Food for Thoughts

After a full dinner with a bottle of Australian dry red at a Shanghai-style restaurant, I came in the office this morning in a happy mood. Everybody I ran into on the hallway asked, "So, what did you do for your new year celebration?" "Oh, we ate," I replied with honesty. As I repeated the same answer for the 5th time, I started to wonder why I always feel so proud, and sometimes profound coming from a culture that's, well, mostly about food.

The essence of my culture is humanistic. It's the only living culture that doesn't have an indigenous God to come in between the nature and the people or among the people. You always rely on your own mind, instead of an external abstract thought system, i.e., philosopy, science or religion. You have to engage yourself in the reasoning process, with logic as well as sentiments. There is not a ultimate judgement from the above. It's all around and under. Nothing uplifting about it. For that reason, it is extraordinarily open and absorbing to other cultures. Everything that it takes in becomes part of it to serve a purpose in daily life. Life is a day-to-day process. We are not rushing to heaven. We have no hell to fear about. Let's just seize the moments when we are alive. Let's be thankful about the meals we have everyday by having another big meal...

When I came out into the snow last night, I saw a car zooming by, one of its head lights was off. Another car followed. Again, one of its lights was off. And believe it or another, the third car with one head light went passing by me... Bad omen on the first day of the year? I think not. What's the odd of having three one-eyed cars passing you in row with a minute of time? This is going to be my luckiest year ahead.

And that basically sums up the typical thinking process of a person who loves food and has no God! My God, I've got to be the happiest Chinese alive!