One of the many ways Global Partners in Life serves the children at the special needs orphanage we support in China is to provide for their daily needs. Yes, we also provide for their medical needs, educational needs, and the workers that take care of them; but one of the things I enjoy doing for them is just a simple trip to the grocery store. Would you like to know what is purchased for them?
Almost always I purchase school and office supplies, and I always provide diapers . . . lots of diapers. Sometimes I will purchase rice, and I frequently purchase cleaning supplies. Something the children also enjoy is when I bring them toys, puzzles, games, and outdoor equipment, and I always purchase some of those items.
One of the things I enjoy purchasing for the children is beef, which is very expensive in China; so they rarely eat it, but they like it very much. On my last trip, I met a very friendly lady in the meat section of the grocery store, and she was willing to let me photograph her. She was wearing an interesting hat, not one of the normal white hair nets most people wear.
This nice lady was working very close to a display of pig snouts, but she didn’t try to get me to buy any of them. Don’t worry — I didn’t buy any for the children!
I lived in Beijing for almost 7 years and I am married to a Chinese lady. On my first trip to China I was amazed at what different foods they eat. Food from scorpions and deer penis or silk worms to deep fried crickets and developed chickens still in the egg. Most of which I failed to try but has the West become sanitised to eating strange and wonderful products over the centuries. We still have our black pudding (Which my mother in law loved) to Haggis but we have even become lost to a real butchers with everything ready prepared and packaged or in a ready meal. It is a sad statement really of our society!