The Chinese say the darndest things!

So today, as I was strolling along the street, getting air and enjoying the Fall weather near my friends' house where I have been staying, I walked by a massage parlour. 48 rmb/an hour! I could not resist, as I always can't when there are cheap massage deals. I walked in and the masseuse, who I later learned happened to be a Chinese medicinal doctor, and has been doing this for 9 years, proceeded to work his magic. I do have to say, he was the first male masseuse I have had in Shanghai. Most masseuses are petite Chinese women with very strong hands who hail from very far away. So he started to point out my problem areas with precision and proceeded to educate me about where my chi flow and muscles and tendons and other terms I did not understand were not healthy, other problems I had, how I needed to exercise more, how he personally concocts an herbal remedy he can harvest only once a year that people in Japan regularly purchase from and consult with him about, how he makes house calls and most of his customers are regulars and Japanese, how I should come back and get not just a massage but probably a dose of his magic remedy, how all the stress and strain ends up on my hips (which is my problem area), how I probably sit at the computer too much, and the line of the day: Even though you are fat, people assume you are sturdy/hardy but you get tired and ill too. That's like a double whammy. Not only was he saying I was fat, he was saying I had poor stamina. Even if both were true, the Chinese do not bother to sugarcoat anything. They really say it like it is! I wasn't even offended, I actually just chuckled, probably because I am so used to it, growing up in a blunt Chinese family, where they tell cruel truths to your face on a daily basis. I also found it amusing how complete strangers seem to feel like they owe you the truth out of politeness. Anyway, his name was Number 18, as masseuses have no names, just numbers, sorta like a college student or prison inmate. It was a great massage. I am still up the air about whether I prefer a male or female masseuse. The women almost seemed to have stronger hands. I definitely enjoyed the Chinese medical education piece he offered, which was a first. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the streets of Changning, smiling at old people, middle-aged men and children, who seemed to be the 3 primary demographics around these parts. I was starving and had a hard time finding a local eatery, then settled on what I later learned was a chain restaurant, sat down, tried to order beef noodle soup which they didn't have, so settled on fried vermicelli and pork chop noodle soup. It was nice and oily too. I got my new house keys duplicated. I did some shopping in a local market, was followed around and outnumbered by store personnel, one of whom said she would bring my basket to the front but ended up kicking it there, purchased some goods for the week, then continued on my long neighborhood walk back home. Then I did laundry and hang dried my clothes while smelling a neighbor's BBQ. I do have to mention today the weather was unusually nice. It is definitely Autumn here in Shanghai. The air was crisp, the sun was the kind that lasted all afternoon, there was a gusty fresh cool wind blowing, leaves were rustling, the young and old and middle-aged were out playing cards and marjhong, doing taichi, stretching, strolling, smiling, shopping, and sneaking out without parental supervision. It was truly a nice day.