You're Done Here, Buddy

An efficient cooling system:  中国 . 北京 . 天安门

As the dog-days of summer draw to a close, let us turn our attention to a buddy, who, while definitely done here, also inspires curiosity and wonderment.  I am referring to the buddy that wears a winter coat when the weather simply does not call for such an article. Having spent two years living, studying and working in the “Middle Kingdom,” I am more than familiar with the Chinese idea that sweating is the body’s natural cooling system. Chinese people have cultivated an imperviousness to heat, exemplified by summertime customs of drinking blistering hot tea & water and wearing long-sleeved shirts & pants. While the Chinese may define a sweaty ball-sack as the measurement by which sufficient cooling has taken place, it is difficult to understand how these customs  have infiltrated the American psyche.