Hello!
We made it to Newark yesterday evening and were one of the last flights to land before the snow started coming in. If we were an hour late we would have probably been rerouted and that would have been disasterous. So we have enjoyed hanging out at Kirk and Allyson's new house. We had a great dinner they prepared last night. The risotto was voted as the highlight. Today Chase and I slept in until noon because of jet lag and awoke to a blanketed winter wonderland! It's beautiful and calm and the air is fresh and wintery. I would love to live in a climate where there was snow several times a winter.
We had lunch at Evolution burger and I had a great veggie burger. It's been a long while and it was tasty. I spent most of the day packing Christmas presents while Chase and Kirk did some last minute shopping. Allyson braved the cold and shoveled some leftover snow in the driveway. I was told that I should have been helping the pregnant woman and not letting her be out there in the cold but I asked her and she declined help. Sometimes I think fussing over pregnant women can make them feel to pampered. So I let her be her own woman and she seemed content.
Now, I'm watching some football while Kirk prepares another great meal. We're having Mushroom Lasagna for dinner.
Our flight is tomorrow and I'm hoping that the Newark Airport is clear for flights and that we are not too delayed getting into Austin.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Gastronomical Adventures
So the past few days have been a feeding frenzy in our household. Chase went to Guangzhou for a business trip for a day and a half. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, the province that borders Hong Kong which we Americans have slurred into saying.... Canton. Well, that's what the rest of the world calls it as well, so I won't put all the blame on us Americans!
So Guangdong province is also famous for their diet. They are the Chinese that you hear about eating seahorses, sea cucumbers, shark fin, baby fetus and placenta (promise, they eat it), monkey brains, etc. I kid you not.... they eat anything that moves.... ants (it's a well known snack food), worms, rats, etc. No shame they just are adventurous when it comes to their palette. And thank goodness Chase is as well. He really enjoys trying everything served up in restaurants and this coming from someone who when I first met him, was a vegetarian, and then pescetarian. He is just so good at adapting and being flexible. So I was curious to see what would end up on his plate when he was at a business dinner there!
I can not tell you what "delicacies" he ate.... you will have to ask him yourself. All I will say is that the rumors are in fact true about Guangdong.
On Friday, I took the train into Shanghai and met with Chase at our friend, Lisa's apartment. He flew in and the timing was great. We went for a late dinner at a so-so thai food restaurant that I had heard of before and Lisa recommended. I had a brief honeymoon phase of how cool Shanghai is during my first few hours there. I kept saying that I can not wait to move there! It's much more cosmopolitan than New York City, more bustling than Hong Kong, more fashionable than Paris. The saying is that it's the "Pearl of the Orient", but I say it's the Pearl of the World!
Last year, I also mentioned how cool I think Shanghai is. That was how I felt coming from Beijing, which is a great city in itself. Love that place. But coming from sleepy Hangzhou, it felt like I fast-forwarded into the future! Hangzhou is like taking a few steps back into the 80s as far as culture, infrastructure of the city, etc. So we really enjoyed being back in modern society.
The only down-side to Shanghai is that it's a bit too westernized. Beijing has done a great job of still keeping a China-focused identity. Shanghai has left that in the dust and has put on a new veil of money and fashion.
On Saturday we enjoyed another sumptuous feast at our favorite French restaurant in China, Jean Georges. Our food was just as delicious as last time, but the wine pairings were not quite on. I really enjoyed my dessert of an almond souffle cake with strawberries, creme fraiche, and a seaweed nut ensemble. Chase enjoyed venison, red snapper, foie gras, the whole-sha-bang.
And this afternoon before we took our train back to Hangzhou, we stopped by my favorite dumpling place, Din Tai Fung. Originating from Taiwan this increasingly popular eatery serves the most delicate, light, and healthy dumplings. They've even got a location in LA now. We would eat at the Beijing branch almost every month until our Ayi came to cook. I always order the vegetarian dumplings which hit the spot every time. Great bok choy and tofu bits and they have a great dipping sauce which is quite simple: freshly thinly sliced ginger, garlic and red chili paste, vinegar, and soy sauce which you mix to your liking. Chase and I love to load up on the sauces and make ours very vinegary.
If you don't know, Chase is a vinegar lover; he eats vinegar with everything. At the restaurant he used the soup bowl they provide for his dipping sauce instead of the regular dish. So you can imagine how his dumplings are drenched by the time they hit his mouth. He sampled a black truffle dumpling in addition to his pork xiaolongbao. That means dumplings with sauce inside.
So Chase started his culinary journey late last week and we continued in Shanghai and ate our way through the weekend. Needless to say I hopped off the p90x train for one day. I missed my Saturday cardio workout and my Friday workout was a little condensed. But I am looking forward to a big workout tomorrow evening. It feels great to be getting back into shape. Even if I don't look different, I feel stronger and happier.
So Guangdong province is also famous for their diet. They are the Chinese that you hear about eating seahorses, sea cucumbers, shark fin, baby fetus and placenta (promise, they eat it), monkey brains, etc. I kid you not.... they eat anything that moves.... ants (it's a well known snack food), worms, rats, etc. No shame they just are adventurous when it comes to their palette. And thank goodness Chase is as well. He really enjoys trying everything served up in restaurants and this coming from someone who when I first met him, was a vegetarian, and then pescetarian. He is just so good at adapting and being flexible. So I was curious to see what would end up on his plate when he was at a business dinner there!
I can not tell you what "delicacies" he ate.... you will have to ask him yourself. All I will say is that the rumors are in fact true about Guangdong.
On Friday, I took the train into Shanghai and met with Chase at our friend, Lisa's apartment. He flew in and the timing was great. We went for a late dinner at a so-so thai food restaurant that I had heard of before and Lisa recommended. I had a brief honeymoon phase of how cool Shanghai is during my first few hours there. I kept saying that I can not wait to move there! It's much more cosmopolitan than New York City, more bustling than Hong Kong, more fashionable than Paris. The saying is that it's the "Pearl of the Orient", but I say it's the Pearl of the World!
Last year, I also mentioned how cool I think Shanghai is. That was how I felt coming from Beijing, which is a great city in itself. Love that place. But coming from sleepy Hangzhou, it felt like I fast-forwarded into the future! Hangzhou is like taking a few steps back into the 80s as far as culture, infrastructure of the city, etc. So we really enjoyed being back in modern society.
The only down-side to Shanghai is that it's a bit too westernized. Beijing has done a great job of still keeping a China-focused identity. Shanghai has left that in the dust and has put on a new veil of money and fashion.
On Saturday we enjoyed another sumptuous feast at our favorite French restaurant in China, Jean Georges. Our food was just as delicious as last time, but the wine pairings were not quite on. I really enjoyed my dessert of an almond souffle cake with strawberries, creme fraiche, and a seaweed nut ensemble. Chase enjoyed venison, red snapper, foie gras, the whole-sha-bang.
And this afternoon before we took our train back to Hangzhou, we stopped by my favorite dumpling place, Din Tai Fung. Originating from Taiwan this increasingly popular eatery serves the most delicate, light, and healthy dumplings. They've even got a location in LA now. We would eat at the Beijing branch almost every month until our Ayi came to cook. I always order the vegetarian dumplings which hit the spot every time. Great bok choy and tofu bits and they have a great dipping sauce which is quite simple: freshly thinly sliced ginger, garlic and red chili paste, vinegar, and soy sauce which you mix to your liking. Chase and I love to load up on the sauces and make ours very vinegary.
If you don't know, Chase is a vinegar lover; he eats vinegar with everything. At the restaurant he used the soup bowl they provide for his dipping sauce instead of the regular dish. So you can imagine how his dumplings are drenched by the time they hit his mouth. He sampled a black truffle dumpling in addition to his pork xiaolongbao. That means dumplings with sauce inside.
So Chase started his culinary journey late last week and we continued in Shanghai and ate our way through the weekend. Needless to say I hopped off the p90x train for one day. I missed my Saturday cardio workout and my Friday workout was a little condensed. But I am looking forward to a big workout tomorrow evening. It feels great to be getting back into shape. Even if I don't look different, I feel stronger and happier.
Friday, December 4, 2009
New Beginnings
After my realization last week that my work here in China will not ever be a source of happiness, I needed to turn over a new leaf, and remember and find the things in my life that do make me happy. The past year or so I've given all my efforts to try and make my career work in China. I've been passionate as always, done the right thing in all situations, and stayed late, done work beyond what I was hired to do, etc. Still, I have not made much progress in helping the children at the schools because the people I have been working for are not in education to do the right thing for children.
So I have to just let go. I go into work, do what's asked of me, and get out when it's time to go. I feel strange not have motivation at work, but when I started to see the other parts of my life take a back seat, I knew that I needed to regain myself.
Last week I began doing p90x. It's a workout system which they say works because of "muscle confusion." That's just another term for cross training. It's a 90 day program that has various activities for cardio along with the strength training including a yoga workout that's pretty good I must say. The sequencing is a bit off, but they do a good job of teaching and demonstrating good yoga asana for the masses. Anyways, my workout routine for the past one year has been just bare minimum and so my body has been showing that. I've lost so much muscle tone and am bigger than I've ever been. So I'm taking back my body. And it feels good. I'm sore almost every single day but one thing I've learned from yoga is to remember my limits. So my soreness is not debilitating. I'm walking a little weird this morning because my legs are sore, but it's a good feeling. My legs feel strong and like they have worked ... hard.
Basically, this program is just changing it up for me. It's different exercises that's shaking up my muscles. The videos are motivating and the absolute best part is that it's all free! In America, if you buy the dvds, nutrition plan, workout charts, etc. it costs about $200. But thanks to youku.com and the fact that there are no copyright laws in China that are enforced, all the videos are posted and I can just stream them on my laptop. Which is good because I take my laptop to the gym and use the free weights and benches when I need them during the workouts. p90x is also available on Youtube.com for all of you in America, but I think because of youtube's rules, you can't post the entire video at once so it's broken up and that would not be the best when you are trying to workout to have to keep switching and loading different videos. Still, it's better than paying full price.
I also found the p90x+ in the dvd shop while we were in Beijing so I've got that for after I finish the p90x program. These five dvds are even harder workouts for when you have gotten through the first program.
Now I've just got to work on my diet which will be difficult knowing that Christmas is just around the corner. And not to mention that Chase joined me yesterday to do the Legs and Back workout and we went to dinner famished after and had cheese fondue. YIKES. I know, not the best idea if you're trying to get into shape.. hahhah. Anyways, it's been years since I've had fondue of any sort. I will just try and keep it lean for the next couple of weeks. I have noticed I'm eating smaller meals, and more of them and when I do that it's easier to choose healthy food to eat because I'm not gorging on bad food (salty or sweet) because I'm starving. So that's good.
The other new thing I started to do recently was eat peanut butter! I used to eat so many PB&J sandwiches when I was a kid that one day in elementary school, I just couldn't eat peanut butter anymore. It would just make me sick. So I've avoided anything with peanut butter in it for my whole life except for peanut sauces, peanut dressings, and actual roasted peanuts. So now I've gotten back to eating peanut butter. I still can't eat peanut cookies, peanut ice cream, or anything else, but I'm enjoying eatin PB&Js for lunch again. I think it was a mental obstacle for me so I'm glad to be over that hurdle.
So a lot of change over here and it's good to have a different focus in my life and not worry so much about my work. Chase and I are going hiking these weekend on Baochu hill, going to dinner with friends, bowling, getting massages, and putting up Christmas lights.
So I have to just let go. I go into work, do what's asked of me, and get out when it's time to go. I feel strange not have motivation at work, but when I started to see the other parts of my life take a back seat, I knew that I needed to regain myself.
Last week I began doing p90x. It's a workout system which they say works because of "muscle confusion." That's just another term for cross training. It's a 90 day program that has various activities for cardio along with the strength training including a yoga workout that's pretty good I must say. The sequencing is a bit off, but they do a good job of teaching and demonstrating good yoga asana for the masses. Anyways, my workout routine for the past one year has been just bare minimum and so my body has been showing that. I've lost so much muscle tone and am bigger than I've ever been. So I'm taking back my body. And it feels good. I'm sore almost every single day but one thing I've learned from yoga is to remember my limits. So my soreness is not debilitating. I'm walking a little weird this morning because my legs are sore, but it's a good feeling. My legs feel strong and like they have worked ... hard.
Basically, this program is just changing it up for me. It's different exercises that's shaking up my muscles. The videos are motivating and the absolute best part is that it's all free! In America, if you buy the dvds, nutrition plan, workout charts, etc. it costs about $200. But thanks to youku.com and the fact that there are no copyright laws in China that are enforced, all the videos are posted and I can just stream them on my laptop. Which is good because I take my laptop to the gym and use the free weights and benches when I need them during the workouts. p90x is also available on Youtube.com for all of you in America, but I think because of youtube's rules, you can't post the entire video at once so it's broken up and that would not be the best when you are trying to workout to have to keep switching and loading different videos. Still, it's better than paying full price.
I also found the p90x+ in the dvd shop while we were in Beijing so I've got that for after I finish the p90x program. These five dvds are even harder workouts for when you have gotten through the first program.
Now I've just got to work on my diet which will be difficult knowing that Christmas is just around the corner. And not to mention that Chase joined me yesterday to do the Legs and Back workout and we went to dinner famished after and had cheese fondue. YIKES. I know, not the best idea if you're trying to get into shape.. hahhah. Anyways, it's been years since I've had fondue of any sort. I will just try and keep it lean for the next couple of weeks. I have noticed I'm eating smaller meals, and more of them and when I do that it's easier to choose healthy food to eat because I'm not gorging on bad food (salty or sweet) because I'm starving. So that's good.
The other new thing I started to do recently was eat peanut butter! I used to eat so many PB&J sandwiches when I was a kid that one day in elementary school, I just couldn't eat peanut butter anymore. It would just make me sick. So I've avoided anything with peanut butter in it for my whole life except for peanut sauces, peanut dressings, and actual roasted peanuts. So now I've gotten back to eating peanut butter. I still can't eat peanut cookies, peanut ice cream, or anything else, but I'm enjoying eatin PB&Js for lunch again. I think it was a mental obstacle for me so I'm glad to be over that hurdle.
So a lot of change over here and it's good to have a different focus in my life and not worry so much about my work. Chase and I are going hiking these weekend on Baochu hill, going to dinner with friends, bowling, getting massages, and putting up Christmas lights.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Walking to Work
So, if you haven't heard, my work situation in Hangzhou has been quite..... Chinese. Can't say more than that, but I will say that I do hope we have seen the worst and there will only be improvement. I am hopeful.
However, it's when I'm walking to work that I fall into a vicious downward spiral. The walk is about 25 minutes and every morning I wake up chirpy and happy as can be. But as I start the walk to work, my mood descends with every step. I start thinking about everything, my situation, what needs to be done, etc. and by the time I get to work, I'm pouty, unmotivated, and apathetic to it all.
So two days ago I tried actively reversing that downward spiral by thinking happy thoughts and wishes for everyone I passed. I began this without thinking how many people are in Asia and that it would be... too many. I gave them each a happy vibe, a good thought, prayer, or just smiled. Within a few minutes I was feeling lighter myself, the muscles on my face totally relaxed. In fact, they underwent this transformation and my eyes became wider and more clear. It was amazing to me how much tension I hold in my face. Perhaps that's why we all get wrinkles so easily these days. By the end of the walk I was a bit exhausted because of the creative energies I had to spend to think of new things for every person I passed. So tomorrow I will try just thinking the same happy prayer to each person. A blanket prayer for all. We'll see if that helps my attitude for when I go to work each day.
However, it's when I'm walking to work that I fall into a vicious downward spiral. The walk is about 25 minutes and every morning I wake up chirpy and happy as can be. But as I start the walk to work, my mood descends with every step. I start thinking about everything, my situation, what needs to be done, etc. and by the time I get to work, I'm pouty, unmotivated, and apathetic to it all.
So two days ago I tried actively reversing that downward spiral by thinking happy thoughts and wishes for everyone I passed. I began this without thinking how many people are in Asia and that it would be... too many. I gave them each a happy vibe, a good thought, prayer, or just smiled. Within a few minutes I was feeling lighter myself, the muscles on my face totally relaxed. In fact, they underwent this transformation and my eyes became wider and more clear. It was amazing to me how much tension I hold in my face. Perhaps that's why we all get wrinkles so easily these days. By the end of the walk I was a bit exhausted because of the creative energies I had to spend to think of new things for every person I passed. So tomorrow I will try just thinking the same happy prayer to each person. A blanket prayer for all. We'll see if that helps my attitude for when I go to work each day.
Beijing Part 2
Saturday: We decided to go to karaoke after our big meal and we picked a pretty well known chain called "Melody"... in English at least. It's a massive four story KTV venue and there are only private rooms as is the custom in Asia. So we booked a room with a minimum alcohol requirement, which was a bottle and a mystery drink and several mixers. The room we got had a leather sectional, huge coffee table and big plasma. Once I shook off the nerves, I was belting out some tunes. I had fun, but would fall asleep on the couch every few songs and wake back up for one I liked. Jim, our French friend, was alive! He had dance moves for every song he sang and he kept us entertained. At one point, we went out in the hallway with the mic and serenaded a few guests that were on their way in, or out, not sure.
Sunday: I was anxious to wake up because there was talk of going to one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud for brunch. But that was quickly squashed when no one else seemed to stir before 11am and I had another appointment at 2pm. Ben even made reservations, but no one in the Fernando household was prepared. Anyways, we had a great cozy brunch in a little hutong in Nanlouguxiang instead. Fernando recommended this place after he had walked in and seen "egg, bacon, and mayonnaise sandwich" written on the chalkboard. And there it was so Chase and him ordered one each and then split another with twice the bacon and twice the eggs. Nothing screams, "gimme comfort food" than that. I had a tasty asparagus sandwich (sounds strange, but it was good and garlicky) and shared a pot of tea with BeiBei. Next, Chase and I headed over to Costa Coffee in the Raffles City mall to meet some of my old co-workers for tea. The mall is quite nice and it was opening the week we left Beijing so we didn't get a chance to visit. But it's a great space with middle-range stores that I can afford. Most of the other western malls in the city are top-end luxury brands only. I had a great time chatting and catching up on my friends' lives in Beijing since we've been gone. They both have children who were in my class so I always like to hear about their progress because with teaching I literally form huge bonds with children in my class like they are my own so it's good to know how they are doing.
We fit in a quick appointment at the tanning salon and then I was off to the airport. So that's the end of the Beijing trip. What I liked the most was that I got to relax. There's something about going to a different city. You can't check email or get sucked into surfing the internet for a couple hours. We slept soundly, woke up, read our books in bed, and did what we wanted all day and spent times with friends.
Sunday: I was anxious to wake up because there was talk of going to one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud for brunch. But that was quickly squashed when no one else seemed to stir before 11am and I had another appointment at 2pm. Ben even made reservations, but no one in the Fernando household was prepared. Anyways, we had a great cozy brunch in a little hutong in Nanlouguxiang instead. Fernando recommended this place after he had walked in and seen "egg, bacon, and mayonnaise sandwich" written on the chalkboard. And there it was so Chase and him ordered one each and then split another with twice the bacon and twice the eggs. Nothing screams, "gimme comfort food" than that. I had a tasty asparagus sandwich (sounds strange, but it was good and garlicky) and shared a pot of tea with BeiBei. Next, Chase and I headed over to Costa Coffee in the Raffles City mall to meet some of my old co-workers for tea. The mall is quite nice and it was opening the week we left Beijing so we didn't get a chance to visit. But it's a great space with middle-range stores that I can afford. Most of the other western malls in the city are top-end luxury brands only. I had a great time chatting and catching up on my friends' lives in Beijing since we've been gone. They both have children who were in my class so I always like to hear about their progress because with teaching I literally form huge bonds with children in my class like they are my own so it's good to know how they are doing.
We fit in a quick appointment at the tanning salon and then I was off to the airport. So that's the end of the Beijing trip. What I liked the most was that I got to relax. There's something about going to a different city. You can't check email or get sucked into surfing the internet for a couple hours. We slept soundly, woke up, read our books in bed, and did what we wanted all day and spent times with friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)