Understanding

Two things I understand more about China, and feel guilty about judging harshly:

1. The clothing. It is, to a Westerner's eyes, bright and fancy and sometimes even a little gaudy. I didn't understand why all the girls want to wear such bright colors, so many embellishments and fancy accouterments on their clothes. But I have been learning that in decades past, all clothing was dull, dark grays and blues, very little color. Now people can have color and beauty in their life, and they want as much of it as possible. So when I see people on the street wearing such fancy and bright clothes, instead of being judgmental about the high level of ornamentation, I understand where it is coming from. It's actually a sign of their hope and prosperity.

2. Tomatoes. In China, tomatoes are a fruit like berries. Small grape tomatoes are even used as a topping on ice cream! Of course, I always looked on this as gross and weird. How could you eat tomatoes as a fruit topping on sweets? They aren't sweet! But then I found out that in past years, tomatoes were the only "fruit" to eat because oranges, bananas and other fruits were far too expensive for people to buy. So they ate tomatoes instead, it was the only thing they could afford. Even though fruits are now more readily available, tomatoes are still eaten as fruits. At least now I understand why.

There are many instances like this, where my first thought it to judge (sometimes harshly) actions and traditions against my own opinions and experiences. But when you look deeper, you start to understand why people do what they do. And it enriches my experience here.