Christmas in February

Its a little late...but here is an interesting video from Christmas night in Harbin, China.

Hot Pot

Hot pot is a Chinese style of cuisine that in theory, should be simple and fun, as it allows the eater a chance to interact with and literally cook their own food, right on the table top. In practice, as Karen and I both found out the hard way, you are really just trying (a) not to set the restaurant on fire (b) contract some rare type of food poisoning from severely undercooked meat (c) burning any of a multitude of appendanges that come into play trying to control the food with the eternally frustrating chopsticks (d) all of the above

My first, and its safe to say last, time in a hot pot restaurant was over Christmas break. Karen and I were in Harbin, and we both passed a local hotpot place that was teeming with locals and decided to stop in. The traditional Chinese hot pot meal is centered around the two hot plates that they set on center of your table. Into that bowl goes water and some spice, with the bowl divided into two sections, one spicy and one cool. They turn the hot plate on and within minutes a nice geyser of steam is rising from the center of your table and you know its time to add the food. They then bring out raw meat and vegatables, and you add them to the boiling water and after waiting a few minutes you pull the meat and vegetables out of the boiling water and after letting them cool (I learned after the first bite...this is an important step!) its bon appetit. There was one small problem. We didn't really know what any of the stuff was that we were supposed to add to the hotpot, and we didn't know how long to cook it. The wait staff was extremely busy, so our waiter tried to help us but could only give us tips, he had other tables to wait on. Luckily for us, sitting directly behind us was a family of five, including the grandmother, and a voiciferous litter 5 year old girl that was more than willing to come over to our table and show us how to cook and eat the food. I can only imagine what she must have thought - two grown adults struggling to master the simplicities of what for her is a simple Sunday meal. She was extremely helpful, so much so that we called her, much to her delight, xiao laoshi(little teacher). All in all it was an enlightening experience, but after leaving the hot pot place Karen and I immediately went to the only restaurant in the city that served Western food - McDonald's.

Country Roads in China

Let me set the scene for the fascinating collision of two worlds. Last night, Karen and I met up with some friends at a small bar in Shanghai where they have a live band that plays American music. We had been there a few times before and were friends with the lead singer, an interior decorator/entertainer who has the most interesting assortment of English vocabulary words. Last night, for example, he asked us about Montague, the French politician who advocated for three branches of government and the separation of power in the highest offices. I honestly didn't remember who Montague was when he asked me, but Karen remembered, and we were able to "save face". Interesting conversation...

Later in the night, as we were preparing to leave, I heard the first few chords of a song that strikes very near and dear to my heart. My home, my family, my song....7000 miles away it still evokes the same feelings. We are coming home soon guys....

Harbin's Ice City

Karen and I decided to spend the past few days(including Christmas Day!) in the winter wonderland known as Harbin, China. Harbin is located next to next to Siberia in the extreme northeastern part of China. Its famous in China as being home to an ice city. Since the temperatures in Harbin average 3-4 F during the winter months, ice sculptors from all over the world have made Harbin one of the few places in the world where their art form is viable for long stretches of time. Starting in December, the ice city opens up in the outskirts of Harbin. Building replicas of famous Chinese landmarks, such as the Great Wall, the ice city is beautifully and spectacularly lit by LED's placed inside the ice blocks that create the structures. Walking around the ice city is a surreal experience...truly breathtaking.

Beijing

Winter break started on December 18th and Karen and I decided to head north to the Chinese capital of Beijing. I had been to Beijing before, but this would be Karen 1st time. While in Beijing, we planned on heading to the Great Wall of China, as well to the Forbidden City. Along the way we were open to new adventures, such as eating the Chinese speciality Peking duck, or walking down the food streets along the famous Wangfujing Street, where anything and everything under the sun is available to eat.

On our trip to the Great Wall(GW), Karen and I spent a night at a small hotel that is alongside of the wall. Since the GW is very far from Beijing, and our plan was to climb the wall and enjoy the sunrise from the top, our only option was to stay alongside of the wall and wake up early in the morning. Of course, I hadn't told Karen this, but after climbing the wall, and reaching the highest point on the GW, I ended up on one knee with a ring box in my hand. In the chilly mid-December air, Karen said YES, and needless to say, our walk back down the GW was much better than our walk up.

Engagement on Great Wall!

Chinese baby with oversized jacket!

Eating Scorpion on Wangfujing Street!

The Grocery Store

This entry is pretty self explanatory...except for the pajamas...I still don't get it...

The Commute

This blog entry proves once and for all that I will go to great lengths to provide you with the most compelling and interesting content from my life in China. Enjoy!

(I had to split it up because it was such a large file...)

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI