Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The Chinese are coming


One recent sunny and warm afternoon, my friend Ben and I were wandering around Lucerne, a quintessential Swiss town.

The old churches and houses, the cobbled streets, the cafes around the piazzas – everything just seemed picture-perfect as Lucerne exuded its quaint charm.

All of sudden, like a blaring siren – that familiar sound hit our eardrums!

You know, it was that throat-clearing, pre-spitting noise that you get used to on the crowded streets of China.

Before we could react, this middle-aged portly man emerged from a Chinese restaurant on the corner – along with a large delegation of visitors chatting loudly in Mandarin.

The Chinese man began letting out his phlegm right in the middle of the piazza.

One, two, three, four, five.

When all was (relatively) quiet again, he caught up with his fellow delegates – all flocking into the big shop selling the most exclusive Swiss watches just down the street.

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