Hungry Hungry Pillows

Recently, I've been finding myself wandering near our apartment building when I'm not in class. It isn't so much because I want to get to know my area better, it's more because I want to scope out all the good places to eat. I find that I get hungriest when I'm bored or alone, and I tend to be bored and alone many times in a week, or even a day. 

On my conquest for nourishment, I discovered many interesting places that sold all sorts of interesting food. But what really got my attention was all the places I found that didn't sell food, at least not edible food. There were a bunch of interesting little stores near a group of restaurants that sold little objects shaped after foods such as pillows, origami, slippers, erasers, and even towels. 

At first, I was a little disappointed since I wanted to eat something, but I was intrigued after going through a couple of stores. I thought it was really neat that people spent time crafting these things into the shape of food and other objects. I was really tempted to purchase a sushi pillow, but after much debate I realized I really didn't need one at the moment. Nor did I want to bring home a giant stuffed piece of sushi in my luggage. At the same time, however; it made me realize just how different the culture in China is compared to America in terms of art and style. I'm sure to the locals, that these erasers and food-shaped objects came as no surprise. To me, however; it was a very pleasant and enticing surprise.