The truth?

Chinese lesson. Long Mei teaches my colleague Alice and me twice a week. Long Mei is around 60 and she has lived quite an interesting life - as you would expect from anyone in that age having grown up in China. Long Mei recalls:

In primary school, my teacher showed us two pictures from America. On the first picture was an American family eating breakfast and their toasts were brown. We felt so sorry for the Americans not being able to eat white bread. Brown to us was mouldy or dirty bread. Only much later did I realize that brown bread is healthier bread.

On the second, there was a group of young American wearing jeans with holes. Now I know it was fashion, but back then my teacher cried when describing the poor conditions in America where people couldn’t even afford mending their clothes.