At our attendance at a Peking Opera, which happened to have been in
Shanghai, two nephew/cousins were competing for the privilege of giving
us the better ice cream in larger portions.  They were ice cream bricks,
neither sandwiches nor on a stick, and neither cousin had thought to find
plates or forks.  So we had to eat all the melting ice cream with out
hands.  (It obviously couldn't be saved for "later"!)

One of the two spoke no English; the other spoke it very well and we talked
while the other chatted w/ my wife.  My conversational partner asked me
how I liked Chinese opera in comparison w/ opera from western countries.
Trying to be at the same time diplomatic as well as honest, I replied that
any art form performed by people who love it and have the temperament and
talent to perform it well will sound good.  He replied that he preferred
western opera also.

wm