Karma Police

Maybe it was because I don't shy from contact coming off the subway, maybe it was because I make too much fun of my workmate Peter. Maybe it was because I didn't donate enough money to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund, or because I deserve to be on Santa's naughty list for all the crap I've complained about in China this year. Whatever the reason, the Karma Police caught up to me this past week - for the first time in the 51 weeks I've been here I caught food poisoning.

I love street food, it is after all the best way I can tell to get inside the soul of a city. I eat it everywhere, and not just in the US: , churros in Spain, pasties in the UK, samosas in Nepal, sushi in Japan, tacos in Mexico, maple syrup in Canada. And here in Shanghai we have treats from dumplings to fried noodles, or the two demons that tag teamed my hardened stomach: a fried bread roll stuffed with veggies, bbq pork and sauces and Japanese squid balls. Oh don't get me wrong, these are delicious - squid balls can change your life - but caveat emptor!

I've never been food sick before, and don't see the need to go into details, but I'll let on that it was unpleasant. I've watched others around me here get sick and somehow thought my iron stomach was tougher, stronger, better than others - it's not. Sure it can do serious damage when it comes to a burrito and Krispe Kream count, but this is a whole different animal. Nobody can avoid food poisoning. In fact there's been an outbreak here - 4 of our foreign teachers have gone down in the past 2 weeks with a case.

But I do have some good news to report: I'm back healthy, pushing, shoving and making fun of Peter.