Missing out on well cooked love during Spring Festival

In every day life, I find it more than justified to eat only vegetarian food. Better for my health, for my ecologic footprint, for animal welfare, for my yoga practice, just about everything. Right? Vegetarianism is never easy to maintain in China where eating meat is a human right for some and the highlight of the day for others, and I have often bent my own rules to not go hungry. But I still try, and it has become an integral part of how people describe me here.

Buddhist cuisine

Last week I visited my friends home in a smaller town, and we spend much time at his parents house celebrating the Chinese New Year. For ten days, parents have a chance to spoil their children to death. Nainai and Yeye (grandma and grandpa) were busy from morning til evening in the kitchen, preparing all the dishes for our lunches and dinners. Because how better to show your love than through food? And how better to show your love than through slow cooked mutton, or Yeye's home salted and wind dried pork, or his carefully chopped and fried beef? The finest, most expensive, most complicated dishes lovingly all prepared for the guests at this special time.

Word had traveled that I wouldn't eat meat or fish and my habit was taken more than seriously. Dishes were always arranged so that I was surrounded with veggie food. Lovely, refined, delicious vegetables and tofu. But the frown on Yeye's forehead showed his disappointment. He knew I missed the best part of the festival.

Googling the gym

At a random walk I spot a building that says 'PANYU YOGA & GYM'. It has a big picture of a lush pool on the window. At home I look it up on google maps. Amazing enough, even the little food stalls are listed there: Ma's home cooking, or Fujian Characteristic Qianlixiang Wonton Restaurant. The English translation is a great help. I also find the YOGA & GYM, and what is more, they have a website. Browsing it I find another picture of the pool (jippy!) and with the help of google translate, some information on their philosophy of fitness:

"Fitness, usually encounter two difficulties, one is possessed by the devil, have the opposite effect, the second is to immerse ourselves in hard work half a day, always feel futile and defeat endless."

Next morning I step by to get a membership. It's me and Nelson, and four people behind the desk. Our shared vocabulary is perhaps ten words. 'Cute baby' is two of them. Thanks to the google translate app, we find out that I want to swim and do yoga, they offer 3 months membership for € 120, they are open till 10pm, and there's even an English schedule of all the classes.

In the evening I get my swimming gear together, walk down to the GYM & YOGA again. 'Baby sleep?' asks the manager smilingly. After 15 more minutes of talking with hands, feet and google translate, I have paid, gotten my card, borrowed a swimming cap and a pair of pink slippers size 5, and am in the right dressing room. ('Women dressing room, man stop' says the sign) On the stairs to the pool everyone else is naked. OMG, am I doing it all wrong? But just before the pool is another sign to 'bathing', and mine to 'pool'. Ooff. 

After some refreshing swimming I find my locker back. Wanting to fit in with the local customs I undress, and descent the stairs once again, now naked. To my excitement, 'bathing' has a Finnish sauna. I sit down on my towel and enjoy. Two women come in, step up on the bench and start stretching, massaging themselves, moan and leave. Another girl comes in, does the same. I shower and dry myself with the towel, go back upstairs and find everyone fanning themselves dry with the hairdryers.

On my way out, the smell of Chinese sweat wafts over the rooms with weights and machines. In the yoga rooms, where the last class finished hours ago, a group of women is still chatting. A last blink of the manager, and I'm outside again. Will be back tomorrow! 

(All pictures must have been taken in another era, before there was rust and dirt and shabbiness. But it does give an impression. In reality the pool is star shaped, has neither plants nor windows)