Vegetables

So hard to find. You will get lettuce and tomatoes in your burger. This not what I mean...

I got to this small motel in La Pine, Oregon, after five nights in my tent, and the receptionist told me to hurry before the Chinese restaurant closes for the night. The Mexican, he informed me is already closed.

I rush over. After a little discussion between the two waitresses, they let me in. The food was great. I had beef and, yes; wait for it, VEGETABLES! Broccoli, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and a few more that I just can't remember.

On my way out, Sin, one of the young women who let me in and helped me select my meal, and I engaged in conversation. She is from china, has a green card and is not sure yet if she wants to become an American. It makes it hard to visit her family back home in north China.

I don't know how we got to talk about time zones, but China has only one. You go to work in the morning, whenever that happens to be.

Also, when you are born, you are 1 years old. I suggested that the Arabs invented the zero many years after the Chinese had their traditions, so why change? She agreed. Is this the reason? Perhaps.

So, happy year of the Chicken (it took her time to remember, she switched to Chinese, out loud, did some counting, I guess, and announced it). The Americans, she said, would call it rooster, but in China there is no difference. One name per animal type.

I did tell her that in Hebrew Sin is how we call China.

They were closing the restaurant. We said our goodbyes.