Arthur, Friedel and Barbra were flying back from guangzhou. I took them out for dinner at what was purportedly the second most expensive restaurant in the city. It was on the top floor and had windows looking out over the pearl river. Though the decor was very simple.
We had this wonderful meal. By this time Barbra and I had become adept at ordering food. We had truly good red bean soup. And this great dish of fried fish that still had the scales on. We asked and it turned out you were supposed to eat the scales. I did. They were like eating crackling.
At the end of the meal, I paid. The waitress was amazed and asked how I could afford this. After a month my clothes were a bit tacky. I had a hole in one of my runners. And my black jeans were frayed. Barbara had taken up saying that I was an Artist. So I guess this is what she said.
The meal for four people cost $40. In China at that time the average monthly wage was about 600 yuan. $40 was about 290 yuan or nearly two weeks annual wage. I think that at the time the average weekly wage in australia was about $400 per week. So an equivalent meal in Australia would have cost $800.
An artist who had won a prize in a competition.