Kate's business has taken her to China. She's having a little culture shock.

UPDATE: Her latest post reminded me of the excellent way the Chinese serve large groups. The tables are round, with a large lazy Susan in the middle where all the dishes are placed. Settings are at the perimeter of the base table. Guests can serve themselves from whatever dish is in front of them, then spin the Susan along to select another dish. Those tables seat 8 or 10.

Friends of ours had a similar 6-seat table built for their home. It was charming. I love a round table, but we don't have the space for one.

When I was in China with a tour group, the dishes weren't, all in all, quite so ... colloquial (help me here with a better and more appropriate word), perhaps? But I can go the rest of my life without tasting another sea cucumber.

And she missed a digit in her pop. figure for ChongQing -- 31 million and change.