In some aspects I’m an old-fashioned guy: like many Chinese of the older generations I prefer to sleep in a hard bed. No kidding, it’s reported that Mao Tse-tung also like the wooden bed. I’d been grumbling about the Idealis‘ mattress for more than 1.5 years; I know I’m not the first international student and won’t be the last one to complaint about their super-soft sponge. Owing to their generosity I’ve got three mattresses in succession from them, but each one was dumped with a sinking concave in the middle. Their mattress is too soft for my over-80kg body. Considering the long-term health of my backbone, I decided to look for a tailored wooden bed. I had scouted many possible sources: Secondhand beds of Emmaus? No better than the Idealis’. Gamma? Too expensive to afford. Marktplaats? It’s a website in Dutch. Finally in late January I resorted to my last hope Gerard, the best cabinet maker I know in Holland (How did I know him? Here is the story.). He promptly accepted my request. But he said he had no idea about the Chinese wooden bed, so I googled and printed some examples for him. After asking me some questions in details about those pictures, he said he would make it in one week. On February 9 th , he went to my home with the prepared components for the assembly. When he built up the frames, I couldn’t help laughing: it turned out to an outdated style. ‘I just followed the photo that you showed me, anything wrong?’ He didn’t understand why I laughed. ‘It’s just an example, I didn’t know you would 100% copy it,’ I shrugged my shoulders and hold up my hands as if I was totally innocent. ‘Stupid Chinese…’ he shook his head with murmuring and continued his work. It’s really amusing to see a Dutchman making a Chinese wooden bed. When the bed was fully assembled, Gerard asked me to lie on it and test if it’s comfortable. ‘Oh man, it brings me back to the childhood,’ the scent of the woodchips aroused my nostalgic memory, ‘thank you, Gerard.’ I gave him a bear hug to express my gratefulness. Are you curious about the cost? It’s € 79. What a lucky bastard I am always to meet kind-hearted people in Holland! Thank you Gerard, and your wonderful workmanship!
Vid of the week: Going back to school learning carpentry? It looks appealing.