Hoop Jumping and Mexican Food

Today I applied for a Chinese visa, as Drew was invited by a coworker to go suit shopping in Shenzhen, a large working town just across the border into mainland China, this weekend. The visa was something we needed to do anyways, as we plan to make a few smaller trips to mainland as well as a larger inland one. This way, we can be more spontaneous about it, as we will be able to get a multiple entry visa.

Filling out the application, I was very nervous. They ask you to fill in exactly where you will be staying as well as a contact person in mainland China. Considering how tech savvy the Chinese are, plus the fact that they are known for hacking, etc., I am not going to incriminate myself here on this public blog. But, lets just say mischief managed. Irregardless, (is that even a word) :) everything seemed to go ok. If next Thurs when I'm supposed to pick up the visas I disappear, you'll know why.

Drew and I really wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo here yesterday, but we realized it was a futile effort. Nothing will beat the green chili back in Denver. I think admitting this made me slightly homesick, because of how I overreacted to something very silly. I saw a Facebook post by one of Drews cousins that she was excited to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by eating some authentic Mexican food- aka Qdoba. I immediately starting ranting that saying Qdoba is authentic Mexican is like saying Panda Express is authentic Chinese. Qdoba is fantastically delicious, I totally agree there. But authentic?

Then Drew reminded me that I was getting worked up about something silly, so I stopped to think about it. First, this cousin lives in Michigan, so Qdoba is as authentic Mexican as you will find there. So really, she was right all along. Please forgive me, Drews cousin. This was really never about your post, but my channeling homesickness through it. Second, my concept of authentic Mexican is a Santiago's burrito, aka anything with rice, beans, and cheese smothered in green chili that is so spicy it burns your taste buds. 10 bucks says that if I took a trip to the heart of Mexico, the food wouldn't taste like a Santiago's burrito. I have actually heard real Mexican food is very bland. So, at the end of the day, my concept of authentic isn't correct either. You really have to go there to experience authentic. (Wait, she's bringing it back around!) which is why I can really appreciate living here in Hong Kong, with the ability to travel to places like mainland China. That thought helped to balance out the homesickness.