30 cent Breakfast

Sometimes I go and have breakfast in one of the campus canteens. This is my standard breakfast which costs 2.4 yuan (about 30 cents). The buns are steamed meat buns, and the other thing on the plate is a sort of pickle. There are four choices of gruel: soy milk, rice, corn, and bean. I don't think they cost anything. I'm having the bean (the best one) and rice this day.

I have a favorite canteen for breakfast, chosen for the English speaking server. The first morning I went through my usual pantomime of pointing and waving, and the sever dutifully fetched everything and put it on my tray. After I paid she said in perfectly accented English, "And where do you come from?" So now I go to that one, and she smiles cheerfuly and asks me if I would like an egg today.