Spain/China 2023, continuing (33)

[aadler]

Nineteenth day in China – July 30 Sunday

I slept till 10:20AM, Susan till just past 11:00. At her request, I went across to Baker & Spice to get stuff for our breakfast: a sandwich (salmon and egg salad) for us to split, a cinnamon-type roll and iced caramel latte for her.

She spent the early afternoon wrapping birthday presents for Amber (two more days). Because the weather has continued to be chancy with the remnants of the typhoon, we elected to stay ‘home’ for one more day.

A bit before 3:00PM, I went out to get us some lunch. Susan remembered Kevin had sent us a KFC order by delivery, and asked him if the KFC was near here; Mei‑li sent us the location, and it turned out to be one block down and one block over from our apartment. I took Susan’s phone with me, in case I had to use Alipay.

When I found the KFC, they had no kiosk, but I was the only customer available. I started by asking for a menu (pantomiming opening one); the waitress understood, got me one. I chose what I wanted, a bucket of various sides — chicken, chicken nuggets, fries, something else I couldn’t make out — but it turned out that they didn’t offer that at this location. By this point I was a group project, four girls and two guys trying to work out the communication issues; one of the guys had some English, but only some. I found, helpfully, that the translation on Susan’s phone was working again, so did what I could to communicate that I wanted crispy chicken for two persons. We got that together, I paid cash … and what they gave me didn’t look like very much, so I stopped at 7Eleven on the way back to get chips and cookies to round out the single bag.

In the apartment again, the single bag turned out to be a box containing two — and only two — pieces of chicken. Apparently “two persons” didn’t come across very well. Susan and I had one each, with the chips and cookies … and both turned out to be quite spicy; I was okay with mine, though I’d have preferred non-spicy, but Susan could manage hers only by picking off the battered crust, which is normally one of her favorite parts.

(So, okay, next time I’ll specify “one order for me, one order for my wife — two orders total — not spicy VERY IMPORTANT not spicy” when I go there for chicken.)

More reading and relaxing. About 8:45PM, a selection of Chinese barbeque meal items — ordered for us by Kevin — were delivered to our door. We had our dinner, and at 9:35 he showed up to visit with us (and brought beers), staying till after 11:15PM before heading home.

Susan and I to bed before midnight.