Tonkatsu in Shanghai, China

This is one of those postcards that so much like it a modern day Tweet that it's almost difficult to write about because its full of personal references and inside jokes... So I'll try my best.

To start... her salutation: "Hi Mei Mei" which is one of my nicknames for when we first started opening the hotel. Mei Mei or 美美 means beautiful in Chinese. It's also the same mei as in meiguo for America - which directly translates to beautiful country. Anyway, Lilian and the lot of Management Trainees (MT's) had gone around throughout the hotel telling everyone that my name was just Alex in English but in Chinese, it was a special and unique Chen Mei Mei. Definitely a nickname with which to tease - both flattering and humiliating at the same time. Oddly, there were some people that believed them. Our colleague Sibin actually pulled me aside one day and asked in disbelief "Is your Chinese name really Chen Mei Mei?"

And then there's the HoMan 249 part - which is Cantonese for very manly - ho being very and man is well, English for man. Lilian thinks Jay Chou is homan! The 249 I don't remember, but it's probably related to the Chinese predilections for homonyms and play of numbers as words. For example the number 4 is pronounced si (4th tone) but also sounds like si (3rd tone) and that's  bad because 3rd tone means "death." 88 means "Bye Bye" because if you say eight eight - then you get ba ba or  bye bye. 419 means "For One Night," 51 wu yao sounds similar to wo yao meaning "I Want" and so on and so forth. And then there's 5cm which is a clothing brand in Hong Kong. It's also just very unfortunate. And what's up with that Ad?

Back to the postcard - Lilian is referring to a lack of life's essential skills. Bike riding and balance. I wanted to teach Lilian (then in her early 20's) how to ride a bike before she moved back to Hong Kong where she lives now. Lilian's cohort, Edward Tang, and I took her out to a large pedestrian promenade of the International Wonderland property development - yes, it's really called that. In the subzero temperatures of January, we're pushing and balancing and her tears of frustration are freezing on her scarf. We tried our best to help her find her center of gravity - even adjusting the seat on my bike really low so that she could walk while rolling to feel for that balancing point. For you bikers out there - you get it. For Lilian, forget it. She was born a Hong Kongnese - without balance. And to this day she still can't ride a bike.

As for her nickname - I call her zha zhu pai 炸猪排 or Deep Fried Pork Cutlet also known as Tonkatsu! One day in December of 2007, during lunch at a Japanese restaurant, a group of us were placing our order with the server. Some were stating their orders with phrases like "I will have the chicken udon" or "I want the fish set lunch," but Lilian just said very clearly (in Chinese) "I AM the za zhu pai." So, thanks Tonkatsu. I got your postcard.

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