smells – It’s great how the funk freezes and the trash cans don’t stink!

Arrival of the Kao di Gua vendors – Nothing beats a steaming baked sweet potato and the street sellers are already out in force in my neighborhood.

Hot Pot dinners – I love hot pot and eat it year-round, but it is never as good as it is in the winter. Sitting around a boiling pot with friends is the best way to spend a Saturday night.

Bundled up Michelin babies – I don’t know how they can get all those clothes on such a little body, but they do. The babies wear so many layers they can barely stand. It must be nice for the parents because with all that padding, the baby would hardly even notice were he to fall over. I think it’s funny that despite all the clothes, they still have a wide open crotch slit for bodily function purposes. (I’m going to try to get a picture of a Michelin baby this winter, I’ve been too shy in the past.)

And my top winter like:

Hot beverages – Yes, it is true that consuming hot beverages is a year-round custom in China, and I’ve grown used to a piping hot glass of water when it’s 35C, but in my Western mind, there is no better time for a hot beverage than winter. I love it all: hot tea, cider, coffee, I’ll even drink plain old hot water (I’m OWNING the Heather Hot Water moniker!*) This year I’ll be drinking tea with special Xinjiang spices I bought from a shop in Kashgar. (and although “special spices” sounds rather shady, I assure it is a delicious mix.)

I think it is probably a good thing that my winter pet peeves are all relatively minor. There really isn’t too much to complain about as winter here could be a million times worse. Or we could be just a thousand miles to the north where brutal cold is an understatement!

Anything you dislike about winter you’d like to get off your chest?

*A joke for those of you in the know!

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related Posts:

1. You Must Ventilate Wordless Wednesday #32 Open window in my workplace Never mind...
2. The Adventure at Yi Shui – Part One The Part With The Demon Water Slide From Hell Let...
3. Chatang – A Meal in a Cup WanderFood Wednesday #1 Today, instead of my usual Wordless Wednesday...
4. Everything I Love About Lijiang all rolled into one: Old Town Lijiang, Yunnan,...
5. A Red Yellow River? Ever since I posted about the most polluted city in...

Tagged as: China, China Reflections, cold, pet peeves, winter