November 19, 2023
Day 12
Today is a Sunday, which means I’ve got a whole day to play with my nephew again! There’s not much to write about today, as we just played video games and did homework. He is a quitter though, he likes to quit on a mission if it is too hard for him.
Right now he is playing the game Mario Odyssey. It is the only game that I played on the Switch that my sister bought me back in 2018. I’ve mastered all levels and got most of the power moons, so I knew how to get around. He didn’t like to listen to my mastery and instead likes to quit every time a mission proved too hard. When he asked me to get the moon for him, he constantly says something like: “Uncle, we can’t win this one, let’s play something else and leave this one be!” What a giant quitter!
When it’s lunch time, that’s the most important thing that happened that day. Lunch.
Today we are having the 臭屁醋, Stinky Fart Vinegar. I am not joking with this name, it is literally called Stinky Fart Vinegar. Based on my nephew’s grandma’s description, when you approach the restaurant, the smell will literally overwhelm you, and after you’re done dining, all your clothes will smell like shit and it won’t evaporate even by a single wash. The worst is when you’re eating it at summer. The South is notoriously hot during summers, and after you eat, your sweat will come out smelling like shit too.
Not to say it’s not delicious though.
My nephew though, didn’t want to have the stinky fart vinegar. He said it’s too stinky and begged us to bring him somewhere else. He cried again. His dad was like: “You can go home if you don’t want the stinky fart vinegar.” And he stopped.
Me, my nephew, and my brother in law drove to the dealership. We waited for my brother in law’s friend who I’ve met on Day 11, and once he arrived, we were on our way to the Stinky Fart Vinegar. My brother in law still got my nephew something to eat from the office kitchen before leaving though, fearing he won’t eat anything at the restaurant that he has previously dined before. That feeling was not necessary, though.
The restaurant is in Sanshui, which is about 40 minutes away from the dealership. We had to get on the highway. The highway system in China is different from the U.S., where there’s an exit at every 2 mile mark. Chinese highways have exits once every 10-20 miles, sometimes even longer than that; so be sure to not forget to pack anything before getting on the highway!
Restaurant Name: 大醋情 (总店) (dà cù qíng) [Dacuqing (lol)]
Address: 站前路5号 (Road Before the Station #5)
We arrived by the restaurant, and parked a little bit further away at the parking lot next to the block. As I approached the restaurant entrance, I was thoroughly, amazingly disgusted.
When I was about 10 meters away from the door, the smell of food that’s gone bad rushed through my nose. It literally smells like food that’s gone bad under the sun. I am from the North, and we say “哎呀” as a sign of shock. When I said that, the diner who just finished eating was smiling at me. She was probably thinking that: “This Northerner will stank up for sure.”
Once I got into the restaurant though, the smell wasn’t as bad. It kinda smelled like stinky tofu. I am starting to think that maybe the smell I smelled from the entrance really is trash that’s gone bad. I went to use the bathroom, and the bathroom smelled better than the place where people eat food. That should tell you what the situation was that day.
My brother in law called them to let them start cooking the food 30 minutes before driving over there, so the food was almost ready. We had pig feet, pork ribs, and chicken. You can customize it however you want, and there are more options.
While we wait, the rice was served. This one is called 糯米饭. I thought this one was just normal rice and maybe some other variants of rice thrown in there. No, it’s more like 八宝饭, or Eight Treasures Rice. It has a lot of stuff in it, and it has tastes. You can eat the entire thing and it really is good. It only has a little bit of pork in there though.
This is the food that I have been waiting for. It smells like shit, but it tastes like heaven. It is extremely sour, hence the name “vinegar”; but the sourness adds to the stinky flavor and made it so delicious I wanted to cry. It was one of the most peculiar dining experiences I’ve had in a while.
My nephew, at first, covered his nose with a paper towel. After a while, as the smell gets into your nose and stays there, he started to gobble everything down. Kids huh.
My nephew had his art class today at 3:50, and it was 3:00. We had to start driving back. We got to the dealership, dropping off my brother in law and his friend, and I raced to the art class that’s right next to his home.
We do smell bad. I can smell my shirt, and it smells like shit.
After we arrived, I walked him to his art class at 3:45. I don’t know if it’s me overthinking everything, but I can constantly feel like people are staring at me thinking why do I smell so bad. Maybe this guy has fallen into a toilet and didn’t care enough to clean himself. But one thing is for sure. When we arrived at the art school and the teacher came out to greet us, I can see that she looked back at me, confused. Maybe she did smell me.
When I dropped him off, I went back to his place to take a shower. I didn’t want that smell to be on me lol.
After his class ended, I picked him up, and we had dinner at home.
Since we had a song recorded together called “南山南”, and since I am here anyways, I recorded his part of the video. This kid does not show any emotions at all.
My flight back to Dalian is tomorrow, and my brother in law previously said that he and my nephew will drive me to the airport. When he got back that night, however, he discovered that he had to attend the grand opening of a new dealership in Shunde, about 50 minutes from where his dealership is. He must attend, so he told my nephew that they won’t be able to send me to the airport.
My nephew was upset, though, but was still rather calm. He still couldn’t sleep alone at age 6, and he requested that I accompany him; I had to oblige.
He is a cover hog. He moves around a lot. He pushes me to the edge of the bed. Still, I love him.