Yes there is a lot of spitting in China (not as much as I expected considering all the warnings I’d had), but please don’t pretend to be offended.

If you watched “Titanic” then you saw Leo teach Kate how to get that phlegm up and out, (which leads me to wonder just how much time James Cameron has spent in China), so really, it’s not that new, is it?

The good thing about a spit is that you can hear it coming.  It involves a good loud drawing of all that gubbins into the mouth, which is the warning to step away from the dodgy looking gentleman, (or indeed the German tourist in our hotel who decided to join in with the locals.)

What I found a little harder to swallow were the sounds of ladies spitting in the toilets - they have all clearly been watching “Titanic” too.