I smell a rat. (No, actually I see a rat.)
I was just telling someone the other day that I was amazed I hadn’t seen more rats in Shanghai. Or any rats, for that matter. It’s a huge, old, dirty city. There should be rats. There are in American cities, plenty of them. I’ve seen night-vision footage of alleyways in New York City that would make your skin crawl. And I’ve seen rats in southern China — big ones, they travel in groups — so bold they don’t even bother waiting for the cover of darkness. But, in 18 months, I have never seen a rat in Shanghai. Well, not until tonight.
Strange that I didn’t see this rat at one of the outdoor markets, where fruit, vegetable, meat and other assorted remnants are always scattered all over the place. Odd that I didn’t see it in some dark, damp alleyway where restaurants overflow garbage bins with who knows what. Fantastic that I didn’t see the rat in my new apartment — I’m still recovering from the roaches.
06.16.2004, 4:00 AM · Observations · Comments (5)
