East Meets East (Liz is in India
Aaron is in China)

Liz - Lately, one of my favorite epistolary blogs has been The Guilfoile-Warner Papers from The Morning News.  For a couple months now, they have covered the presidential beat, bandying statistics, quizzing each other on the campaigns, and colorfully analyzing the media like only the former editor of McSweeney’s can (i.e. “the dean of liberal blogdom, Markos Moulitsas”). I like their style.  Maybe we can have some quizzes of our own?  Just no more placemats please.  We both know how hard those are for me.

I don’t think anyone will contest that the election is outside the scope of this blog; after all, two of the largest world economies are about to be either thoughtfully considered or utterly ignored.  Evidence of Obamian attentiveness to China: it appears that Obama’s half-brother lives in China (link); unlike McCain unrealistically leaning towards Taiwan, Obama plans to engage the mainland and knows that this is where the politics are (link); yet he still understands that he can and should criticize at times, as recently when calling China out on currency manipulation (link).  And this is just from the first page of Google results for “Obama China”!  On the Chinese, he famously told Brian Williams early this year, “They’re neither our enemy nor our friend.  They’re competitors.”  He plays it as it lays.  Or maybe this kind of conclusion is just what I get thousands of miles away, filtered through Senator Obama’s campaign which basically is designed to make me stand up out of joy and dignity.  All manipulation aside, I’m standing up anyway, looking around to check if everyone else is standing up too.  (Side note: Did you know that earlier this year David Foster Wallace was pitching an essay on Senator Obama and American Rhetoric?  That would have been something to read.) Anyway, I hope you got your papers in order in time to vote.

Last last weekend, I met my dad in Beijing where he was doing business.  I saw the sites (see previously posted dorky photo).  I ate the food.  A few times the election came up in conversation, the support was overwhelmingly Obama.  For example, below:

From bottom left clockwise: my dad in a warm turtleneck; a fairly drunk business partner; an extremely drunk business partner who will speak about Barack Obama; a blurry Chinese guy who lived in Europe for two decades and despite knowing Turkish didn’t understand a lick of my Kyrgyz; my dad’s best friend’s wife who was very patient with my Mandarin; my dad’s best friend and a producer for CCTV, China’s mega network; and an auntie who I helped wrap dumplings but I think was secretly horrified by the work of my butter fingers.

The gist of Fairly Drunk Business Partner’s support of Obama was: America knows that he is the better choice, but most Americans are racist and bigots.  The right side of the table mostly stayed quiet.  Either because they are closet conservatives (which I doubt) or because they are good hosts (more likely).  Dumpling Auntie left to make more dumplings.  At the height of the discussion, Extremely Drunk Business Partner states, very slowly so I can understand, “If the American people elect Obama, then America will be one step closer to God.”  If that isn’t a prime example of (1) how badly the Chinese business-elite do not want McCain and (2) Chinese hyperbolic wisdom, I don’t know what is.  My dad, of course, agreed and told everyone to keep eating.

I know you want it, so here is a closer look at the food.  Note the typically Beijing lack of rice!

- Aaron