Jiangkou First evening.

So, on the way back in the car, I was talking with Cathy.  I also received a  WeChat* text from Jenny.  Some of the English teachers had arranged a first night meal for me and Anna, the Russian girl with whom I would be working, was also coming!  So, as soon as I got to Jiangkou it was time to eat!  They told me to leave my stuff in the car and took me to the restaurant.  Well it didn't look like a restaurant from the outside ...And from the inside, well not much like one either!  It was a modernist building but like many others nearby, was dusty and had a deserted look about it!  

**Restaurant picture to be inserted later**

I went inside.  There was a several tables.  One full of locals who did not bat an eyelid....just carried on eating.  I was shown to a table with a big bubbling pot in the centre.  It looked like fish.....but could have been snake, as occasionally a bit of flesh and skin arise in the bubbling liquid!

The table before the rest of the food arrived.

People arrived and we're all shy and polite, they said they were excited to meet the foreigner...they had been waiting a long time to meet him (me!).  They genuinely seemed like they were excited to see the foreigner.  I think they expect big things from me!  Let's hope I can deliver!  Long story short, we ate, laughed and joked and they carried my bags to my flat.  More about that in a later post.

Left to right:. Cathy, Ray, Lucy, Kevin, Tom, Christi and Anna.

....And do you know what?  No-one asked if I was vegetarian, gluten free or lactose intolerant!  No insult intended to those who are...They also never asked if I minded eating catfish or pig intestine ( just a few if the ingredients!).  BUT the biggest surprise...The local Jiangkou speciality, allegedly not made anywhere else.  It was a special type of pork.. it tasted exactly the same as German bacon!  Amazing!

*WeChat is a Chinese social media app ... for those who don't know what that means, "it's kind of like Facebook!"