Saturday 19th October, 2013          2100

I really wasn’t expecting to have anything to post today but I do.

My film crew wanted to film me downtown shopping so I complied but had to wait while they along with a great many others, took a fitness test. This meant it was too late for me to have lunch (and be filmed) in Ke Bi Wang so I told them to text me when they were on the bus and to go to the commercial centre. That way I could get my shopping first and then have a mid-afternoon Korean meal.

Vivian - as it turned out - never sent me the text until they had been on the bus for ten minutes whereas had she done as I asked and sent it straight away I could have left ten minutes after receipt (which I did) and arrived at about the same time seeing as I am quicker than the bus even though my speed is lower. Five minutes from my destination I had a message asking where I was because they were waiting. Only they weren’t at the commercial centre, they were at Lottemart! That was the Korean up the Swannee.

I then rode to Lottemart and spotted the camera girl filming my arrival. Said arrival was not without incident however. Right in the gap in the barriers to enter the e-bike parking area sat a man on a bicycle blocking it and completely oblivious. I stopped very close and sounded the horn to no avail. I even tried Ni Hao and Hello without success. Now of course I was getting irked and completely forgot (as indeed they asked me to!) I was being filmed. Rather than going to the trouble of dismounting and putting my vehicle on its stand due to his inconsideration, I “nudged” his rear wheel with my bullbars. That certainly had the desired effect of grabbing his attention and after my saying something (I don’t THINK I swore) he moved out of the way.

Going into Lottemart my team was stopped by security. There is a policy of no cameras in place. This is presumably because of all the YouTube and Facebook things showing them selling crocodiles, turtles, frogs etc for food. It was difficult to disguise a rather large professional video unit and so there was much discussion and even though Mr Securicor couldn’t understand me I pointed out they were there to film me and not the shop. He let us all in, whether for me or because of their entreaties I have no idea.

It is most interesting to observe the manner in which people sometimes react when they see someone being filmed. You can imagine their thoughts. “Are they making a movie?” “is he a big star?” etc. Either way, the lady who brought my two whole pig livers was unaffected I think but the one who served me the chicken breasts must surely have been starstruck! I asked for six chicken breasts and to my horror she not only emptied the display tray into a bag but went and got more, eventually weighing and giving me just over three kilogrammes! As the display prices are per 500 grammes she took leave of her senses and gave me six half kilos. It matters not because I will use them but I had to chuckle.

Shopping done, the only sensible place to grab some food was KFC at that time and yet again management wanted to prevent filming. And again it was overcome and the staff (not to mention the customers) displayed intense interest. It’s quite hard to eat nuggets and chips normally when you are being filmed.

After that it was back home, dump the shopping and take the dog to the sweet pork place where a little while later the crew turned up again. And again we attracted curious onlookers. Eventually the crew left just as my mother phoned and I went to the campus shops in darkness. I did my shop and grabbed a bottle from my usual café, after twenty minutes or so returning for my second.

As I went to pay an argument broke out. A woman was quite upset with all the staff behind the counter - over money I found out later. Heated vocal exchanges are nothing new here but this escalated swiftly. The woman decided to go behind, shouting and throwing pots and pans to the floor amid much scuffling. The male boss was there but did nothing, so I went to intervene (in a peacemaker fashion - I had no idea what it was about, could have been a dodgy fried rice for all I knew) - and then boss said “Steve, leave it, it’s ok”. So I did.

Boss then went outside and made a call but whilst he was doing that the woman went berserk, this time in the cramped kitchen. She grabbed one the girls by the hair and things were crashing down, with three older women trying to break it up. My instinct was to grab the intruder by the hair to see how she liked it and drag her out but of course this is China and I’m not Chinese. Instead I went out to the Boss (who does speak English) and told him that if something wasn’t done to get the woman out someone might get seriously hurt and if it happened it was his fault. You all know the typical Chinese kitchen with huge woks and gas flames shooting up the sides and beyond, so even if flames didn’t do it all it needed was for scalding liquid to be spilt. I then asked him if he was going to do it or this time would he like me to. He nodded for me to.

Quite what the students thought of me I know not (although by tomorrow stories will be bouncing around the campus no doubt!) but I went in the kitchen. By now the woman had cooled down to simply seething but was not being violent, so I simply indicated to her she should perhaps calm down and just talk about her problem. I then backed off. Only then did the Boss come in and take her outside, shortly thereafter raiding the till and giving her what appeared to be about 500y. The drama was over. After another fifteen minutes I finished my drink and went to get Pepsi to come home. The woman was only just leaving, getting on her e-bike and crying. I have never seen her before so surmising from the call bossman made, the financial dispute probably concerned one of the family’s other businesses but she had had no joy elsewhere and saw the café as a soft target. Who knows?

The one thing that stood out yet again when there is trouble afoot was that in such situations the Chinese who are not directly involved do one of two things. Leave quietly or stay to watch the show.

Never a dull moment.