Being sick isn’t any fun, but being sick in a foreign country by yourself is horrible. I landed in China on Sunday night with a slight sore throat. By Monday night I was aching all over and my head was congested and draining constantly. Monday night I had fever and chills and didn’t sleep too well. The good part was that Tuesday was Tomb Sweeping Festival, so all the factories were closed and there was no work to be done. I got to lay around my hotel room and try to get better for Wednesday.
Not being hungry in the morning, I didn’t go down for the included breakfast buffet in the lobby. It is pretty good with the usual western items including omelets made to order. They also have a selection of Chinese food, including the steamed esophagus that the good wife tried on her visit to China. I’m not sure what animal it came from, but she did take a couple bites and then chewed and chewed and chewed.
By the afternoon, I was feeling a bit better, but even more, I was hungry. I hadn’t changed out of my PJ’s and didn’t feel like getting cleaned up to go out and get some food. And when ordering the hotel food you have to manage your expectations, because it usually isn’t how you would imagine it to be.
McDonald’s to the rescue! Nothing tastes better when getting better from being sick than a cheeseburger and some french fries. You wonder how McDonald’s could be my solution? In China, McDonald’s delivers, 24 hours a day, within 30 minutes.
A simple call the the McDonald’s “800” number in China, 4008-517-517, and you reach the McDonald’s delivery call center. After a message in Chinese, in English they tell you to push #2 for English. Then an “English speaking” person gets on the phone to take your order. After giving them your address, they determine if there is a McDonald’s in your area, and then they ask for your order and give you a total. The service cost is ¥7, about $1 USD. There is no minimum order and they will deliver 24 hours a day.
About 30 minutes later, they knocked on my hotel room door and there was my food. The delivery person rides a bike and carries a large plastic insulated chest on their back like a backpack. (I got the picture below a few days later after I was feeling slightly better.)
It has a hot compartment and a cold compartment. My double cheeseburger was still hot, the fries were warm and my Oreo McFlurry was cold, although slightly melted. The way I was feeling, it was just perfect.
Good American comfort food in China. It’s as good as a spoon full of sugar helping the medicine go down!
If I hadn't been there to see it, I wouldn't believe it. But, having seen the chicken heads in my sweet n sour chicken, I believe. The Truth is out there.
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