The transliteration of that is ... good eating (ma is used in chinese to let you know its a question)? So as i've ventured into chinese delicacies now i'm sure ive opened a can of worms ... literally ... but i'll save that one for another day ;)

There's pretty big difference in the way food is eaten and prepared zai zhongguo (in china) compared with the west ... even something you would think would have to be pretty similar (like a maccas) you'll find a world of difference. Here's a menu item i've thought of tasting for a while but never got around to it ... been too busy eating spinning chinese pizza's ;) It's a 'Spicy Grilled Chicken McMuffin, an Egg n Ham McPuff and a Coffee ... i tried it this morning ... hao chew! well... i dont know about the ham n egg puff thing ... it was ok...but i bet you don't find this one on the menu back in aus anytime soon! Anyone for a Double-MacRice-a-Pounder?

the people that you meet! This one is going back to the first time i set foot in beijing ... back in my noooob days! As a foreigner you get a lot of attention in china ... you are somewhat seen as a big walking money box ... or something like that ... there are all sorts or tricky little businesses that have come about devised to get a few extra bucks out of the 'weiguren's" (foreigners). I get approached every day by people wanting to take me to art exhibitions or to go for a cup of coffee to 'practice their english'. These days i know how to deal with them but every now and then i get some trying out some new material on me!

I'm sitting in the back of this guys bike! Just a few minutes earlier we were in TianAnmen Square were i boarded his bike. I showed him on a map where i wanted to go .. i thought i was a pretty savvy tourist at the time ... knowing where i was going an all ... he was just going there 'the scenic route'. He just wanted to stop of at a mates shop first and then an uncles restaurant most likely! He could tell i wasn't too happy and knew we were heading the wrong direction ... he didn't speak much english at all though... but we still ended up at the street markets i wanted to see. After recounting this episode later in the day to laopo (at that time we had only know eachother a week!) she said "don't talking with them ... and be careful! The moral behind this story is that ultimately in china everything is not always as it seems.

Practicing english becomes paying for someones expesive tea (i'll show you some pics soon from the time i got conned in shanghai attending a 'tea ceremony')... looking at art becomes a chance for an over priced high pressure sale ... and more recently this one was a good trick ... we just want a photo with you ... then we'll take a photo for you . Aren't you going to pay us ... no i'm not. I'm a laowei! but nice try!!!

check this one out! I first noticed this building get a 'cover up' job about a month or so before the olympics ... prior to that it was a building site! It was infact not tooo far from finished but it obviously bothered the authorities who were keen to have their city looking prisitine ... they couldn't have such an eyesore left here especially since the olympics rego and initial security clearances were done right nearby!

It is located in wangfujing street ... there is infact a real building behing it ... and if you dont take a second glance you'd think it was a finished building! But i saw it before it got some clothes to wear ... kinda reminds me of inviting friends over then going ... what about this mess .... armmmm chuck a sheet over it!