(Tian Jiao Zi, Sweet Dumpling)
Price: .60 RMB, .09 cents USD
Ingredients: dumpling bread, sugar
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Food Dish of the Day
甜饺子
(Tian Jiao Zi, Sweet Dumpling)
Price: .60 RMB, .09 cents USD
I admit, I don't actually know the name of this one. They have them for breakfast at the dining hall, and I've found if I just say "sweet dumpling" and hold my hands up in a triangle, the worker is able to figure out what I want. These are steamed breads that are folded together with sugar in the middle, and they're really, really good. (And cheap!) They remind me a little bit of French toast, but only because when I was little, I used to sprinkle granulated sugar on top of my french toast, and there's granulated sugar in the middle of these that gives a similar crunch.
Ingredients: dumpling bread, sugar
(Tian Jiao Zi, Sweet Dumpling)
Price: .60 RMB, .09 cents USD
Ingredients: dumpling bread, sugar
Monday, November 29, 2010
Food Dish of the Day
西红柿鸡蛋面
(Xi Hong Shi Ji Dan Mian, or Tomato and Egg Noodles)
Price: 4 RMB, 60 cents USD
This picture isn't terribly descriptive, due to the fact I forgot to take a picture until I was halfway done. :) However, the name itself is pretty descriptive, and the dish is tame by Chinese standards - not spicy, just a little bit salty.
Ingredients: Noodles, Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Eggs, and Cabbage.
(Xi Hong Shi Ji Dan Mian, or Tomato and Egg Noodles)
Price: 4 RMB, 60 cents USD
This picture isn't terribly descriptive, due to the fact I forgot to take a picture until I was halfway done. :) However, the name itself is pretty descriptive, and the dish is tame by Chinese standards - not spicy, just a little bit salty.
Ingredients: Noodles, Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Eggs, and Cabbage.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving in the Land of Chopsticks
Happy belated Thanksgiving! While this wasn't my first Thanksgiving away from home, it was my first one outside of the country. As far as Thanksgiving break, our professors pulled a "China" on us - giving us a day off, but requiring us to make up the work. We normally have Wednesday off, but Thanksgiving week we had class on Wednesday, but got Friday off for Thanksgiving break, though we still had class on Thursday. This raises an important philosophical question: when you're thirteen hours ahead of home, does that mean Thanksgiving is Thursday (while it's still primarily Wednesday in the US) or Friday (when it's Thursday there)? The student complaints about not getting Thanksgiving off later proved to be a moot point; on Thursday morning, our TA emailed that our professor was sick, so class was canceled! I still had language class that afternoon, but it meant we got an extra long weekend (4 days, but 5 if you count the field trip on Monday that we have instead of class).
Thanksgiving was largely uneventful, with just language class and too much time watching US television shows online. As a group, we didn't do anything for Thanksgiving, but a few small groups went for Beijing Roast Duck. Asta and Sibei, two of my classmates, invited me along to go eat a real Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by one of the restaurants in San Li Tun, the foreign embassy district. We called ahead for a reservation, but alas, they were completely full, and so we found another restaurant serving Thanksgiving dinner. We hurried back to our dorm from the UChicago center to change/get all spiffied up, and then took to metro to the stop Asta said was closest, in the northeast part of the city. Unfortunately, as we left the subway stop, Asta and Sibei realized neither of them had thought to write down the address or phone number of the restaurant, and I had assumed they had. This problem was only compounded by not knowing the Chinese name of the Marriott hotel, where the restaurant was. We wandered around for about half an hour, and took a taxi who's driver said he knew where it was. We were happy to finally be on our way, right up until the point he pulled up in front of a Sheraton hotel.
We eventually made it to the restaurant, and had a complete Thanksgiving dinner, with green bean casserole, butternut squash soup, and pumpkin pie. :) The only thing missing was mashed potatoes, though we joked about going and getting some from Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was kind of funny (not in a "haha" kind of way, but in a "hmmm, that's very interesting" kind of way - Princess Bride reference, for those of you who didn't recognize it!) to eat with a fork and knife again, but it was great to eat Western style food and hang out in a restaurant where English was spoken. :) Getting there was certainly an adventure that made this Thanksgiving another memorable one. :)
Thanksgiving was largely uneventful, with just language class and too much time watching US television shows online. As a group, we didn't do anything for Thanksgiving, but a few small groups went for Beijing Roast Duck. Asta and Sibei, two of my classmates, invited me along to go eat a real Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by one of the restaurants in San Li Tun, the foreign embassy district. We called ahead for a reservation, but alas, they were completely full, and so we found another restaurant serving Thanksgiving dinner. We hurried back to our dorm from the UChicago center to change/get all spiffied up, and then took to metro to the stop Asta said was closest, in the northeast part of the city. Unfortunately, as we left the subway stop, Asta and Sibei realized neither of them had thought to write down the address or phone number of the restaurant, and I had assumed they had. This problem was only compounded by not knowing the Chinese name of the Marriott hotel, where the restaurant was. We wandered around for about half an hour, and took a taxi who's driver said he knew where it was. We were happy to finally be on our way, right up until the point he pulled up in front of a Sheraton hotel.
We eventually made it to the restaurant, and had a complete Thanksgiving dinner, with green bean casserole, butternut squash soup, and pumpkin pie. :) The only thing missing was mashed potatoes, though we joked about going and getting some from Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was kind of funny (not in a "haha" kind of way, but in a "hmmm, that's very interesting" kind of way - Princess Bride reference, for those of you who didn't recognize it!) to eat with a fork and knife again, but it was great to eat Western style food and hang out in a restaurant where English was spoken. :) Getting there was certainly an adventure that made this Thanksgiving another memorable one. :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saving Money and Eating Scorpion
So after not doing too much the past two weeks, I was starting to get a little antsy to see something other than my campus and the UChicago center. This coincided happily with my classmate's final presentation on the Beijing markets, more specifically the Zoo Market, which she explained has the lowest prices. So on Sunday, a me and a couple friends went down to the Zoo market, to see what we could see.
Walking through the market, I was reminded of why I don't go out a ton in Beijing- waaaay too many people crammed into waaaaay too small of a space. It was so insanely packed, I can't imagine how people could go shopping just for fun. As mentioned, the prices were good, but I was looking more for gifts for everyone at home, so I didn't buy much. I was thinking about getting a pair of "Uggs", and some of the misspellings were funny - "Nggs", "UGCs", or best yet "Aukstalia". :) The Zoo market was a lot like other ones here in Beijing, absolutely packed with people, and about 7 stories tall. The Zoo Market was a little different, in that it was far more "legit" - they don't have a lot of knockoffs and aren't geared towards foreigners.
After the Zoo Market we went to Wangfujing, where I've been a couple times before, with Charis and then once other time. I tried to buy a knock-off Tiffany's bracelet, but the lady wanted 85 RMB and wasn't willing to drop it very low. Having tempted Asta and Eddie to come with me with the promise of scorpions ad other assorted things sold for sale there, after going to get my dad's Christmas gift, we went to get Asta and Eddie a deep fried scorpion. Asta bought it and ate two, and then I ended up eating one, too! It was pretty decent - deep fried and covered in seasonings, so that was what you tasted. We also got fruit covered in sugar, and then also deep fried ice cream. The deep fried ice cream was so terrible, it was just covered in cold oil - a waste of 10rmb, that's for sure.
It was fun to go back to a place I'd been at the beginning of my stay in China. I was a lot more friendly and willing to talk to the sellers a lot more - one said, "Hello, you want to buy?" to me in English, and I told him, "It's okay, I speak Chinese!". I also got use the line, "I'm a poor student, I don't have much money!", though even then the lady didn't give me much of a discount. Another shopkeeper thought I was Russian, which isn't the first time I've been thought to be from Russia. I kind of like it, it means I look European. :p
Walking through the market, I was reminded of why I don't go out a ton in Beijing- waaaay too many people crammed into waaaaay too small of a space. It was so insanely packed, I can't imagine how people could go shopping just for fun. As mentioned, the prices were good, but I was looking more for gifts for everyone at home, so I didn't buy much. I was thinking about getting a pair of "Uggs", and some of the misspellings were funny - "Nggs", "UGCs", or best yet "Aukstalia". :) The Zoo market was a lot like other ones here in Beijing, absolutely packed with people, and about 7 stories tall. The Zoo Market was a little different, in that it was far more "legit" - they don't have a lot of knockoffs and aren't geared towards foreigners.
After the Zoo Market we went to Wangfujing, where I've been a couple times before, with Charis and then once other time. I tried to buy a knock-off Tiffany's bracelet, but the lady wanted 85 RMB and wasn't willing to drop it very low. Having tempted Asta and Eddie to come with me with the promise of scorpions ad other assorted things sold for sale there, after going to get my dad's Christmas gift, we went to get Asta and Eddie a deep fried scorpion. Asta bought it and ate two, and then I ended up eating one, too! It was pretty decent - deep fried and covered in seasonings, so that was what you tasted. We also got fruit covered in sugar, and then also deep fried ice cream. The deep fried ice cream was so terrible, it was just covered in cold oil - a waste of 10rmb, that's for sure.
It was fun to go back to a place I'd been at the beginning of my stay in China. I was a lot more friendly and willing to talk to the sellers a lot more - one said, "Hello, you want to buy?" to me in English, and I told him, "It's okay, I speak Chinese!". I also got use the line, "I'm a poor student, I don't have much money!", though even then the lady didn't give me much of a discount. Another shopkeeper thought I was Russian, which isn't the first time I've been thought to be from Russia. I kind of like it, it means I look European. :p
Friday, November 12, 2010
Food Dish of the Day
小龙包
(Xiao Long Bao, or Little Dragon Dumplings)
Price: 4 RMB, or 60 cents USD
By far the most kick-butt food I've eaten. Can't you see Chuck Norris eating a bowl of little dragon balls before going out to save the world? Unlike normal dumplings, that have just a thin skin, these dumpling are more 'bready', at least at the dining hall, although they aren't everywhere. They're a specialty of Shanghai, and are supposed to be more soupy than regular dumplings, so that when you bite into them, there's a little bit of juice. However, in these, the bread soaked up the juice, but I like the 'bready' dumplings more than the regular ones. Unfortunately, they're also fairly salty, so I don't have them very often.
Ingredients: Pork and green vegetables.
(Xiao Long Bao, or Little Dragon Dumplings)
Price: 4 RMB, or 60 cents USD
By far the most kick-butt food I've eaten. Can't you see Chuck Norris eating a bowl of little dragon balls before going out to save the world? Unlike normal dumplings, that have just a thin skin, these dumpling are more 'bready', at least at the dining hall, although they aren't everywhere. They're a specialty of Shanghai, and are supposed to be more soupy than regular dumplings, so that when you bite into them, there's a little bit of juice. However, in these, the bread soaked up the juice, but I like the 'bready' dumplings more than the regular ones. Unfortunately, they're also fairly salty, so I don't have them very often.
Ingredients: Pork and green vegetables.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Food Dish of The Day
牛肉面
(Niu Rou Mian, or Beef Noodles)
Price: 6 RMB, 90 cents USD
While the name of these noodles doesn't indicate it, it is worth noting for any of you planning on studying in China that these are in fact spicy beef noodles. Nothing to terribly overpowering, just spicy enough to enliven the tastebuds and make your nose run. One of my favorite dishes at the dining hall - cheap and tasty!
Ingredients: Noodles, obviously. Combined with a few spoonfuls of broth, a spoon of beef chunks (that I try not to look at too closely), bok choy, corn and peas,and various spices, including one shaped like a flower, which is pretty cool.
(Niu Rou Mian, or Beef Noodles)
Price: 6 RMB, 90 cents USD
While the name of these noodles doesn't indicate it, it is worth noting for any of you planning on studying in China that these are in fact spicy beef noodles. Nothing to terribly overpowering, just spicy enough to enliven the tastebuds and make your nose run. One of my favorite dishes at the dining hall - cheap and tasty!
Ingredients: Noodles, obviously. Combined with a few spoonfuls of broth, a spoon of beef chunks (that I try not to look at too closely), bok choy, corn and peas,and various spices, including one shaped like a flower, which is pretty cool.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Pizza and Art
As part of our class this session, we're required to complete "excursion projects" that are meant to get us out and about in the city, rather than just being holed up in a classroom. I decided to do my excursion project on 798, a complex of art galleries in north-eastern-ish Beijing. The 798 galleries are fairly well known, and I had heard of them before and wanted to go visit. But contemporary art isn't really my thing, but I figured if I had to do a project on it, then I would be far more likely to actually go visit. And so, last Sunday, I dragged Kimberley, Louis, and Eddie along with me to the galleries.
798 (or in Chinese, 七八九) is so named after the street which runs through it, shockingly called 798 street. It's an old manufacturing complex, so many of the galleries are in old warehouses and buildings, which was really cool. The complex had a festival like feel - all the galleries had their doors open, and there where street musicians and jewelery makers selling things on the street. There were also quite a few small cafes scattered on corners, many of them selling Western food, which is where the first part of the title comes in. While I was off discovering the deeper meanings of pictures of bamboo burning, Kimberley, Louis, and Eddie had stopped and ordered french fries and pizza at a cafe. I met up with them just as the french fries arrived, and they were delicious (the cafe even had ketchup!). The pizza was equally delicious, but it didn't taste like pizza - just cheese bread with chicken and seasonings. I guess I feel kind of reluctant to eat Western food - after all, I can eat it all the time at home, so there's no reason to eat it here. As much as I can sometimes get tired of Chinese food, I guess I'm trying to keep the experience as realistic as possible.
The art itself was actually really interesting - I went there with a list of things to look for in the art, such as how Chinese traditional painting aspects were incorporated, whether it was a critique of the government, and if there was a disdain towards the new consumerism mentality China has shown. The most prevalent theme I found was a critique of urbanism and consumerism, such as the painting that depicted 'moments' in a life, such as getting married, with a picture of an Audi imposed on the scene. It was kind of random, but for the purposes of my presentation, it's a critique of consumerism. :) The best part of 798 was that it was free, only .40 RMB bus fare to get there. An excellent way to spend an afternoon in Beijing, if you're ever here.
And anecdotally, I also went to China fashion week. In the midst of trying to find where Kimberley had went, I turned a corner and found myself surrounded by a bunch of glamorous people wearing black with nametag credentials. Amidst the suits and insanely fashionable dresses, I felt a little out of place in my UChicago sweatshirt and jeans and quickly turned back around that corner, but now I can say I went to China Fashion Week! :)
798 (or in Chinese, 七八九) is so named after the street which runs through it, shockingly called 798 street. It's an old manufacturing complex, so many of the galleries are in old warehouses and buildings, which was really cool. The complex had a festival like feel - all the galleries had their doors open, and there where street musicians and jewelery makers selling things on the street. There were also quite a few small cafes scattered on corners, many of them selling Western food, which is where the first part of the title comes in. While I was off discovering the deeper meanings of pictures of bamboo burning, Kimberley, Louis, and Eddie had stopped and ordered french fries and pizza at a cafe. I met up with them just as the french fries arrived, and they were delicious (the cafe even had ketchup!). The pizza was equally delicious, but it didn't taste like pizza - just cheese bread with chicken and seasonings. I guess I feel kind of reluctant to eat Western food - after all, I can eat it all the time at home, so there's no reason to eat it here. As much as I can sometimes get tired of Chinese food, I guess I'm trying to keep the experience as realistic as possible.
The art itself was actually really interesting - I went there with a list of things to look for in the art, such as how Chinese traditional painting aspects were incorporated, whether it was a critique of the government, and if there was a disdain towards the new consumerism mentality China has shown. The most prevalent theme I found was a critique of urbanism and consumerism, such as the painting that depicted 'moments' in a life, such as getting married, with a picture of an Audi imposed on the scene. It was kind of random, but for the purposes of my presentation, it's a critique of consumerism. :) The best part of 798 was that it was free, only .40 RMB bus fare to get there. An excellent way to spend an afternoon in Beijing, if you're ever here.
And anecdotally, I also went to China fashion week. In the midst of trying to find where Kimberley had went, I turned a corner and found myself surrounded by a bunch of glamorous people wearing black with nametag credentials. Amidst the suits and insanely fashionable dresses, I felt a little out of place in my UChicago sweatshirt and jeans and quickly turned back around that corner, but now I can say I went to China Fashion Week! :)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Discourse on Food
I am currently in the midst of a "I am so over Chinese food" phase. Even before coming here, I was never a huge fan of Chinese food, and while it is good, it's just not my favorite. Except crab rangoon, which I absolutely love, although I've never seen it here, and I'm not even sure it's even Chinese food. (A quick wikipedia search tells me that it is not; apparently, crab rangoon was invented in San Francisco in 1952.) Which brings up another point regarding American Chinese food: while I knew even before I came to China that fortune cookies were entirely an American invention, there is still a little piece of my soul that dies whenever I finish a meal here and don't get a completely generic yet uplifting prediction of my future. (The Sunday before I left for China, my family went for Chinese, and my fortune was: "You will soon go on a great journey.")
Compounding the above disillusionment is the discovery that Chinese Hot Pot (one of my favorite dishes) is actually not Chinese; rather, it's Mongolian, and was imported - along with the Mongols- when they took over the country for awhile a couple centuries ago. (Sorry, don't feel like looking up the specifics).
China is known for having specific foods coming from it's different regions, I guess in a somewhat similar way to how the US draws on lots of different countries' dishes (long ago, the provinces were separate countries, anyway). Hunan and Szechuan food is known for its spiciness, which I discovered my first week here. Which is spicier is debatable - some say Szechuan, some say Hunan. Shaanxi province, which is where Xi'an is located, is known for its "paomo", which is a noodle/meat/soup dish, with little bread pieces scattered in it, too. I'm not sure if there's a specific flavor they're known for, but based off my limited experience, it would likely be spicy, too. My tolerance for spicy foods has gone up exponentially since coming here, that's for sure.
Anyway, I'm going to try and do a post or so each week on food- just a picture and description of some of my favorite dishes, so you all can get a feel for what 'normal' Chinese food is like. We can't all go out and eat hot pot or Beijing Roast Duck (sooo expensive) every night! :)
Compounding the above disillusionment is the discovery that Chinese Hot Pot (one of my favorite dishes) is actually not Chinese; rather, it's Mongolian, and was imported - along with the Mongols- when they took over the country for awhile a couple centuries ago. (Sorry, don't feel like looking up the specifics).
China is known for having specific foods coming from it's different regions, I guess in a somewhat similar way to how the US draws on lots of different countries' dishes (long ago, the provinces were separate countries, anyway). Hunan and Szechuan food is known for its spiciness, which I discovered my first week here. Which is spicier is debatable - some say Szechuan, some say Hunan. Shaanxi province, which is where Xi'an is located, is known for its "paomo", which is a noodle/meat/soup dish, with little bread pieces scattered in it, too. I'm not sure if there's a specific flavor they're known for, but based off my limited experience, it would likely be spicy, too. My tolerance for spicy foods has gone up exponentially since coming here, that's for sure.
Anyway, I'm going to try and do a post or so each week on food- just a picture and description of some of my favorite dishes, so you all can get a feel for what 'normal' Chinese food is like. We can't all go out and eat hot pot or Beijing Roast Duck (sooo expensive) every night! :)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Various Sundry Notes
- For those of you you may have found my last post a little bit too contemplative and self indulgent (I genuinely hope it wasn't), I promise to do something exciting soon, so I can blog about that and not just my own thoughts. :)
- Apparently the China diet works. My hotel room in Xi'an had a scale in the bathroom, and it would seem I've lost somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds. Considering the carb-based diet here, I'm not sure what this says for Dr. Atkins?
- What I mean by class "sessions" : Our classes run back to back, rather than simultaneously, in three week long 'sessions'. After this first session, we had our week break, and now we have 2 more back to back sessions, this next one on Chinese science and medicine, the final one on the evolution of Beijing/Beijing architecture.
- Thanks to the international skating season starting, I've had an enjoyable weekend doing Chinese homework and watching skating on television. (it seems like that's pretty much the summary of my entire life, skating and doing Chinese!). My Chinese vocabulary is now beginning to encompass skating terms, too - I can now say double/triple axel in Chinese. Useless if I end up working for the State Department, but useful if I ever compete here or coach their national team! (Which both seem equally unlikely) :p
- Apparently the China diet works. My hotel room in Xi'an had a scale in the bathroom, and it would seem I've lost somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds. Considering the carb-based diet here, I'm not sure what this says for Dr. Atkins?
- What I mean by class "sessions" : Our classes run back to back, rather than simultaneously, in three week long 'sessions'. After this first session, we had our week break, and now we have 2 more back to back sessions, this next one on Chinese science and medicine, the final one on the evolution of Beijing/Beijing architecture.
- Thanks to the international skating season starting, I've had an enjoyable weekend doing Chinese homework and watching skating on television. (it seems like that's pretty much the summary of my entire life, skating and doing Chinese!). My Chinese vocabulary is now beginning to encompass skating terms, too - I can now say double/triple axel in Chinese. Useless if I end up working for the State Department, but useful if I ever compete here or coach their national team! (Which both seem equally unlikely) :p
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Center Opening 4, or, Economics and Lunch!
On Thursday, I had been asked along with one other student to take notes at the International Symposium on Family and Labor Economics, sponsored by UChicago and Renmin University. It was an all day event held on campus, where different academics from the US and China presented their papers on – you guessed it – family and labor economics! The day included plenty of free food and coffee, which was good- by the end of the day, I needed it.
The first paper presented was presented by James Heckman, one of the Nobel Laureates in econ that was in Beijing for opening. Another Laureate, Gary Becker, was also at the conference and the opening. Although I'm not an econ major, the papers were pretty interesting. Many of them, Heckman's especially, had a lot of equations, and I love the idea of being able to explain human behavior in terms of mathematical equations, even if I can't do it myself.
When we broke for lunch, Sidi (the other student) and I got to accompany the VIPs back to the center for lunch. I don't know whether or not to make a big deal out of eating lunch with Nobel Laureates – before Monday, I had no clue who they were, and they're just people who got awards for their work. But at the same time, it is kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, so while I don't want to brag about it, I guess it was pretty cool. :) The only problem was that lunch involved noodles and watermelon, which greatly enhanced the possibility of me screwing up eating and making a mess of everything. Fortunately, no catastrophes occurred, and my only etiquette error may have been cutting the watermelon too loudly. The discussion focused primarily on economics, and was largely over my head, but what really impressed me is how passionate they are about their work and are still working, when most Americans their age have retired. It makes sense, though – you don't win Nobel prizes for a job or research you're ambivalent about.
The afternoon portion of the conference started to drag a little bit, although some of the works were interesting. One of the papers studied the effect of the Cultural Revolution on children's education (it was bad, fyi), and another covered the gender wage gap in China (getting worse, it seems). It struck me that thirty years ago, these papers likely could not have been researched or presented in China – since both ultimately came to negative conclusions, they probably would have been censored. It's s testament to how far China has come, though I'm certainly no expert. That one of the presenters was able to make a slight joke about the Cultural Revolution, and that people were able to chuckle, seems to me to be a very good sign.
That's it for my updates on this week, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written, and that what I've written is so long! I hope you enjoyed it. :) If you have any questions or things you'd like me to discuss in an upcoming post, please let me know, either through comments/email/facebook. Also, assuming my internet connection lasts (it's been spotty recently), there should be more new pics up on Facebook!
Zai Jian!
~Karissa
The first paper presented was presented by James Heckman, one of the Nobel Laureates in econ that was in Beijing for opening. Another Laureate, Gary Becker, was also at the conference and the opening. Although I'm not an econ major, the papers were pretty interesting. Many of them, Heckman's especially, had a lot of equations, and I love the idea of being able to explain human behavior in terms of mathematical equations, even if I can't do it myself.
When we broke for lunch, Sidi (the other student) and I got to accompany the VIPs back to the center for lunch. I don't know whether or not to make a big deal out of eating lunch with Nobel Laureates – before Monday, I had no clue who they were, and they're just people who got awards for their work. But at the same time, it is kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, so while I don't want to brag about it, I guess it was pretty cool. :) The only problem was that lunch involved noodles and watermelon, which greatly enhanced the possibility of me screwing up eating and making a mess of everything. Fortunately, no catastrophes occurred, and my only etiquette error may have been cutting the watermelon too loudly. The discussion focused primarily on economics, and was largely over my head, but what really impressed me is how passionate they are about their work and are still working, when most Americans their age have retired. It makes sense, though – you don't win Nobel prizes for a job or research you're ambivalent about.
The afternoon portion of the conference started to drag a little bit, although some of the works were interesting. One of the papers studied the effect of the Cultural Revolution on children's education (it was bad, fyi), and another covered the gender wage gap in China (getting worse, it seems). It struck me that thirty years ago, these papers likely could not have been researched or presented in China – since both ultimately came to negative conclusions, they probably would have been censored. It's s testament to how far China has come, though I'm certainly no expert. That one of the presenters was able to make a slight joke about the Cultural Revolution, and that people were able to chuckle, seems to me to be a very good sign.
That's it for my updates on this week, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written, and that what I've written is so long! I hope you enjoyed it. :) If you have any questions or things you'd like me to discuss in an upcoming post, please let me know, either through comments/email/facebook. Also, assuming my internet connection lasts (it's been spotty recently), there should be more new pics up on Facebook!
Zai Jian!
~Karissa
Jinan Part 1, or, Confucius and Dancing
Sorry it's been so long since I updated, I've been off having fantastic adventures with a lot of fantastic people! :) I may divide the catch up posts in to a couple different posts so they aren't terribly long, but that means they'd be chronological from the bottom up, so we'll see. But anyway, on to Jinan:
On Tuesday, Charis and I headed to Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, which is where Confucius was from. It's about a three hour train ride, the majority of which I spent sleeping. :) By China's standards, Jinan is a fairly small city, which means it still has more people than the entire state of Montana (several million, I think). We got to Jinan around lunchtime, and we ate lunch with Charis's mom and grandmother, who were both very friendly and offered me entirely too much to eat. (For some reason, I get fuller faster in China) That afternoon, we met up with one of Charis's friends from her high school in Singapore, and we went to Thousand Buddha Mountain, who's name will become fairly obvious momentarily. On the mountainside is a statue of a gigantic golden Buddha, probably 15 to 20 feet tall, and seemingly just as wide. After taking a picture with him, I was asked by a few locals if they could take a picture with me, since foreigners are more rare here than they are in Beijing. :)
After that, we went to the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, which is quite literally a cave with a thousand Buddha statues in it, maybe more. Some of them were absolutely enormous, Charis says 20 meters (longer than a limousine, that's the best comparison I can come up with). Additionally, the cave walls were just covered in paintings or mini sculptures of Buddha, rows upon rows of them, all about the size of an index card. There were Buddhas of all shapes and sizes - standing Buddhas, sitting Buddhas, even sleeping Buddhas! It was crazy just thinking about all the work that went into them.
Once we finished going through the cave, we walked back down the mountain into Jinan, and went to a little cafe called "Jenny's Cafe". It was an American style cafe (they serve burgers), but we just got coffee - lattes and mochas. (It was the first coffee of any kind I've had since I've been here!) Next door was a little sock store, and I almost bought a pair of chicken face slipper socks for mom - the face and beak are is on the ankle, and there's a little scarf, too! They were absolutely adorable, but I figure I should get China souvenirs that are more distinctly Chinese.
Charis friend's parents picked us up, and we drove to an exhibition of rock sculptures nearby. Like the Buddhas, the sculptures were absolutely incredible! Regardless of the size (and some of them were very big), they were all made out of one rock each - the rocks are from Southern China, and have streaks and veins of red and purple in them, which the artists utilized in the design of the piece - they don't sketch the design first, just imagine it and then start sculpting. The rocks are very valuable, and retail for thousands of yuan, so if a sculptor makes the slightest mistake in carving them, they're ruined.
After that, we left to go get dinner - Chinese hot pot, which I think I've described before. We met up with some extended family at the restaurant, too, and all around it was a great time! The food was incredible, and everybody was really friendly; any time I would say something in Chinese, I would first ask Charis if I was saying it correctly. She would confirm that it was correct, and then quiet the table so everybody could hear. After I finished whatever I was saying (like my chopstick ability has improved since I got here), it was generally met by cheers and the occasional round of applause. They enjoyed getting to hear an American speak their language, even if her command of it was lacking. :)
After dinner, the three of us younguns left to wander around, while the adults stayed and talked awhile longer. We ended up wandering into the parking lot of the old Jinan stadium, where a bunch of older people had gathered to dance. This is a phenomenon I've seen elsewhere in China, too - I'm not sure if the government encourages these evening dance clubs, to help keep an aging population in shape, or if they've just sprung up. Either way, we joined them for an hour or so until her parents were ready to go, and it was a ton of fun! {Side note, for those who want more info: the Jinan stadium is now called old, since a new one was built two years ago for the National Olympics. We visited that complex as well, and it was cool – the one building was designed to look like a lotus!}
The next day, we went sight seeing in Confucius's home town of Qufu. It was a couple of hours away by bus ride, so I got to see a little bit more of the countryside, although I slept quite a bit on this trip, too. :) His hometown is tiny by China standards, roughly 600,000 people, so I was finally in a place less populated than my state! We went to the Confucius Research Institute and Museum, where we got to see a lot of artifacts and some portraits of him (he was ugly, but in a cute way!). As we were walking around there, we passed a little pool with a lot of fish in it. I stopped to look, and they all swam over to me and starting doing that opening/closing thing with their mouth. Bob, another UChicago student who was with us, said they were hungry. However, I think they were staring at me because I was an American. ;)
After visiting the research institute, we decided to go get lunch at a little restaurant down the street. It was a small place, with a kitten on the doorstep and a pen of chickens out front that I stopped to say hi to. We went in, and after looking through the menu, ordered chicken as the main dish (you see where this is going, I'm sure). The lady left momentarily, and came back with one of the chickens I had said hi to moments earlier. She asked, "Does this one look good?", and after our confirmation, she took him back into the kitchen. We heard a few moments of squawking, and twenty minutes later there was a cooked chicken on our table. The broth he was soaking actually contained all of him, including the feet and the head (which I didn't try). I almost felt bad about his dying as a direct result of my actions, but he was delicious!
That afternoon, we went to the complex where Confucius taught, which was pretty cool - they had a family tree that traces his descendants down to the 49th generation! While we didn't go, you can also see his tomb there - but the problem is, with so many of his descendants also having the same last name and being buried there, they aren't entirely sure which tomb is his. :)
Also in Jinan, we climbed a mountain, but that'll be my next post!
On Tuesday, Charis and I headed to Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, which is where Confucius was from. It's about a three hour train ride, the majority of which I spent sleeping. :) By China's standards, Jinan is a fairly small city, which means it still has more people than the entire state of Montana (several million, I think). We got to Jinan around lunchtime, and we ate lunch with Charis's mom and grandmother, who were both very friendly and offered me entirely too much to eat. (For some reason, I get fuller faster in China) That afternoon, we met up with one of Charis's friends from her high school in Singapore, and we went to Thousand Buddha Mountain, who's name will become fairly obvious momentarily. On the mountainside is a statue of a gigantic golden Buddha, probably 15 to 20 feet tall, and seemingly just as wide. After taking a picture with him, I was asked by a few locals if they could take a picture with me, since foreigners are more rare here than they are in Beijing. :)
After that, we went to the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, which is quite literally a cave with a thousand Buddha statues in it, maybe more. Some of them were absolutely enormous, Charis says 20 meters (longer than a limousine, that's the best comparison I can come up with). Additionally, the cave walls were just covered in paintings or mini sculptures of Buddha, rows upon rows of them, all about the size of an index card. There were Buddhas of all shapes and sizes - standing Buddhas, sitting Buddhas, even sleeping Buddhas! It was crazy just thinking about all the work that went into them.
Once we finished going through the cave, we walked back down the mountain into Jinan, and went to a little cafe called "Jenny's Cafe". It was an American style cafe (they serve burgers), but we just got coffee - lattes and mochas. (It was the first coffee of any kind I've had since I've been here!) Next door was a little sock store, and I almost bought a pair of chicken face slipper socks for mom - the face and beak are is on the ankle, and there's a little scarf, too! They were absolutely adorable, but I figure I should get China souvenirs that are more distinctly Chinese.
Charis friend's parents picked us up, and we drove to an exhibition of rock sculptures nearby. Like the Buddhas, the sculptures were absolutely incredible! Regardless of the size (and some of them were very big), they were all made out of one rock each - the rocks are from Southern China, and have streaks and veins of red and purple in them, which the artists utilized in the design of the piece - they don't sketch the design first, just imagine it and then start sculpting. The rocks are very valuable, and retail for thousands of yuan, so if a sculptor makes the slightest mistake in carving them, they're ruined.
After that, we left to go get dinner - Chinese hot pot, which I think I've described before. We met up with some extended family at the restaurant, too, and all around it was a great time! The food was incredible, and everybody was really friendly; any time I would say something in Chinese, I would first ask Charis if I was saying it correctly. She would confirm that it was correct, and then quiet the table so everybody could hear. After I finished whatever I was saying (like my chopstick ability has improved since I got here), it was generally met by cheers and the occasional round of applause. They enjoyed getting to hear an American speak their language, even if her command of it was lacking. :)
After dinner, the three of us younguns left to wander around, while the adults stayed and talked awhile longer. We ended up wandering into the parking lot of the old Jinan stadium, where a bunch of older people had gathered to dance. This is a phenomenon I've seen elsewhere in China, too - I'm not sure if the government encourages these evening dance clubs, to help keep an aging population in shape, or if they've just sprung up. Either way, we joined them for an hour or so until her parents were ready to go, and it was a ton of fun! {Side note, for those who want more info: the Jinan stadium is now called old, since a new one was built two years ago for the National Olympics. We visited that complex as well, and it was cool – the one building was designed to look like a lotus!}
The next day, we went sight seeing in Confucius's home town of Qufu. It was a couple of hours away by bus ride, so I got to see a little bit more of the countryside, although I slept quite a bit on this trip, too. :) His hometown is tiny by China standards, roughly 600,000 people, so I was finally in a place less populated than my state! We went to the Confucius Research Institute and Museum, where we got to see a lot of artifacts and some portraits of him (he was ugly, but in a cute way!). As we were walking around there, we passed a little pool with a lot of fish in it. I stopped to look, and they all swam over to me and starting doing that opening/closing thing with their mouth. Bob, another UChicago student who was with us, said they were hungry. However, I think they were staring at me because I was an American. ;)
After visiting the research institute, we decided to go get lunch at a little restaurant down the street. It was a small place, with a kitten on the doorstep and a pen of chickens out front that I stopped to say hi to. We went in, and after looking through the menu, ordered chicken as the main dish (you see where this is going, I'm sure). The lady left momentarily, and came back with one of the chickens I had said hi to moments earlier. She asked, "Does this one look good?", and after our confirmation, she took him back into the kitchen. We heard a few moments of squawking, and twenty minutes later there was a cooked chicken on our table. The broth he was soaking actually contained all of him, including the feet and the head (which I didn't try). I almost felt bad about his dying as a direct result of my actions, but he was delicious!
That afternoon, we went to the complex where Confucius taught, which was pretty cool - they had a family tree that traces his descendants down to the 49th generation! While we didn't go, you can also see his tomb there - but the problem is, with so many of his descendants also having the same last name and being buried there, they aren't entirely sure which tomb is his. :)
Also in Jinan, we climbed a mountain, but that'll be my next post!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Surviving the Bus System
So after being in China for almost a week, I successfully navigated the bus system alone today! The Chinese bus system tends to scare the bejeebers out of me, in part because it's so tremendously large (700 different routes) and because, unlike the subway, there isn't English. I had found an ice rink that was only a few kilometers away, and set out yesterday morning to find it. After some finagling with Google transit to actually get the right start address (my computer can't read characters), I knew it was five stops away on bus 365. Seems like enough information to survive on, right? The entire time, though, I was worried that I accidentally took the bus in the wrong direction, or that Google meant to go 5 stops and then get off, or did it mean at the get off AT the fifth stop? Thankfully, the rink is located in a shopping mall, so when we pulled up at the fifth stop, I knew I was in the right place. Getting of the bus, I was proud of myself for successfully navigating. Turned out the hard part was next - little did I know, the mall I was entering was the second largest in the world. Wikipedia tells me that it was the largest when it was built, but was since replaced with another one in China. Still, the place was really huge, and they even had escalators that were flat, so you can take your cart up them! Prior to finding the ice rink (down in the basement), I passed a McDonalds, a Dairy Queen, a Starbucks, and a KFC, so I guess I know where to go if I get homesick for American food!
The ice rink itself was a bit disappointing- it's only 1/2 a rink, so that makes things a little more tricky. However, there were only a few people there, which I wasn't expecting (considering the city has 23 million), so that's good. And since it's only 15 minutes away, that'll make things easier, too.
In the afternoon, I went with Charis and her business project (Uchicago) friends to give a presentation to a high school about the U of C. Even though I spoke mostly in English, I was worried that the students wouldn't be able to understand me, but luckily, they were. I guess now I can say I've given my first international speech. :) It was a lot of fun, and many of the kids were eager to ask questions about UChicago, which was great.
Yesterday evening, we got Peking Duck for dinner. It was by far my favorite dish thus far in China, and even though it won't be the same back in the States, I'm definitely going to eat it again! :)
Today I'm leaving for Jinan, three hours away. Charis is originally from there, so we're going to stay at her house and climb a mountain! I probably won't update when I'm there, but I'll be back in Beijing on the 10th.
Other Note: It's actually a clear day in Beijing - you can see the mountains in the distance and you can actually see the sky!
The ice rink itself was a bit disappointing- it's only 1/2 a rink, so that makes things a little more tricky. However, there were only a few people there, which I wasn't expecting (considering the city has 23 million), so that's good. And since it's only 15 minutes away, that'll make things easier, too.
In the afternoon, I went with Charis and her business project (Uchicago) friends to give a presentation to a high school about the U of C. Even though I spoke mostly in English, I was worried that the students wouldn't be able to understand me, but luckily, they were. I guess now I can say I've given my first international speech. :) It was a lot of fun, and many of the kids were eager to ask questions about UChicago, which was great.
Yesterday evening, we got Peking Duck for dinner. It was by far my favorite dish thus far in China, and even though it won't be the same back in the States, I'm definitely going to eat it again! :)
Today I'm leaving for Jinan, three hours away. Charis is originally from there, so we're going to stay at her house and climb a mountain! I probably won't update when I'm there, but I'll be back in Beijing on the 10th.
Other Note: It's actually a clear day in Beijing - you can see the mountains in the distance and you can actually see the sky!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Forbidden City and More Food Adventures!
Yesterday Charis and I went to the Forbidden City, which is right by Tiananmen Square, where I had been a few days earlier. I'm not sure what I was expecting with it, but it was absolutely massive! We got there around noon, and walked around until it closed at five, and hadn't seen everything. It's insane to think about how long the Chinese culture has been around; all during the day, I kept wishing I could go back in time and see what it must have looked like during the Qing dynasty. :)
While visiting the Forbidden City, I also got to experience another first for me - a teenager asked if she could take a picture with me! I was a bit surprised, but it made me feel famous for a few seconds. :)
After the Forbidden City, we went to a street nearby (Guansomething), where they sell everything from fried scorpion to starfish. I had initially thought of trying a scorpion (after a conversation w/ someone at home), but ultimately chickened out when I saw and smelled them (all though the smell may have been the tofu). We did end up getting shrimp dumplings, some beef on a stick, and deep fried cream balls. While not as exotic as chicken feet, it tasted much better. :)
On Saturday evening, I met up with Charis and her business project team, who were also from UChicago. We went to a hot pot restaurant for dinner, which is where they bring boiling bowls of water and seasonings to your table, and you slide the food in and cook it yourself. We had two bowls- one spicy and one plain, and both were really good (again, nothing exotic). The restaurant was only a few blocks down from the Olympic Park, so after dinner we went and walked around, which was really cool. (But then, I'm a sucker for the Olympics!) The Bird's Nest wasn't as complex as I thought it would be - from what I had seen, I thought the strands were a lot smaller and more tightly woven. (If I remember, there actually were supposed to be more, but then they eliminated them from the plan to save money). Charis also said that the Chinese government has been holding that land for years (since the 80s) waiting to use it as an Olympic Park. Lucky for them, I guess, it all worked out.
On our way out, there were vendors selling little toys and flags/kites with the Olympic mascot on it. As we walked past, one of the vendors walked along side us, trying to convince me to buy a little kite. He said, "Hello! Very cheap, only one dollar!". His persistence was admirable, but as he offered it again for only a dollar, I told him, "Tai gui!" (too expensive). Everyone in the group got a kick out of it, and the seller left shortly thereafter. I guess my limited Chinese is good for something, at least. :)
While visiting the Forbidden City, I also got to experience another first for me - a teenager asked if she could take a picture with me! I was a bit surprised, but it made me feel famous for a few seconds. :)
After the Forbidden City, we went to a street nearby (Guansomething), where they sell everything from fried scorpion to starfish. I had initially thought of trying a scorpion (after a conversation w/ someone at home), but ultimately chickened out when I saw and smelled them (all though the smell may have been the tofu). We did end up getting shrimp dumplings, some beef on a stick, and deep fried cream balls. While not as exotic as chicken feet, it tasted much better. :)
On Saturday evening, I met up with Charis and her business project team, who were also from UChicago. We went to a hot pot restaurant for dinner, which is where they bring boiling bowls of water and seasonings to your table, and you slide the food in and cook it yourself. We had two bowls- one spicy and one plain, and both were really good (again, nothing exotic). The restaurant was only a few blocks down from the Olympic Park, so after dinner we went and walked around, which was really cool. (But then, I'm a sucker for the Olympics!) The Bird's Nest wasn't as complex as I thought it would be - from what I had seen, I thought the strands were a lot smaller and more tightly woven. (If I remember, there actually were supposed to be more, but then they eliminated them from the plan to save money). Charis also said that the Chinese government has been holding that land for years (since the 80s) waiting to use it as an Olympic Park. Lucky for them, I guess, it all worked out.
On our way out, there were vendors selling little toys and flags/kites with the Olympic mascot on it. As we walked past, one of the vendors walked along side us, trying to convince me to buy a little kite. He said, "Hello! Very cheap, only one dollar!". His persistence was admirable, but as he offered it again for only a dollar, I told him, "Tai gui!" (too expensive). Everyone in the group got a kick out of it, and the seller left shortly thereafter. I guess my limited Chinese is good for something, at least. :)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
When in Rome...
So yesterday afternoon, one of my Uchicago friends from Jinan, Charis, came to Beijing for a business project she's working on. We met up in the afternoon, and I also got to meet her friend Xiyuan from Beijing University, which is only a couple blocks away from Renmin, where I'm staying. After getting lunch (qie zi, fried(?) squash with rice), we went to get me a new power cord for my computer, since the other one broke my first night here. We ended up going to the largest electronics market in Beijing – I'm not sure how many stories it was, but we went to three different floors. Salespeople in China tend to be more than a little aggressive, and as you walk by there are hordes of them gathered around their products encouraging you to come over. The place was absolutely packed, and we found an HP store on the first floor. After much discussion and examination of the power cord, Charis told me that a replacement would be 65 yuan, which she said we'd bargain lower. We then went up to the second floor (again, surrounded by eager salesmen), where someone at another HP store told us to go up to the third floor, where there was another HP store. Three in the same building!
Up to the third floor we trotted, where a salesman examined the cord and tried to tell me the whole thing needed to be replaced (at a more expensive price), not just the part that plugs into the power socket, which is what had broke. After much discussion and plugging the cord into an electric socket, showing that the rest of it did actually work, I got a replacement power cord for 10 yuan, or roughly $1.50. The only downside is I'll have to buy another when I get back to the States, since the prongs on the cord only work w/ Chinese sockets. But thus far, it's worked great! While we were there, Xiyuan also bought a plastic case for his iPod, which cost him 60 yuan, way more than my cord was – where we in the States, it would have been vice versa! On our way out, I was going to attempt to take a picture, but as we walked through the third floor, salesman started saying, “Ah!!! Camera!!!! Helloooo! Nihao!!!!!” and I didn't want them to think I was stealing it/looking for a replacement, so I tucked it back in my purse.
After dropping the cord off in my dorm room, we met up with Charis's godfather and godsister, as well as several other people, to go to dinner at a restaurant. (I forget the name of it, something to do with a river) The restaurant served food from Hunan province, which is known for being spicy, which made me a little worried (silly, considering what would come next). After we were all seated in a private room, the waitresses poured chrysanthemum tea while Charis's godfather ordered. While we were waiting for the food to be served, I thought, If mom and dad could see me, sipping chrysanthemum tea in China! Oh, if they could only see what came next. The dishes were placed on a rotating circle in the middle, so everyone could serve themselves as the plates went around. As the waitress set a salad down, I (jokingly) asked Charis if there was anything in the dishes that I wouldn't want to know what it was. She looked at me and said, “You eat organs, right?”. With that, the meal commenced.
A toast was made, and we all clinked our glasses of watermelon juice and began eating. Watching a suspicious white dish come around the table, and remembering what I've read in books about people eating in China, I asked Charis,
“Do I want to know what that white stuff is?”
She glanced over at it, and lit up.
“Oh, only chicken feet!”, she exclaimed. “They're very good!”
Images of Gandalf and Henny, our chickens at home, danced through my head. Seeing the look on my face, Charis misinterpreted it.
“It's okay, they're clean!”
Not quite what I was worried about.
Following the images of the chickens at home, the next thoughts that ran through my head were: When in Rome.....Ellie did write on my Facebook wall, telling me to “go native!!”, and the natives are eating chicken feet.....screw it, it can't be worse than what McDonald's puts in their chicken nuggets...
Half of a chicken, the head sitting on the platter, eyed me as it went around the table.
The next time the chicken feet came around, I hesitantly picked one up with my chopsticks, and asked Charis if she had any tips on how to eat them. Her only advice was to watch out for the bones. I took a bite, if only so I can say that I've eaten chicken feet, and found the feet to be kind of tasteless, but salty and leathery. After that, I tried pretty much everything on the table, asking Charis what it was after I had swallowed it. What I guessed was some kind of organ turned out to be a duck's neck, and I also sampled strips of chicken skin (not bad, but waaaay too spicy), chicken blood, liver (of what, I didn't ask), and frog. I didn't ask what part of the frog it was, but it was actually pretty good, enough that I had more than one serving. Shrimp were also served, but since they weren't prawns, I figured they weren't exciting enough to eat. (Besides, I can eat them at home! I don't, however, plan on cutting of the chicken's feet when I get home and deep frying them.)
Overall, dinner was fantastic, even if it was a little spicier than I like. It was frustrating not being able to completely understand the conversation, and I could only pick up some tidbits here and there. Especially when they were discussing politics and history, I would have loved to be able to understand, which I guess means this will be the first of many trips to China. And I'm not ruling out eating frog again, either.
Up to the third floor we trotted, where a salesman examined the cord and tried to tell me the whole thing needed to be replaced (at a more expensive price), not just the part that plugs into the power socket, which is what had broke. After much discussion and plugging the cord into an electric socket, showing that the rest of it did actually work, I got a replacement power cord for 10 yuan, or roughly $1.50. The only downside is I'll have to buy another when I get back to the States, since the prongs on the cord only work w/ Chinese sockets. But thus far, it's worked great! While we were there, Xiyuan also bought a plastic case for his iPod, which cost him 60 yuan, way more than my cord was – where we in the States, it would have been vice versa! On our way out, I was going to attempt to take a picture, but as we walked through the third floor, salesman started saying, “Ah!!! Camera!!!! Helloooo! Nihao!!!!!” and I didn't want them to think I was stealing it/looking for a replacement, so I tucked it back in my purse.
After dropping the cord off in my dorm room, we met up with Charis's godfather and godsister, as well as several other people, to go to dinner at a restaurant. (I forget the name of it, something to do with a river) The restaurant served food from Hunan province, which is known for being spicy, which made me a little worried (silly, considering what would come next). After we were all seated in a private room, the waitresses poured chrysanthemum tea while Charis's godfather ordered. While we were waiting for the food to be served, I thought, If mom and dad could see me, sipping chrysanthemum tea in China! Oh, if they could only see what came next. The dishes were placed on a rotating circle in the middle, so everyone could serve themselves as the plates went around. As the waitress set a salad down, I (jokingly) asked Charis if there was anything in the dishes that I wouldn't want to know what it was. She looked at me and said, “You eat organs, right?”. With that, the meal commenced.
A toast was made, and we all clinked our glasses of watermelon juice and began eating. Watching a suspicious white dish come around the table, and remembering what I've read in books about people eating in China, I asked Charis,
“Do I want to know what that white stuff is?”
She glanced over at it, and lit up.
“Oh, only chicken feet!”, she exclaimed. “They're very good!”
Images of Gandalf and Henny, our chickens at home, danced through my head. Seeing the look on my face, Charis misinterpreted it.
“It's okay, they're clean!”
Not quite what I was worried about.
Following the images of the chickens at home, the next thoughts that ran through my head were: When in Rome.....Ellie did write on my Facebook wall, telling me to “go native!!”, and the natives are eating chicken feet.....screw it, it can't be worse than what McDonald's puts in their chicken nuggets...
Half of a chicken, the head sitting on the platter, eyed me as it went around the table.
The next time the chicken feet came around, I hesitantly picked one up with my chopsticks, and asked Charis if she had any tips on how to eat them. Her only advice was to watch out for the bones. I took a bite, if only so I can say that I've eaten chicken feet, and found the feet to be kind of tasteless, but salty and leathery. After that, I tried pretty much everything on the table, asking Charis what it was after I had swallowed it. What I guessed was some kind of organ turned out to be a duck's neck, and I also sampled strips of chicken skin (not bad, but waaaay too spicy), chicken blood, liver (of what, I didn't ask), and frog. I didn't ask what part of the frog it was, but it was actually pretty good, enough that I had more than one serving. Shrimp were also served, but since they weren't prawns, I figured they weren't exciting enough to eat. (Besides, I can eat them at home! I don't, however, plan on cutting of the chicken's feet when I get home and deep frying them.)
Overall, dinner was fantastic, even if it was a little spicier than I like. It was frustrating not being able to completely understand the conversation, and I could only pick up some tidbits here and there. Especially when they were discussing politics and history, I would have loved to be able to understand, which I guess means this will be the first of many trips to China. And I'm not ruling out eating frog again, either.
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