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December 15, 2004
in the land of giants
i know a woman who has recently emigrated here from China. she's the wife of a co-worker, and just got her visa, after a long wait and much paperwork.
it is not hard to imagine that this is difficult, even with an american husband to help pave the way. a couple of things in particular are distressing to her, as i understand it.
food. no great surprise. if anyone knows places in the area that have authentic chinese, let me know. i know a lot of chinese restaurants do have an authentic section on their menu, but it can be hit or miss. and i don't know what region she's from-- although i imagine that matching the region would be too much to hope for. (i'm assuming you all understand that what we know as chinese food, isn't.)
clothes. she is not only short in stature, but has a tiny frame and a very slim build. i think she is feeling a little panicked that she's not going to be able to find clothes. i suggested looking in the kids section-- i'm not sure how she feels about that, but i suspect it's going to be the best fit for her. even a petite junior size might be cut too full in the hips. if anyone has any other suggestions, pass them my way. i suggested she go to old navy, where they have a huge range of sizes and cuts in the store.
i joked with her that she moved to the land of the giants. because pretty much that's what we are to her.
Posted by lisa at December 15, 2004 06:58 PM | TrackBack
Comments
I find the juniors section in Target generally too tight in the hips for me, so that might work for her. Although the junior styles might be too trendy for her.
My sister has very slim hips and often wears a children's 12 or 14 pants. I'll ask her where she buys her clothes.
She might also consider making her clothes. You knew I was going to say that, didn't you :)
Posted by: Sarah on December 15, 2004 08:04 PM
"if anyone knows places in the area that have authentic chinese"
Umm. Does Shanghai count?
http://www.digitalcity.com/raleigh/entertainment/venue.adp?sbid=109694621
What about Peking Garden?
http://www.realpagessites.com/pekinggarden/page2.html
I don't know about "authenticity," but these two places are the only two places on the planet earth where i have enjoyed eating "chinese."
Posted by: rick! on December 16, 2004 12:23 PM
it looks like peking garden is the place where i have had really authentic-seeming chinese in the area. i haven't checked out shanghai's authentic menu but i will the next time i'm in there.
Posted by: lisa on December 16, 2004 12:30 PM
In my experience, just watch the clientel. If there are a lot of Chinese eating there, chances are the restaurant knows what it's doing.
Posted by: Steve Meister on December 16, 2004 02:30 PM
My mother is tiny (size 0-2) and she has a hard time finding clothes as well. Stores like Hechts and Belk usually have a decent petite section, but it's still not so easy finding smaller than a size 4 because Americans, even when they aren't fat, are just big. There are also a few more pricey stores like Talbott's and Ann Taylor that have petite sections with good small clothes, but I think they're too expensive to shop regularly. I think she's just going to have to develop a "circuit" of places she regularly checks, and she may end up paying more on the average than those of us who wear size 8 and up.
Posted by: Lisa B. on December 16, 2004 06:48 PM
A couple years ago, I took a cooking class at the Durham Chinese School and they mentioned that they were working on opening a restaurant, I think in the shopping center where Mardi Gras Bowling is on the border of Chapel Hill and Durham. I think they said the restaurant was going to be called Tsunami, but here's the Chinese School url: http://www.durhamcs.org/ You might be able to find more info there.
Posted by: Dallas on December 16, 2004 08:23 PM
China Palace (Garrett Rd., 1 mile south of 15-501) serves a traditional lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Lots of Chinese people eat there. So do I. Yum!
Long ago, Jones New York had a store for petite's at the airport outlet mall.
Posted by: Phil on December 16, 2004 11:02 PM
ok, so a) your comment won't post right away because i have to approve it first and b) you might get a server error but your comment probably posted anyway and c) previewing doesn't work so i've removed the preview button.