February 23, 2002
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Last Days
Sadly, tonight is going to be the last night that Cheryl and Gigi will be spending in SH. We hung out at Park 97 last night and just sat and drank and talked.
Although I cannot say that I know them exceptionally well, we do share some of the same memories, and myself and Cheryl, the bond of not knowing when we'll set foot in Toronto next to see our friends and loved ones. But it's funny how things seem to work out in life in the end, I know I'll see everyone sometime, somewhere.
I just read this article in The Economist (those bastards didn't call me back yet about the conference) about the problem of obesity in developing countries and it reminded me about many of the children that I see here in SH. Since the one child policy has come into affect here, children have been a very important part of family life. So important that they are often very spoiled, with the parents catering to the child's every whim. It is not an uncommon occurrence where I see children here ordering their parents around. It often reminds me of the movie the Last Emperor. Parents buy anything their children want.
I once read how pshychologically damaging this could be for Chinese society since they are not taught to share, and grow up thinking they can have whatever they want. In a world of unlimited wants but limited resources, I don't know how a country of over a billion people can continue to live and think this way. Children walk the streets with all types of sweets in their mouths all the time. Many of them are obviously overweight, much like big boy in the pic above and continue to widen. McDonald's here are always crowded with people, despite it's relatively expensive menu. I was once told that some think McDonald's is quite healthy offering your foods from the many different food groups of bread, meat, vegetables and coke. I just hope the kids are a bit larger because they eat a lot of sweets and not because of the regular SH diet. I don't ever wanna be Fattie Simon.
Happy birthday Leanne, Tyson, Selina and Johnnie!
Comments (10)
oh my... obesitiy in developing countries! i can see how that can easily happen when parents will do anything to please their children... especially with the one child policy. i've also heard some horror stories about how some parents kill of their child if it's a girl b/c they'd rather have a son to carry on their family name...
oh my god, the kid in this picture is such a porker. it's really sad what you have observed about the kids being spoiled like that. and you make a good point being that these kids are going to be the leaders of that society in the future. *sigh* oh well no constant sweets for simon then i guess, huh?
aw mam. i got to agree. but food is such a great indulgence, i can't it myself sometime but i balance that out with fitness programs. things like this should be taught more often in school and be conditioned into us. big issue that needs to be dealt with.
Well, I guess they are going to have to evaluate each situation for itself. It's true though, parents do tend to spoil single children and what with the one child policy...I never thought of that.
I was reading in some car magazine an editorial about cars getting larger along with the population. i wonder what would happen 50 years from now and if they'd have to rebuild new wider roads to accomodate the bigger cars.. hehe.. WIDE LOAD~!!
Congratulations to McDonald's marketers who have convinced the general public that Coke is a food group... *shudder* Never thought the one-child policy would lead to kids being fat and spoiled... I don't want to imagine what they'll be like when they reach adulthood!
supposedly a fat child is suppose to be good luck? that's why mao's wife used to feed his kid growth horomones and stuff him with food (while everyone else was starving) just to get Mao Jr plump and piggy
that ideal with children is true in shanghai? i thought obesity levels would be higher in north america...
actually, i think they may be higher in NA, but the alarming thing right now is the rate that the other countries have been catching up. pringles, kit kat and mcdonald's haven't been doing much to help either.
dude why do you have a picture of fat kiddy crotch on your page?
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