Iowa expat finds China connection

Excuse me, while I check my phone

"It's not bad for you," I countered. "Smoking, drinking and operating heavy machinery with your eyes closed is bad for you, cold water is fine." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand. "It's different for me because I am Chinese," she said with authority. "Cold water upsets my stomach."

Can't argue with logic like that.

To an outsider, these rules can seem a little strange, and while most of the reasons for eating certain foods is fairly sound, others can seem bewildering if they are not the homespun philosophies you are used to.

So, a confession: I ignored the well-meaning human resources mail, continuing to eat cold food with abandon throughout summer, tempting fate and the dreaded summer diseases. So far, so good. Now I might just drink a bing beer - I know, I know, it's bad for my health, but trust me, it's just the medicine to beat the summer heat.