The kid was drinking something that looked like a beer.
I looked more closely and discovered that it was a Bacardi Breezer.
He's 8.
I asked him if he knew what he was drinking.
"Fruit juice," he said.
"Yeah, and rum. Do you know what rum is?" I wanted to check for understanding because depending on whether I got my Chinese tones right, I might have said "rum" and I might have said "spicy wood".
"Yeah, my mom lets me drink it all the time," he said.
I have a feeling his mom does not let him drink rum (or spicy wood) all the time. I'm interested to see what state he's in when he comes back at 5:00.
Update: He sat outside our building and drank the rest of his Bacardi Breezer, then came back with the empty bottle. I asked him how he felt and he said fine.
I give you the empty bottle, which he left in my front hallway, as evidence. Please also take a moment to appreciate the orange table runner that I bought at the Silk Market last week. Isn't it beautiful?
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12 comments:
OMG!! That's terrible - please blog/update what state the boy came back in after 5pm, cause a drunk 8 year old sounds really funny.
That's why we Chinese build-up our capacity to hold liquor. Start training when we are young!
Go on with the program. :-)
@Sin-Yaw. Correction. Most Han chinese are deficient in alcohol dehydrogenase which helps body metabolise ethanol in body. Therefore cannot tolerate alcohol well. Very little capacity to hold liquor.btw I get whole body rash with alcohol.
Sarah he brought back the empty bottle at 5:00. He drank it while sitting in front of my building, waiting for it to be 5:00. I'll post a pic of the empty bottle as evidence. :)
Sin-Yaw, the program goes on. :)
Anthony thanks for stopping by. The way I know Sin-Yaw, he was joking. I think you are right about the dehydrogenase though, I've read the same thing.
Oh my goodness! I remember when we lived on the island of Crete and I could send my 8yr old down to the store for a bit of house wine for dinner. The understanding that the child was purchasing it for the parents.
But drinking? Sigh. How do you say "It will stunt your growth in Chinese?" :)
Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers.
Found you from "Speaking of China" blog. Great site and great insight into life in China. Did you have your kids in China or your home country? I know it's a long time ago. Just curious. So, what's with your neighbor boozing it up in the afternoon?
Yikes, I would think an 8 year old wouldn't even know what alcohol is but I guess I was raised a little sheltered!
This is sheer awesomeness. Do you ever chat to his mom? I bet she doesn't even realize and would NOT allow it. Then again, there is that Chinese saying about baijiu in the bottle, right?
By the way no one commented on my orange table runner! Is it actually ugly and I don't know it...?
Melanie, I discovered your blog today and I'm putting it on my blogroll!
Your table runner is really pretty and original! I'll have to go hunt down something like that at Silk Market.
The Bacardi story is jaw dropping...
I'm also married to a Chinese guy and our fortune cookie is due for October. He's already in Beijing and I'm counting days till the end of the semester when I'll move to Beijing for good!!! I'm in Seoul at the moment!
Thanks Elise for liking my table runner. :) Best of luck to you as you prepare for your little one's arrival. Do let me know if you have any questions about Beijing!
mel, the table runner's a keeper...
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