Obamao

You've probably heard that Obama spent 3 days in China recently and there was a lot of talk about him and his visit. One of the really interesting things was how they stopped all sales of a very popular item while he was here, Obamao t-shirts, key chains and posters. They have Obama's face printed and he is wearing a hat like Mao's Red Guards used to wear. He is also posed in a way that is very similar to a famous portrait of Mao. China decided that this might be offensive to Obama so they stopped all sales of the item while he was here. I don't dare write much more so if you're interested in the whole story and in seeing the pictures, just check out this link: http://www.chinahush.com/2009/11/15/china-bans-obamao-t-shirt-during-obamas-presidential-visit/

Another thing that really got Tony and his friends talking was about the meal that Obama and the president of China, Hu Jin Tao, shared together. They had a private meal and meeting that lasted for nearly 3 hours and during this time the lunch that was served consisted of 4 dishes and a soup. You may think that for two people this is plenty but if you ask any foreign visitors to China about their "VIP meal experiences" they will tell you that the amount and variety of food that arrives at the table is extraordinary. I remember going to a meal once in Hangzhou and losing count at 25 dishes for 9 of us. In Tony's words, "next time we go out for a meal, we're going to order the same dishes as Hu and Obama did...a meal for common people!"

I told some of my students that the biggest problem with Obama's visit was that he forgot to call me! As if!