The Airbnb guests never cease to amaze me. Just when you have seen it all they go and trump it. Oil Lady came here with her two young daughters. They are staying in Suzhou for one month to go to the Ice Skating. They are staying with us for the week and will stay at another home for the rest of the time. The kids are well-behaved and so they are not the problem.

The other night Oil Lady was washing clothes by hand in the bathroom, can’t use the washing machine. She washed a handful of the kids clothes, a few pairs of socks and underwear and two small pairs of trousers. About an hour or so later she comes from the back of the house and says “I wish to use your shower” I said “you have your own bathroom to use” “But there is no hot water left” Well I wonder why you stupid bitch, you have just used a whole tank of water on washing a handful of clothes…….these were thoughts and not actually what I said. But she walks into my bathroom as bold as brass and turns on the tap. I tell here that the water pressure is not good and it takes a long time for the water to heat up and if you must use it then you need to make sure that the floor is kept dry because we don’t use this bathroom like a wet room. She huffs and puffs and says” I guess I will have to wait till the water heats up” I guess you do, I said to myself. Chinese people waste water, as long as the water flows from the tap when you turn it on then that is fine, they do not think of any form of water conversation. Well when I say this I am basing that on the guests that we have had here and the percentage is high,,,,,,maybe 70% don’t seem to care.

When Oil Lady cooks, the shit goes everywhere. Sissi had to tell the other day to clean the cooker because there was oil splashed all over the place. A few days later it seems that everything I touch as a film of oil. In fact she has used a litre of oil in about 4 days. I would be lucky if I used this amount in 6 months. The kettle has a smooth feel to the handle, the dishes that have been washed have a film on them, the cutlery……….I mean it’s just fucking disgusting. The floor is also looking shiny and new.

They leave tomorrow and when they do I will have to dig everything out that they have touched and used and clean it.

I’ve seen many Chinese prepare the food for cooking and they take a long time to do this. They soak things, they marinate things, the food is sliced and diced and it seems that so much care and attention is put into the preparation only to be smothered in oil and cooked until dead. everything is soft, no crunchy vegetables. The dishes are brought to the table swimming in oil. I go to many different places to eat and I have now found out the places that use too much oil and I don’t go back.

But watching the Oil Lady this week lets me see first hand the amount of oil that they go through in less than a week. I’m thinking I should buy some shares in the oil making business.