Dalian update: 感冒 (Gǎnmào)..

I almost made it, but then again not quite. A whole winter without being ill once. Just like last year around the same time I am still forced out of action due to a bad cold. It had already started yesterday morning with throat ache and today all the other symptoms have emerged, too... Actually, I am not that surprised I still got it: most of my classmates have had colds over the past three weeks so I guess it was just a matter of time before the virus targeted me. In order to get healthy again swiftly, I found this Korean honey ginger paste (in picture left) at a local market around the corner. Ginger is always recommended as a cold remedy in these parts of the world. Three-four spoonfuls to be diluted with hot water. Hope it helps to soften my throat at least. The taste is not bad in any case. Rose, a.k.a. teacher Ma, a.k.a. Ma laoshi, a.k.a Hong Jun Ma, yesterday evening gave me some further advice: slice up some ginger root, put it into some Coca Cola and boil (!) them together. Then drink it hot. What a great example of sino-western cultural blend! I asked her whether Pepsi works too. She said yes.