I Met Someone New Today

I Met Someone New Today

This is a new column that I think is very important for international relations between countries. Some say it’s controversial and that I shouldn’t talk about it because officially we might not be the best of friends with every single country here at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. I think that’s bureaucratic bs, and this whole event should be looked at as an opportunity to make friends and strengthen relations while we have the chance. Thus my column entitled “I Met Someone New Today” will not be censored on this blog, whereas it may be censored on others.

My first night in Shanghai, I met a man named Bubba who had opened his own BBQ restaurant/sports bar. He opened it inside our secluded “Expo Village” apartment community, expecting the thousands of international volunteers and employees to support him. After my telling him where I was from, he said “Memphis sure does have some famous BBQ!” Then he asked me to create an account on some Shanghai restaurant voting site, and in return gave me a free draft beer. Incidentally, one of his servers is a blond woman from Sweden.

My second day in Shanghai, I was on the way back from our village cafeteria when I met 2 Israeli men who had just opened a café nearby. I could tell that they were Israeli by listening to their accents, and when I spoke a little Hebrew to them, they asked me if I were Jewish, I replied “Ken, ani Yehudi!” They invited me to their café, and it was nice.