Chinese Tastes Confirm "World's Most 'Other'" Status

In the break room at school yesterday, one of my top
students came in with take-out convenience store
sushi. She wanted to put it in the microwave.

"Are you crazy?" I asked, smiling? "Sushi's usually
served cold."

"Oh, I often eat this."

"But is it common to eat warm sushi in China?"

"I think it's very convenient."

"But restaurant sushi is served cold. Do other Chinese
people eat sushi hot?"

"Oh, I don't always eat this. Sometimes I bring
sandwiches."

And here we have the difference between classroom
English and real-world English. Students talk about
houses and aliens and the SDS, but they can't talk
about why they're heating sushi in the microwave.