Chinese food you have to try

Chinese Phrase: 我饿死了！ (Wǒ è sǐ le!)
 I’m so hungry I could die!

“I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food”~Erma Bombeck

The only point of this week’s blog is to show you the diversity of Chinese food. There is a saying that you could live more than ten years in China and every day try a new dish. The Guangdong region of China even has a popular saying for the variety of food it harbors. The saying is that people of the Guangdong region eat everything on four legs, except for a desk.
I believe that before anyone can sincerely understand a new culture they must first experience the local delicacies of that culture.

Top Left: A dish similar to dumplings, filled with shrimp in the middle. This dish can have almost any filling normally vegetables or meat. Top Right: ( 腊味煲仔饭la wei bao zai fan)A sweet rice dice normally found in the Guangdong region of China.

铁板牛蛙 ( tie ban niu wa) This dish was a real surprise. I tried it before asking what was in it. I sincerely thought it was chicken but…I was wrong. This dish is made with frog and melon! The even more astonishing thing is that it was very delicious!

During dinner I immediately noticed this strange yellow thing among the lotus and peas of this dish. It turns out this is actually ginkgo. I never knew ginkgo could be prepared in this way but in china apparently you can eat it like this.  They have a saying for ginkgo trees because the trees require a long time before they ever blossom. The saying is that the grandfather will plant the ginkgo tree but the grandson will be the one to eat the blossom.

Top Left: This is called hot pot or 火锅 (huo guo). The object in the middle of the table is a pot with a fire below it, boiling the water. In this type of restaurant the waitress will bring you vegetables and meat. Then you will pick up what you want and place it in the boiling water to cook it. Next to your plate you will have a dipping sauce to put the meat or vegetables in after they are cooked. Top Right: This dish is one of my favorites! 拔丝地瓜(ba si di gua)  It is fried sweet potatoes covered in caramel!

This snack (小吃) is made with a specific type of fruit that is grown in the mountains of china. The taste is very similar to an apple only more bitter. The fruit is covered in a type of crystallized sugar.  This snack can be prepared in many different ways and can be found almost everywhere.

The food featured in the above pictures was given to me by a friend. It is literally a chicken in a bag. When you open the bag there is a glove inside. You simply put on the glove and eat it with your hands! I was really surprised and a little scared to try it. I’m glad that I did try it because it turned out to be very appetizing!

Last Thoughts: Before you travel anywhere keep an open mind and be willing to try any kind of food. It will make the experience even more richer!

Touring Jinan Part II

Chinese Word:  崇高chónggāo
Majestic

If you ever feel homesick…don’t worry even the Wal-Mart’s in China have the Great Value brand but be prepared to pay a higher price!

Jinan is truly a majestic place with the perfect balance between the modern and natural world.

(Da Ming Hu 大明湖)
大明湖 is  the largest lake in Jinan. The name is literally translated as “lake of the great splendor”.

A ladies morning hike on the gold chicken mountain 金鸡陵
This Mountain is located right next to the Shandong University of Finance’s campus. Many of the residents of Jinan will climb this mountain every day. The residents have the local custom of shouting and singing from the top of the mountain. On my morning runs I can often hear their shouting cascading down. On the top of the mountain you will even find people practicing their tai chi.

(The Charlie’s Angels of the gold chicken mountain)

(The top of the mountain)

Mid Autumn Festival 中秋节

Chinese Word: 月饼 Yue Bing
Moon Cake
我祝大家中秋快乐！
I am wishing everyone a happy Mid Autumn Day!

Every year on the 15^th day of the 8^th month on the Chinese lunar calendar there is a special holiday called the Mid Autumn Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie).  There are many legends about the origin of the Mid Autumn Festival. The most popular one is about the goddess on the moon, Chang’e. The legend begins with Hou yi, a skilled archer. A long time ago the earth was surrounded by 10 suns, each one illuminating the earth at different times. One day all 10 suns appeared simultaneously, blistering the earth. Hou yi then shot down the suns with his arrows until only one remained. As a result the emperor gave Hou yi a pill that granted eternal life.

Emperor advised Houyi not to swallow the pill immediately but instead to prepare himself by praying and fasting for a year before taking it. Hou yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter. One day, Hou yi was summoned away again by the Emperor and during her husband's absence, Chang'e, noticed a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters.  She had discovered the pill. Chang'e swallowed it and immediately found that she could fly. Hou yi returned home, realizing what had happened and he began to reprimand his wife. Chang'e escaped by flying out the window into the sky.

Hou yi pursued her halfway across the heavens but was forced to return to Earth because of strong winds. Chang'e reached the moon, where she coughed up part of the pill.Chang'e commanded the hare that lived on the moon to make another pill. Chang'e would then be able to return to Earth and her husband.

The legend states that the hare is still pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. Hou yi built himself a palace in the sun, representing "Yang" (the male principle), in contrast to Chang'e's home on the moon which represents "Yin" (the female principle). Once a year, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Hou yi visits his wife. That is the reason why it is said that the moon is very full and beautiful on that night.

Today and in the past, the Mid Autumn festival is celebrated by gathering with family and friends for a big dinner and a night of gazing at the moon. There is also the tradition of eating moon cakes also called yue bing (月饼). In Jinan and other modernizing cities some people do not return to their home simply because it is a one day holiday. I have spoken with many people who also plan to go shopping on the Mid Autumn day because of store discounts.  Even though some holiday customs are adapting to modern times, I am confident that the tradition of eating moon cakes will always remain.

(月饼 YUE BING) MOON CAKE

Moon cakes can have any type of filling inside them and they can have many different designs on them. I even saw a moon cake with a hello kitty design on it! The typically filling of a moon cake is made with fruit, nuts, or sweetened red beans. There is a very traditional type of moon cake that is even filled with a cooked duck egg.  My personal favorite moon cakes are the ones made with fruit filling.
My Mid Autumn Festival Dinner

(Back Row Left to Right: Petr from Czech, Robert-jan from Holland, Celine from France, Suzanna from Holland; Middle Row : Benjamin from France, Thibaud from France, Liu XinYing my finance teacher, Me( Jenny); Front Row: Liu Wanwan, Xiao bei)

Touring Jinan

Chinese Word: 家 Jia
Family

(Can you find the French Harry Potter?)

(Three Chinese student hosts and fellow international students)
All the international students at Jinan, myself included; through the same experiences we have become our own little family. We have all approached china with the same open attitude. As a result we have not only learned about China, but also we have learned about each other. We cook, study, clean, and travel together!

I truly believe that not many foreigners come to Jinan because everywhere we venture the citizens of Jinan stare (especially on my morning run). There have been many occasions when children will stop and yell “外国人！” (Foreigner) We went to a restaurant located on the local food street and the son of the shop owner became very excited! His sister asked him what he was doing and he literally said “我看外国人 I am watching the foreigners.” Then he crafted hats and airplanes from newspaper as gifts for us! The people of Jinan are very nice and helpful. I can’t even count how many people on the street have helped me! Excluding the hospitality I have received here, Jinan just has a great atmosphere.
(The local food street)

Jinan is known as the "City of Springs" because of the large number of natural artesian springs. Yesterday we visited spring square and the black tiger spring (黑虎泉). 
Spring Square

Black Tiger Spring (黑虎泉)

(People collecting fresh water from the spring, this water is drinkable without boiling)

Old Jinan

People often swim and do laundry in the spring behind me in the picture.

When touring Old Jinan, the guide told us that a long time ago, after the slabs of stone were laid on the roads, you could lift a stone slab and find a natural spring.

Learn more about Jinan from this website!
http://whatsonjinan.com/

Chinese Word: 耐性 Nai Xing
Patience/Endurance

I was relieved to arrive in Jinan! I felt like the plane would never arrive! The first thing I want to say is that Jinan is beautiful!
The campus is huge and the people are nice!

I was picked up at the airport by the international director’s assistant YinYu Ling (Cherry).
 She introduced me to the first international student to arrive. He is from Holland (Rj) and cannot speak any Chinese. She told me there will be around 10 international students here this semester from Russia, France, Holland, America, and Korea. I look forward to meeting them all. I know this semester I will not only learn about Chinese culture but also the culture of all the international students as well.

We( Rj, Cherry, and Me) all went to lunch together and I spend a total of 7 Yuan (a little more than an American dollar!)

(A beef Pancake and Soup-牛肉馅儿饼和汤)

Today was a great day, but there were a few things that taught me to be patient because there are just some things that cannot be anticipated or are not in my control. When I arrived all I wanted to do was take a shower but there were no towels so I had to buy a few things (towels, detergent, and toilet paper).
The next thing that was really upsetting is that my internet was not working! I was panicked because I needed to notify my family that I had arrived. So I slept and waited to use RJ’s computer to contact my family.  In after thought I am sorry for any worry I caused my family and friends because of this issue.

This in total was my first day, Welcome to Jinan everybody!

Departing

Chinese Word:  哭Ku
To Cry

Today I experienced what it feels like to leave your family and embark for a long stay in a foreign country. I can finally sympathize with the entire international student population at ASU or anyone who has ever decided to live in a foreign country away from their loved ones. I admire their bravery.
The understanding that I have acquired today is that there is no way to prepare yourself for all the emotions you will be hit with the day before and the day you leave.  Only time and experience can allow you to adapt to the transition from home to your new home in a foreign country.

Everyone’s study abroad experience will be different especially how they feel departing for their trip. Today I was thankful for my boyfriend. He took charge when I was crying and scared to go. He snapped me back into reality when he told me: “It is my job to see you off …to make sure you reach your destination on time… not to keep you here.” I really admire his encouragement and selflessness.  Everyone needs a friend like that to take you to the airport!

Leaving everyone was the hardest part, but after I had landed in L.A. for my 7 hour layover, I began to get excited. I love the Airport! You meet an array of people all setting out for different reason. I met 3 interesting people all waiting for the same flight!

Mark and Jay: Barely older than myself going to teach English in Wuhan, China for one year! Mark knew about 6 words in Chinese and had taught there before. This was Jay’s first time traveling to China and did not know how to speak Chinese! They both ubiquitously explained everything that they didn’t understand about China by saying “uh, well this is China” Even though Mark constantly referred to Wuhan as the armpit of china and told of previous horror stories, they both seemed excited and full of adventure.

Hilary: She was 26 born in Hong Kong and moved to Texas at the age of 11. She was going to get her PH.D in acupuncture at a school in Tianjin, China. 

I am so grateful to have met these 3 people; they really helped the time pass! I wish them good luck on their adventure and I hope to hear from them soon!

Last Thoughts:  No matter how hard today was, I would not trade it for anything. Today has revealed a new independence, courage, and patience within myself.  I will miss my family and friends, but the knowledge I gain will be priceless.

(Another tip from my wise boyfriend is: “It is always harder for the ones being left behind than the ones who are leaving.”)

A special thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me even though my dreams have taken me so far away.