Fatty Tuesday: Hangzhou Street Food

We made it to Hangzhou over the holiday weekend, and although we got unlucky (again) with the weather, it's still a beautiful place and it was nice to get out of Shanghai.

For this Fatty Tuesday, I thought you might like to see what street food in Hangzhou looks like (notice the duck beaks, the gofer teeth, and the ever-so-popular chicken feet).

A funny thing happened at the marriage market...

I had heard rumblings of Shanghai's "marriage market" for months now, and have been waiting anxiously to check it out. Held on weekends in People's Park (the city's Central Park, but smaller), I didn't think we'd see anything last Thursday when we were out wandering about. To my delight, we exited the People's Square subway station to find about a dozen fathers and mothers sitting on the edges of planters with their child's stats written on an 11x14 sheet of paper in a plastic protector taped to an open umbrella. Chinese characters were combined with numbers that no doubt revealed date of birth and height.  

I rounded the corner to find the international section, filled with requests for non-Chinese spouses, or perhaps indicating sons or daughters with international experience. Besides age and height, descriptions (in very poor English) included the son's or daughter's educational background and profession, and criteria for their potential mate (must own apartment and/or car, and steady job, that sort of thing). What a sight!   

I had heard that the parents aren't too keen on photographers so I walked away from my mom and Mike to slyly snap some pics with my iPhone. All of a sudden, an older gentleman in round spectacles and a newspaper boy hat (stylin', I should say) ran up to me and asked, "Where are you from? Where are you from?" I was so startled, and enchanted by the marriage market, I didn't know how to react but to smile. "Where are you from?" he asked again, probably because he didn't know any other English. I tried to show him my ring finger, but he was so close to me (the Chinese aren't big on personal space) I couldn't move my arm. I finally managed to say, in Chinese, "America. This is my husband," pointing to Mike. At that point, he realized I wasn't there to shop, only to observe, and let us go our way. It may not have been the two camels and five goats I had been offered in Morocco a few years back, but it was charming nonetheless and fed my ego for the rest of the day. And don't worry, I remind Mike of my desirability whenever necessary. 

Zhoumo kuaile (early)!

I'm learning that every holiday in China has a dedicated food item:

• Zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival 
• Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival 
• Jaozi (or, dumplings) for Chinese New Year 

And for Qingming Festival, it's these things: 

I'm not sure what they are exactly, or how they taste; the line was too long and crazy to make the purchase. But the holiday isn't over yet, and hopefully we'll find these again so I can better describe these green balls of what's most likely some form of (sticky) rice (almost everything is).  

P.S. With the weather turning (albeit slowly), I started the Tuesday night rides back up again this week. Here was our route:

Time to Sweep the Tombs

This week is a short one thanks to the "Tomb Sweeping Holiday." My favorite reaction came from my cousin in Texas when I told her why I had Thursday and Friday off: "That sounds gross and morbid."  

Come to find out it's a time for families to get together and pay tribute to those who've passed. It's not religious, but you burn incense, set a place at the table for them, and offer up fake (paper) money and fake (paper) iPhones (really!).  

I'm happy I'll be with my little family this holiday, and we'll certainly pay tribute to those who've passed in our own way, cherishing the happy memories and laughing as we recall the funny ones.  

Best Tumblr Ever

...for expats in Shanghai -- wuluwu.tumblr.com. It's filled with hilarious truths about the experience of living here. There may be some inside jokes for us laowai (another Chinese word for "foreigner," which can be considered derogatory), but it gives you another, very funny glimpse into life in China. Enjoy!