A Beijing Breakfast (Part III)

A Beijing Breakfast (Part II)

A Beijing Breakfast (Part I)

Well, as I’ve said before, my favorite Beijing breakfast item here is the “jian bing” (tones: jian1 bing3). “Jian” means “fried in shallow oil,” and “bing” means “a round flat cake.” People make them differently in other parts of China, as I found when I was able to try Tianjin’s style while I was there last month. Today, I had another one here in Beijing, and it was delicious! Here’s my observation of how they make them:

Step #1: Scrub stone skillet to clean off scraps from previous order
Step #2: Pour batter (apparently made from millet flower) on hot stone skillet
Step #3: Gently spread out batter as it cooks and quickly becomes a nice crepe
Step #4: Crack an egg over the crepe and evenly spread it out
Step #5: Add green onions and other green herbs
Step #6: Flip crepe over so the side with the egg and green onions is on the bottom
Step #7: Add brown sauce and hot sauce (if desired) on the top (Hot sauce is the best!)
Step #8: Add crunchy fried square-shaped crisp in the middle (The crisp has no strong flavor, as far as I can tell.)
Step #9: Fold crepe over the square crisp
Step #10: Break crisp into 3 pieces
Step #11: Fold into a nice easy to eat little package
Step #12: Put in clear plastic bag and hand it to the customer
Step #13: Take cash from customer
[Currently, they are 2RMB (which is around USD$0.25) everywhere I’ve had them in Beijing.]

ENJOY!!! Mmmmm...it’s so delicious! On a chilly morning, like today, the hot “jian bing” feels great going down!

So, whenever you’re in Beijing, you MUST try one!

A Sunday Assembly

This morning, for the second time, I visited a Cantonese church service, for those with citizenship in areas outside of China proper, especially Hong Kong, Macau, Canada, and the United States. Having spent time in Hong Kong (and a day in Macau), it is nice to listen to Cantonese being spoken and sung. While I don’t understand very much of what is said, I can understand some words and a lot of the characters on the slides. Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up a southern Chinese accent while I’m in Beijing…

Giving Thanks in China

Today was my very first Thanksgiving away from the United States. While I did miss my family and the wonderful times we have together, it was a very memorable occasion. This morning, I had a "kou yu" (spoken language) test. This evening, I had the pleasure of eating Thanksgiving dinner with some Australian and American friends, as they were so gracious to welcome me into their home. The meal was really delicious, as you can see from my first piece of pumpkin pie in China! However, it was strange to be eating Western food and also to be eating with a fork and knife again, as I have now grown accustomed to eating Chinese food, at almost every meal, with chopsticks. Above all else, today was a special day of giving thanks to God for all of the blessings of family, friends, and a wonderful life! Happy Thanksgiving!

The Great Wall of Traffic

This past weekend, I took another trip to Taiyuan to visit friends. Originally, I was planning to go the weekend after Thanksgiving and join them in some holiday activities. However, due to my schedule here in Beijing, I had to move the trip a week earlier. So, this past Friday, I took the long distance bus from Beijing to Taiyuan, and it was the normal 6-7 hour trip. We had a nice weekend, and Sunday evening I headed back to Beijing. I boarded the bus about 10:00pm. I put my ear plugs in, and got ready for what I thought would be the routine 6-7 hour trip back to Beijing. We departed Taiyuan at 10:30pm.

Well, about an hour and a half outside of Taiyuan, we stopped and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited... Around 2:00am, I was wondering if we would make it back to Beijing in time for me to get a cab back to my university in time to make it to class at 8:00am... When 4:00am and then 5:00am came around, I realized I had no hope of ever making it to class that day. While we were waiting, I was able to get out and take some pictures of not only of the Great Wall of China which towered over us on the immediately surrounding mountains, but I was also able to get these pictures of the incredible amount of trucks and vehicles backed up for miles on end in the mountains of the Shanxi province. Apparently, there was a truck that broke down and was blocking one lane, but due to the traffic, and the lack of a shoulder, it was impossible for traffic to maintain any kind of steady flow. Also, given the fact that the truck drivers tend to pile up at even common intersections, it is no wonder they did not form a single file line during this situation. Eventually, we started moving again, but all day long, the traffic was never able to even out and recover from this jam. What was supposed to be the regular 6-7 hour trip turned into a 21 hour trip, as we arrived back in Beijing around 7:15pm Monday evening. I got off the bus, went to the nearest intersection, hailed a cab, and got back to my university about 7:45pm. Before I went back to my dorm, I added minutes to my cell phone and called my teacher and explained the situation. She was very gracious, as usual, and she gave me the homework for Tuesday. Monday night, I slept soundly, as I wasn’t able to get much rest on the bus.

While this trip was quite unexpected, I learned several lessons about the daily life and challenges of Chinese people, persevering in uncomfortable situations, and patience with people I don’t know in very close quarters. It was also a great chance to practice my Chinese with the people on the bus. So, overall, it was a really great trip, and I am continuing to learn, learn, learn…

The Chinese Ethnic Culture Park

A few weekends ago, our class went and toured the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park here in Beijing, which represents the 56 various minority nationalities of China. It was an interesting and educational tour, and we were able to see some replica architecture of various structures from all over China. One day, I hope I can see the real pagodas at Dali, Yunnan, but for the time being, my curiosity rests at ease.

A Saturday Stroll at the Summer Palace

Last Saturday, I took the afternoon to visit the renowned Summer Palace. Throughout history the splendor of this architectural masterpiece has been enjoyed by quite a diverse group. The history of the palace goes all the way back to the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, who ordered the construction of canals to add water to what is now the Summer Palace’s Kunming Lake. Later on, it was the residence of the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty. During the Republic of China’s time in Beijing, after the last emperor was dethroned, the Summer Palace was turned into a park, and people were free to visit and enjoy its beauty. Now, Chinese and foreigners from all over the world come to Beijing and enjoy this treasure of Chinese cultural heritage.

Unfortunately, the day I visited was very cloudy, and the pollution was thick in the air. So, I was not able to see the splendor of the palace in full array. However, I quite enjoyed my walk, took some good pictures, and had a really nice time of relaxation and reflection as I hiked up and down the hills, strolled along the paths, and took in the beautiful surroundings.

Tomorrow, November 11, I will go to the Chinese Nationalities Park, which introduces Chinese and foreign visitors alike to the 56 different ethnic minorities represented in China. Hopefully, I will have some time this weekend to post some reflections and pictures from this field trip.

A Weekend in Taiyuan

Time is flying by as life in China continues to teach me unforgettable and valuable lessons about life and people. Two weekends ago, I went to Taiyuan to visit some friends. That Friday, I took a long distance bus from Beijing at 1:45pm and arrived in Taiyuan about 9:00pm. After I arrived, my friends and I sang our hearts out at a karaoke (KTV) suite, for one of their birthdays. Saturday was a fun filled day with friends, and I was able to eat at a restaurant I’d visited in 2003. They have some delicious breaded-fried mushrooms and a great sweet-and-sour entrée! I’ve been craving those two dishes since I was there over two years ago! (Yeah, I know…that’s really sad…) Sunday was also a great day with friends, but I had to leave Sunday night in order to be back in time for classes on Monday. But, before I left, I had to go to a grocery store with a friend and pick up some famous Shanxi Province “cu” (pronounced “tsoo” - vinegar – I just used it on some “jiao zi” dumplings the other day, and it is fantastic!).

I got on the bus about 10:00pm Sunday night. There was a cheap VCD copy of Jackie Chan’s latest hit “Shen Hua” (“The Myth”) playing on the bus; I think it was from a video camera in the movie theatre, especially since the picture was lopsided and all the colors were unusually red-toned. We stopped briefly at a gas station-rest stop around 2:00am, and we arrived back in Beijing about 5:20am Monday morning. I took a taxi back to my dorm and got totally ripped off by the driver, which is rare these days in Beijing. (Next time, I will definitely be more cautious and bargain with the driver first.) Arriving back at my dorm around 6:00am, I had enough time to do my homework, eat some breakfast, and make it to class before 8:00am! Whew!