Mrs. Manners on spitting etiquette

We successfully made it through the week long national holiday of red flags flying everywhere and fireworks going off non stop in some part of Shanghai. We also both caught our first cold/sinus infection. I guess just like in Mexico where they burn off forests, etc to make room for farmland, thus sending horrible smoke through Texas, Indonesia and Malaysia like to do the same thing. There has been a steady haze over the city for the last week and our lungs and sinuses could take no more. I'm still under the weather mainly because I am difficult and haven't given myself time to rest, but today is rest day - after finishing the blog of course. A couple of pictures for you include: Will holding the commie flag to show our patriotism that the country we now live in is North Korea's closest ally.

Also is one of our other favorite signs in Shanghai : "No Spitting" - (well at least in the subway). Since those of you that are still reading the blog have only a limited sensory experience of Shanghai, here I provide another example....

Close your eyes and picture yourself sick with an upper respiratory infection - lots of snot and phlegm coming up in varying autumn shades. When you are alone, admit it, you blow your nose and cough with such ferver - well you have the picture. The Chinese do this on a daily basis - whether they are sick or not - I mean they reach back into the pit of their throats and cough one up and then proceed to spit wherever they are. I'm talking about 4 year olds all the way up to the 85 year old grandmother in her wheelchair. Maybe it is good to get rid of crap this way, but I still find it repulsing - as well as a biohazard - hello? anyone want a little H5N1 with their daily walk around town? Which is why I think it is funny that they actually have to put signs up to persuade people not to do it. I just wish they would add under the photo - punishable by death - now we're talking about a real reason to celebrate.

Postscript: In doing a quick search on "spitting etiquette," I found several links that included China and their spitting problem (go figure). So I guess I'm not alone.
(which includes the article: Beijing spends Millions on Curbing Spitting http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/159407.htm)