MMM...FOOD

Well, while we're on a break from various trips and holidays (meaning we actually have to focus on studying....), I thought I might fill you in a little bit more about general life in China. So, for the first topic: FOOD.

If you know me like you probably do, food is something that consumes my mind very frequently. It is now a joke that almost every example sentence that I create in Chinese class will probably have something to do with food. This may be because I have learned so many vocabulary words relating to this topic that I am able to form decent sentences, but then again, it could be because the thing that occupies my mind during Chinese is the fact that I get to eat lunch right afterwards.

Before coming to China, despite many people's warnings about the unusual cuisine available here, I was not worried about the food situation. I am very open to different kinds of food and am willing to try almost everything. However, what did surprise me was the difference in staple foods in Northern China compared to the Southern region (where my dad is from and whose food I am used to eating).

I expected to depend on a daily diet of white rice as my staple food. However, noodles are much more common in the North and you can get various types of noodle soups with vegetables and meat for very cheap prices.

Jiaozi and baozi (two different kinds of steamed dumplings) are very popular in Beijing and are available right outside campus. You can get an order of 10 for only 4 RMB (equivalent to about $0.60 USD). They come filled with different types of stuffing, but the most common is a mixture of pork and vegetables. I have been known to eat them for both lunch and dinner in the same day.

Beijing kaoya or roast duck is a specialty of the city. A whole duck can feed several people and comes served in many different ways: slices of fried skin which are dipped into plates of sugar, pieces of meat which can be placed on a bun with scallions and sauce, bones soaked in a warm soup, and smaller pieces that are whipped up into a tasty dish.

Street food is also very common, especially if you are looking for a quick snack or bite to eat. Jian bings are crepe-like pancakes made with egg, scallions, and dough; cooked right in front of you, they make for a tasty breakfast on cold mornings. Roasted chestnuts and steamed sweet potatoes are available on crowded street corners with numerous fruit stands filled with mandarin oranges/tangerines, pineapples, dragon fruit, bananas, etc.

Chuanr (the -r is part of the Beijing accent) is another popular food among Chinese and foreigners alike. Similar to kabobs, individual skewers of different kinds of meat and vegetables are cooked over a flame with a special, spicy flavoring on top. Most popular are lamb, chicken, tofu, eggplant, and corn.

All of the Chinese food is usually very inexpensive. Small snacks are always less that $1 USD, and even if you order several dishes at a restaurant, if you split everything family style, it usually won't cost more than $5-6. Nevertheless, it is hard to eat Chinese food day in and day out and I indulge myself in the occasional American meal that is often a little pricier.

And even though I consider myself pretty adventurous when it comes to food, I'm not sure I can stomach the scorpions, silk worms, snake, dogs, sea star, and sea horse delicacies that are served at the night markets here in Beijing...maybe next semester.

Pictures from Guilin

View from the top of Yao Hill

Hike to local village

Kids playing ping pong

Rice terraces

Yes, the Asian pose on the Li River

View from our cooking class

Group pic at the mud caves

Me with my roommate Kelly (right) and friend Lauren (middle) - mud does exceptional things for your hair and skin!

Guilin

Last week was our second academic excursion for this fall semester and this time, we spent all of our time in the Guilin area in southern China. Guilin boasts one of the most beautiful landscapes in China with large limestone karsts jutting out of the ground with rivers snaking in between them.

We started the trip with a 22-hour train ride from Beijing to Guilin City. After being cooped up on a train for so long, we went immediately to our first activity: a visit to Yao Hill - the highest peak in Guilin. We took a cable car to the top where you could view all of the limestone karsts and then rode down the hill in a toboggan.

After that, we took a long bus ride deeper into the countryside where we had a homestay in an ethnic minority village with Yao people (famous for the women who never cut their hair). We spent two days here hiking through rice terraces, interacting with the villagers, and playing with local children.

The following day, we were taken to a hot spring hotel located in the middle of the mountains. After all of the hiking, indulging ourselves in different hot spring pools was a special treat. Even the drive that ended up taking twice as long as expected due to road construction and rubble (requiring our guys to get out of the bus and move rocks so we could go around corners) couldn't ruin the great feeling of the hot springs.

We were in Yangshuo for the last three days of the trip where we did several very fun activities including a boat cruise along the Li River, riding motorized scooters to mud caves, participating in a cooking class (yes, I actually can cook), and seeing a water show directed by Zhang Yimou (designer of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony).

All in all, it was an activity- and adventure-filled week and a great way to experience a different part of the country. Instead of being in major, developed cities, we were deeper in the countryside and were able to see the extreme poverty and lifestyles of the peasant farmers who make up most of China's population.

When I am in Beijing, I often reflect on how much I love Beijing and my life here; however, by being exposed to the countryside and the "real" China, I have a much greater appreciation for the challenges and changes that China is facing on its road to modern development.