Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Merry Christmas and More

I fly home tomorrow night -- yippee! I'm looking forward to some time in the States, with family and close friends, and In-N-Out and Huckleberry's (my favorite brunch spot in LA). 

I had given myself these last few months to determine what I wanted to do during my time here. The job thing has only resulted in a few glimmers of hope, but as of now, that's all they are -- glimmers. So in January, the plan is to go back to school and continue Mandarin classes. I've also looked into volunteer opportunities at a couple of different NGOs, and classes in photo editing and website development. The challenge is things move slowly here, people take a long time to respond, and I may have to wait a month or two before the start of a new session. We'll see! I'll keep you all updated. 

Because I want to live in the moment while I'm home -- and since the moment will pass too quickly, I'm sure -- I'm putting the blog on pause again. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday season, act with kindness, be blessed and be thankful, and love unconditionally. 
Newtown, Conn./AP Photo/Jason Decrow

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hangzhou and Back

We took a spontaneous trip on Saturday to Hangzhou, about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai and a quick, cheap train ride. It's a beautiful place, set alongside the West Lake, the city's main attraction. We walked around the lake and rode a boat to one of its islets, but it was cold and rainy and perhaps not the best time of year to visit. We'll go back, though, to this charming place where hilltops replace skyscrapers. Here's my one and only photo from the 24-hour trip:  
P.S. I woke up on Saturday morning to the terrible news out of Connecticut. My heart broke, and it still aches as we learn more about what transpired the morning of December 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As a nation, we've failed, we've failed our children. I hope that, finally, this tragedy, this one, will spur our nation into action -- action with regard to gun laws and action with regard to mental health care reform.
"We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can't be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this." President Barack Obama, Dec. 16, 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

Zhoumo kuaile!

We have a guest in town! It's been fun showing him the city and sharing our experiences with him, including eating soup dumplings and getting shirts made at the fabric market. Tonight, a new experience is in store for all of us: a Shanghai Sharks game. The Shanghai Sharks are a professional basketball team, known for developing Yao Ming before he crossed over to the NBA. And Gilbert Arenas is part of the team (if you know who that is; I didn't, but learned from the husband). Mike had mentioned wanting to become what Jack Nicholson is to the Lakers (buying court-side seats and season tickets, and doing what Jack does at Laker games). Maybe next season... We'll start with this one game.  

Enjoy the weekend! 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Still Riding

Remember the Tuesday night rides? Although we missed a few these last couple of months for various reasons (travel, illness), Mike and I are still participating and joined the crew last night for another ride across the river and around the city. The group is getting smaller as the temperature drops, and to be honest, I'm not sure how many more rides I have in me this winter -- it's cold out! We'll see. In the meantime, enjoy a new video produced by the bike shop guys (a.k.a. Factory Five). You'll see Shanghai in all its glory.  

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Word About Stinky Tofu

One cart I left out yesterday was the stinky tofu cart, which graces the street corner outside our apartment building every day at lunchtime. Stinky tofu is, quite literally, tofu that's stinky thanks to a fermentation process involving milk, veggies and meat. And you either love it or you hate it. Unfortunately, I fall in with the haters here. 

When Mike first told me about this staple dish, I thought I'd like it. It's fried tofu, and because I like tofu and everyone likes fried, what's not to like? Well, first, I'm proud to say that I got over the nostril-piercing stench and put a piece in my mouth. But that's when things went very wrong. It's no exaggeration when I say that it was as if I had put a professional athlete's sweat-soaked sock in my mouth and chewed. 

I don't denounce stinky tofu fans; I'm just not one of them. And now that I've learned more about it (i.e., "sanitation issues"), I think I'll steer clear for the foreseeable future.  

Monday, December 10, 2012

Carts!

Now that the summer heat is a distant memory (with the temperature these days in the 30s and 40s), carts have come out in full force, appearing on every street corner. They're essentially shops without walls, on mopeds or bicycles, that sell anything you can imagine -- from sweet potatoes to  toilet seats to teddy bears.  

Friday, December 7, 2012

Zhoumo kuaile!

Happy Friday, all! We got back to Shanghai yesterday evening and we're looking forward to a mellow weekend at home. The plan? Pick up our new winter coats we had made at the fabric market, and bundle up for a long bike ride to check out a "Christlkindlmarkt." Have you ever been to a Christmas market? They're big in Europe and feature vendors selling gifts and Christmas decorations, and food and drinks (think: mulled wine). Takes me back to my Strasbourg study abroad days. 

Photos from Chengdu are here and include lots more panda pics (although I have even more in my private collection; I spared you). 

P.S. My blog is now included in an expat blog directory (thank you, Kelly), which is currently holding its annual blog awards. If you like what you're reading, perhaps you'll want to write a nice comment here? No pressure whatsoever. 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Sichuan Street Food

I mentioned that Sichuan food was marked by spice, but it's not the kind of spice that makes your eyes tear or your nose run; it's the kind of spice, unlike any other I've had before, that makes your mouth numb. And it doesn't hit you all at once, it kind of sneaks up on you after a few bites.

Signature dishes include mapo tofu -- cubes of soft tofu with ground pork drenched in hot (as in red, spicy) oil and topped with seasonings -- and hot pot -- similar to what we've had in Beijing, but the "broth" here is hot oil. Sense a trend? Kung pao chicken (which is really "gong bao ji ding") also comes from this region of China, and, like mapo tofu, bursts with flavor. Interestingly enough, it's sweeter here, and not as spicy as most other Sichuan dishes.

The real treasures though are found on the streets: meat and tofu skewers coated with those renowned mouth-numbing spices, and rice cakes and noodles that come in a variety of  shapes and sizes, served in a variety of vessels, including pineapple and banana leaves. The famous Sichuan noodle dish is dan dan noodles -- fresh noodles (the kind where you can taste the difference) topped with ground pork and seasonings, tossed with hot oil (there it is again) and spices. 

Oh, did I forget to mention the rabbit heads? Yup, those are part of Sichuan fare. And no, I couldn't bring myself to eat one. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A City on the Brink

A little bit about the city we're spending time in this week... I say it's on the brink because every other building is under construction. And these are not small, insignificant remodeling projects, these are massive structures being erected and finding their own place among existing high-rises. In fact, there are entire blocks in Chengdu -- from the giant Mao statue across from Tianfu Square to People's Park -- under construction or renovation. 

This probably doesn't help the air quality. It's terrible out, the kind of weather that makes you cough for no good reason and makes your eyes squint even though the sun's not in them. And anyway, the sun is hidden behind a thick layer of smog, or something of the sort. Remember this app? Yesterday, it told us it was hazardous to our health to be outside. 
"Chengdu for the future, for the world." Appropriate.
But the city has soul. In fact, if Shanghai is New York (we've heard the comparison before, and I would tend to agree; it's certainly more NYC than Paris, in my opinion), and if Beijing is D.C. (both being capitals and all), then Chengdu is Chicago. There's an emphasis on art and culture here -- music, performance, crafts -- and people are friendly. Its pedestrian walkways, Kuanzhai Alley and Jinli Ancient Street, offer lovely repose from the city's construction chaos. They're the heart. Both reflect ancient China, and although a Starbucks lives among the shops and vendors in both places, you're reminded that you're truly in China. I just hope Chengdu doesn't lose itself completely as it enters the next phase of its history, one surely marked by an economic explosion of epic proportions. 

(Additional photos from around town to be uploaded from Shanghai; cable forgotten at home. iPhone photos will have to do for now.) 

Monday, December 3, 2012

An Incredible Experience

I smile every time I think about what we did yesterday -- um... we sat next to a panda. A PANDA. A real life panda! It was amazing. And it took a lot of restraint for me not to put my arms around him and squeeze.

We got to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding early Sunday morning. We were one of the first visitors there and began exploring in the cold, dense morning fog. The pandas hadn't even come out yet, so we headed to the Sunshine Nursery where we first saw this little guy... 
...and where we signed up for one-on-one panda time. When we first approached the keeper, Mike asked (in Chinese), "is this where we can sign up to hug a panda?" "There's no hugging the panda," she responded, "but you can sit next to one." Okay, we'll take it. (Even though I really, really wanted to hold one like a baby.)  

While we waited for our panda appointment, we toured the park, which we found to be really well-run and well-kept. We saw baby pandas, teenage pandas, and adult pandas; pandas in trees, pandas on the ground, and pandas on log beds; red pandas, twin pandas, and families of pandas; pandas eating, pandas sleeping, and pandas lounging.
A group of 10 of us had signed up for panda time. And yes, it was somewhat costly, but the $220 was considered a donation to research, and we also got a hoodie and a DVD out of the deal. When the panda was brought out, carried in the arms of its keeper (who was more so heaving the one-year old wild animal), you could feel the electricity of excitement in the air. As each of us took turns playing with the panda, the keeper continued to feed her (I think) sticks of bamboo dipped in honey, which helped her completely ignore the giggling adults surrounding her, giddy with delight. It was pure joy, and I was elated to have had the experience.