1 April 1999 – My first meal in China! Our translator Mr. Yuan (34 years old, married and father of a six-year old son) and his driver Mr. Wren went to dinner with us after we checked into a clean three-star Chinese hotel owned and operated by the government. We ordered Chinese beer and learned how to say ‘cold’ in Chinese to ensure our beers were refrigerated – ‘bing’ means ice. We ate steamed green beans with garlic, spicy chicken with peanuts, soup with thin noodles and slices of meat, beef with mushrooms, more vegetables and steamed rice. Mr. Yuan told us he was relieved we could use chopsticks so well. I told him that for as long as I could remember my Mother encouraged me to use chopsticks when we ate in Chinese restaurants. He liked this response and said in China, the Mother is the backbone of a good family.