Monday 16th January, 2017                       1710

I find it ever so slightly sad that my life of late has reverted to revolving around my creature comforts. Well, it always has to some extent and always will but in situations wherein in order to be satisfied, planning needs to be done, it rather takes up more time than I would wish.

When you are wealthy these niggles disappear but when you are not and you are somewhere where, let’s say, the alternatives are not to your taste, yes it does occupy and focus your mind.

‘Ere long I shall lose Suzy, of whom it must be said has been the absolute best online food shopper I have had (searching for better deals rather than simply ordering what I said) and who has also been an absolute brick here in Lanzhou, without her I would have been climbing the walls trying to find things.

It would be great to be able to jet off to Shanghai for the entire holiday but even on UK wages I couldn’t afford that. So I am a bit stuck and therefore food looms large. Equally, when the cigar problem reared its ugly head yet again here, that became a worry.

I am happy to spend 10% of my income on my satisfying (even if others deem it disgusting) habit and assuredly I can find lardies in many places - for a price. I am not happy though with splashing out 20%, 30% or even 40% on this even though the smokes are superior. Hell, I even buy wine at 14.5y a bottle instead of 40y!

So as I mentioned, today the difficulty was going to reach crisis point. Ok, so I was wrong, I could have lasted until tomorrow night. Today Suzy guided me somewhere. Originally her Mum found a shop selling my brand and at my price but she decided to introduce me to the biggest China Tobacco shop in Lanzhou. As it turned out she never even needed to meet me (although she did) because I took the 131 bus and armed with the mental images of the internet photos she sent me earlier, I alighted at the Bank of Communications. China Tobacco was next door.

As soon as we went in I spotted what I needed. I bought a month’s supply (500 cheroots) for 500y and asked the chap if they would have them regularly seeing as I would wish to purchase the same amount every month. He actually spoke quite good English (which was a surprise) and even managed a disdainful tone when he responded with “You want 500 every month?”

Yes. Will there be a problem?
I don’t think so, you’re the only one who likes them.

I can’t think of a time before where I have been so happy to be faintly insulted! Yes, they are cheap but once you get used to them you don’t cough. I also doubt very much there are more than a handful of people in China who smoke the damned things as much as I do, whatever price they are. Now if they sold pipe tobacco the tale would be very different…..

So now I can turn my full attention to the food side of things. I had better get one final shop done by Suzy before I have to find a replacement “wife” next term. I also need to be aware of the date so I can stock up my freezer before new year, I have never forgotten the 45 minutes it took me one Chinese new year’s eve when I needed meat for the pets and a carrot. It will be worse here with four times the population, ergo I have no intention of needing to visit the supermarket. The Chinese are no different than the British on Christmas Eve when it comes to setting about stripping supermarket shelves.

And so that’s it. Smokes and eats. I could possibly visit somewhere nearby on the train if I could buy tickets but I think I have visited the only attraction really worth visiting for me now that’s within strike distance. I would dearly love someone from Chizhou to come and stay with me to celebrate the lunar new year but naturally that won’t happen because being with family is mandatory for them.

Ah well, can’t complain. I have plenty of time to perhaps try to conjure up foods I have been dying to have a stab at making.