The end

We have reached the end of our vacation.  Surprisingly, we did not tour any temples, or visit farms, or do a lot of shopping, but we had fun.  Our vacation routine was simple but relaxing.  In the morning Babes would wake us up and we'd watch an hour or so of cartoons, this was followed by breakfast at the hotel and then off to the pool.  After the pool we'd hit the town for lunch, then back to the room for quiet time and then back to the pool.  We'd end the day with dinner then off to bed to repeat the next day.  I thought I'd get bored with this routine, after all we were on vacation for two weeks, but it was relaxing and nice.  I didn't even feel the need to get a massage or a pedicure (even though I really did need a pedicure). 
Some thoughts on Bali....  First of all, the weather was GORGEOUS!  Big blue skies, just the slightest touch of humidity to soften the breezes, and the temperature hovering right on the edge of hot.  I think part of the reason we were reluctant to do anything was that we just wanted to soak up those blue skies.  Coming from the grey days of Chengdu, blue skies are worth just sitting around in. 
Second, the Balinese seem very friendly.  They have that old fashioned customer service with a smile that you don't see very much anymore.  I saw very few people with evil scowls.  I wondered if the smile was the default expression of the Balinese and they were really happy at all.  But i decided that I didn't care.  I can't stop you from thinking bad thoughts about me, at least this way everyone looks pleasant. 
Third, like Taiwan, religion in bali was part of their daily life.  In front of every business, in the entrances to restaurants, every so often on sidewalks there were these little baskets of fruit, flowers, and rice that I assume were offerings to a God (are Hindu Gods Gods or gods?).  There were tons of little mini temples or mini shrines everywhere.  Driving from place to place you could see larger temples with people attending services in the neighborhoods we passed.  Bali reminded me that Islam and Hindu are two religions that I know very little about. 
Despite the touristy nature of Bali I really enjoyed myself.  It is very nice to have the infrastructure there and not have to worry about little things, for instance everyone that we encountered spoke enough English to make transactions.  I had drinks with ice in them (something I generally don't do when I travel) and didn't have tummy troubles. 
Bali October 24, 2011

In Bali

My first impression of Bali was not a favorable one.  I have heard over and over again about the beauty of Bali, but my first thought after getting out of the taxi in Sanur was "tourist trap".  Indeed this is the first place that we've been that has been so built up for tourists.  The place where we stayed was on a long street stuffed full of tourist restaraunts, massage parlors, and souvenir shops.  It was a little weird.  (what is weirder is that I'm not someone who ever wants to get in touch with the native peoples or their whatever, so for me to be saying this is very odd) However after we went to bed and woke up the next morning to a brilliant blue sky and weather that was perfect, not too hot, not too cold I began to see the attraction.  Despite the various tours that we could take to jungles, native villages, farms, or whatever, we spent almost all of our Bali vacation by the pool.  The beautiful sun and the perfect weather did not inspire us to trek anywhere but to the pool.  We did make it to the beach (Sanur beaches are NOT attractive) and then we went right back to the pool.  The same was true for Ubud, although we did make it to the elephant farm which was alot of fun, but as soon as we were done we were right back pool side again.  We have reached the end of our journey in Musadooah and the beaches here are beautiful, I would write more, but we are off to the beach. 
Bali October 20, 2011

Sudden Showers

An interesting thing about the tropics are the sudden rain storms that will blow in from seemingly nowhere.  On our last evening in Kuching (which means cat in Malay) as we set out for dinner we noticed sinister clouds in the sky.  We hurried out to dinner carrying our umbrellas with us thinking that even if it rained we would be covered.  Little did we know that rain in Malaysia does not mean light drizzle or even the type of heavy rain you get in the US.  No, Malaysian rain storms give a new meaning to the term torrential downpour.  As we were sitting in a food court that specialized in seafood the skies opened up and it rained in a steady sheet for at least an hour.  At some point we realized that it was not really going to stop so when it lightened up to a heavy rain we made a break for it. 
But more on the food court...  The Top Spot, which is what the food court was called, specialized in sea food.  Now, as I've gotten older I've gotten a lot more picky about what I put in my mouth.  I've become one of those travelers that I used to scorn.  I will eat at McDonalds if I have to, rather than eat at some local hole in the wall.  The problem with local hole in the walls, is that you never know if eating there is going to be a great experience or if you are going to sit on the toilet for the next three days wishing you were dead.  But I digress.  At first blush the Top Spot did not look like some place that I wanted to eat in.  Plastic tables and chairs, sea food out on display, and dim lighting which made it look dingy.  But as we got closer I noticed the smell-or rather lack of a smell.  Despite all the sea food everywhere I did not smell old sea food at all.  In fact, there was a curious lack of smell.  And despite the dinginess of the place it was very very clean.  So we sat down to eat, and we ate, and we ate, and we ate some more.  And it was good.  It all tasted very fresh and flavorful.

Welcome to Oz

We have left the gray and gloom of Chengdu for the rain and sudden showers of Malaysia.  Babes was amazed by the brightness of the Malaysian sunshine and the colorful foliage even around the airport.  Her first comment upon seeing the landscape outside of the airport windows was "It's just like Oz!"  I laughed her off at first, but I can see how she might draw the parallel.  We just finished reading the Wizard of Oz in chapter book form last month (If you have a 4 or 5 year old Oz makes a wonderful read aloud book) and just watched the movie for the first time a couple of days ago (part of my project to get Babes into reading, we'll read a chapter book and then watch the movie).  Like Dorothy we left the dull gray sunshineless Chengdu (yes, the long dark of the Chengdu fall/winter/spring has started) flew through the air, only to emerge into a country that is filled with warm bright sunshine and beautiful colorful flowers.
We are not jet lagged, but we flew overnight to get here so yesterday we walked around in a bit of a haze.  Hopefully today will be better and colorful pictures are to follow.

while watching a movie

I have been mad at my blog.... Ok not really, I'm more mad at myself.  I restored most of the pictures to my blog last week, but I haven't wanted to blog AT ALL this week.  Stupid blog! 
But I feel like I should break the web silence and at least do a crafting update to get something up here.  One of the most awesome things that I've discovered in the last year is the public library ecollection.  It is awesome!  One of the things that I hated most about living overseas was having to plan your reading materials out 6 months in advance.  Before whenever we went home we would hit up the used bookstore and buy what we hoped would be 6 months of books (just so you know that's one heavy box).  And, of course, we would always run out of books around month 4, but a used bookstore only has so many books. Then my sister bought me a Sony Reader for Christmas...  I poo pooed her at first, I mean why would I need a reader, I like paper books gosh darn it, and I'm not going to buy books for $10 are you crazy, etc, etc.  But she bought it, so I set it up, but then discovered that you can use your local library with the reader (from anywhere in the world)!  Now I can go to the library while I'm in China, download a book, and read it anywhere!  There are tons of new books for me to read all the time! 
At the same time, I discovered audio books.  I have tried audiobooks in the past, but I just didn't like them.  You've got some dude reading and pretending to be a lady, and more often than not they have annoying voices, but I've discovered that while I listen to an audio book I can knit at the same time!  (as I write that sentence I realize how really lame I am, but I don't care).  So that has lead to me doing a lot of headphone listening... and basically this is a long winded introduction to the earbud covers that I knitted while watching a movie yesterday to turn my earbuds from tangled to tame while sitting around in my purse. 
hopelessly tangled
perfectly tame

I'm an idiot

Our internet was out for two days this week!  I have been going crazy trying to get it fixed or fix it myself.  I tried all the usual suspects with no luck, but then finally today I swapped out one of the cables for a new cable and viola!  It was fixed!  So I was feeling all proud of myself and dancing around, and then I got on Picasa to see what I haven't posted yet.  As I was looking around, I noticed that one of my albums was shared, and i thought to myself surely that's a mistake.  So I deleted it....  and I DELETED ALL OF THE PICTURES FROM MY BLOG!  GRRRR!
I am working to restore the pictures from this year.  (I can't believe I'm such an idiot!) And once that's done, I might look at some of the older pictures.  This is what I get for doing a happy dance after I fixed the internet. 

Bamboo Park

This past weekend we went out to the bamboo park (wangjianglou gong yuan), friends have told me that it's a nice park, but until this past weekend I have not had the opportunity to go.  I'm actually sorry that I haven't been before now.
Bamboo park is, like it's name suggests, a beautiful forest of bamboo laid out in traditional Chinese park fashion.  There are lots of sidewalks, shaded by bamboo, to walk on, and lots of raised walled planters with flowers, and shrubbery, but not a lot of grass.  There are several clearings (all cement, of course) where you can get a table and have a cup of tea while enjoying the outdoors and people watching.  In case you didn't know, Chengdu is known for it's tea gardens, and it's relaxed way of life (hen shufu de ganjue - the very comfortable feeling).
It was a Saturday so there were old ladies knitting, and playing mahjong, men playing cards, and people just generally sitting around drinking tea (or harder stuff) and enjoying life.  We were fortunate enough to sit next to a group playing some traditional Chinese instruments and basically having a jam session.  I, unfortunately, do not know the name of the instruments, but the playing was lovely.  Some of the best examples of traditional music I've heard here.  There were also the usual tea garden haunts, a man with two long metal sticks for ear cleaning (I will NOT do that), someone offering massages, and a man walking around selling turtles.

From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

The North Market

Unlike Beijing, Chengdu does not have a ton of little markets everywhere for anything you might need (if they do I have not found them yet).  Mostly, if you need to buy something you have to go to a department store (something like Walmart) where the selection tends to be very limited or you have to trek up to the North Market (also known as the Lotus Market).  They have everything at the North Market!  You name it, I'm pretty sure I've seen it (although I don't think I've seen pets... maybe they're there and I just haven't found that section yet).  I finally made it up to the yarn section, which is MASSIVE (I know, most of you don't care, but being a knitter I was in yarn heaven!) but what is weird, is that they don't have a lot of different fibers for sale, it is mostly wool or some type of hair, but not a lot of cotton or bamboo or anything.
Anyway, I finally went to the market with my camera and took a few pictures.  They don't give you any idea of the scale of the place.  I forgot to take pictures all the way through so these pictures are just from a few sections of accessories.
This is a view down one of the shopping corridors.

From Blogger Pictures

Here is a shot of guys on a scooter, notice though, that we are INSIDE!

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A view of the guys on the scooter as they drive away, IN BETWEEN the store front displays! Note, they were not the only people on scooters inside!

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These guys are selling guns, but I have also seen tattoos for sale displayed this same way.

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Get your hot fresh guns!

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I'm curious if they do the ink on the street, or if they take you to a back room somewhere

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You see this everywhere in China, melon on a stick, you can also get pineapple, and corn.  I haven't done it, because if you get up really close, it looks a little gross (my tolerance for nasty is not what it used to be)

From Blogger Pictures

Vegetables!

Summer is here and our weekly vegetable delivery has gotten a lot more exciting!  There has been green beans, beets, cucumbers, some tiny tiny tomatoes, corn and a lot of eggplant.  This week I was on a mission to find something to do with the corn, which despite the freshness was rock hard.  I've been told that only American sweet corn is soft, sweet and delicious, corn every where else is hard and chewy.  That being the case, corn on the cob was out.  I made corn fritters last week, Babes and DH liked them, but I was underwhelmed, the amount of work, and the frying involved didn't seem worth it.  This week I tried out Corn pudding.  I got the recipe out of the all-new ultimate southern living cookbook. I have found that I really like this cookbook.  I have it because of their chocolate cake recipe, which is awesome, 3 layers with a whipped cream like filling, covered with a dark fudgey chocolate frosting, so good!  But I have made a bunch of stuff from it and it has all been very good.
I even liked the corn pudding, I was surprised to find it a little like corn bread.  In my head, I thought it would be more of a savory pudding with a vanilla pudding like texture, but it was not at all.  It was dense and chewy, not as grainy as cornbread, but not creamy like vanilla pudding.  Anyway, I used my yellow and purple corn in it and the kernels almost softened to my liking.... I wonder if I soaked the corn overnight....
Anyway, I also have TONS of eggplant, so I made some feta eggplant rolls to go on the side.  I don't think the meal really went together, but it was a sort of use up the delivery before the next vegetable delivery came.
Here are some pics... I really should figure out how to take food pics, these don't really look all that appetizing. 

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

I went to a kids dance class and a fight broke out!

 A friend of mine recommended a dance class for Babes.  The class is pretty cute, there are 10 or so little girls, all dressed up in their tutus, following the teacher.  It's not an intense ballet class or anything, there's 45 minutes of pretty intense stretching, then a break and thirty or so minutes of dancing.  All of the girls look to be somewhere between 3 and 5.  Oh they are so cute!  Anyway, yesterday there was some sort of extra class to make up for a class that they missed so we parents brought our kids up to the studio in the day instead of at night.  I missed what started the fight, but all of a sudden there were two middle aged Chinese ladies screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.  After maybe a minute or two there were five more Chinese ladies, and another minute later and all the moms (and grandmoms) waiting for their little girls were screaming at the tops of their respective lungs!  People were coming from down the hall, around the corner, all of a sudden there were grown men in on the screaming.  I don't know if they switched to Sichuan dialect or if they were screaming obscenities at each other but I didn't understand a single word of it.  I only know that there was a little pushing, a lot of finger waving, and I expected the slapping to start at any minute (it didn't). 
But this brings me back to the whole China is a powder keg....  Any little thing, and I mean little, can start people off on the yelling and screaming (often fighting too).  I'm out a little more than I used to be, but I used to see fights on the streets all the time.  Over train seats, over prices, I'm fairly sure the dance class fight was over a bump (someone bumped into a chair) or some other such nonsense.  Even here in laid back Sichuan people are ready to fight. 

Two poems and a speech

Why God Made Little Girls

Author Unknown

God made the world with towering trees,
Majestic mountains and restless seas.
Then paused and said , "It needs one more thing...
Someone to laugh and dance and sing.
To walk in the wood and gather flowers...
To commune with nature in quiet hours."

So God made little girls
With laughing eyes and bouncing curls,
With joyful hearts and infectious smiles,
Enchanting ways and feminine wiles.
And when He'd completed the task He'd begun.
He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done.
For the world, when seen through little girl's eyes
Greatly resembled Paradise.

When I was a kid I had this poem on my wall.  It somehow survived my childhood, and I brought it with me when Babes was born, framed it and put it on her wall.  It has survived the time better than the what are little girls made of nursery rhyme (sugar and spice and everything nice?  Really?).  I still like it and think it is really sweet.  

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Maya Angelou

I have been looking for this poem in poster form for Babes too.  I think I'm just going to have it printed somewhere and frame it too.  I love this poem, it's so powerful.  

And finally a word from Sojourner Truth about equality, I will not be printing this out for Babes, but I do I'll read it to her when she's older.  Something for us all to remember (since I'm on a girl power kick at the moment)

Sojourner Truth : Ain't I A Woman?
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.

Audis and inside jokes

I HATE BLACK AUDIS.
I don't know why, but some of the worst offenders of traffic laws and the laws of physics are drivers of Black Audis.  Actually, that's not true, I do know why.  People (in China and in other places in the world too) who drive black Audis are generally either government officials, or have way too much money.  Both conditions give the driver a license to be a jerk.  If a car is driving the wrong way down a one way street it is more often than not a black Audi (or a cab driver, but that's a whole nother story).  A black Audi will not stop, it will run you down and keep on going.  A couple of days ago, I saw an Audi parked across a whole lane of traffic.  At first I thought he was trying to park, you know angle himself against traffic, to back into a sidewalk parking space, but as I got closer I realized that there was no one in the car.  I doubt it was an accident because I didn't see any other cars (or drivers) no shattered glass on the pavement.. No this car was just parked across a lane of traffic because he could.  *sigh* I used to think Audis were cool cars too, now just looking at them makes me mad.

But, lest you think that I am all road rage.... Babes and I have an inside joke.  We've had them before, but I think this is the first time that she really realizes that it's an inside joke.  I'm going to let you guys in, but you can't tell her...  It's from Megamind (one of my favorite movies now) nothing special, just the way he says hello, he says "ollo"  Now whenever Babes thinks I'm not smiling enough she pops her little head up and says "ollo".  And I have to say, it always works.  And the opposite works too, if she's being mopey for no reason and I pull a long face and say "ollo" she breaks out into the biggest smile.
It's like I told my brother, one of the best things about having kids is having someone to back you up in your craziness.  I think the best example of this (last random story I swear) happened when Babes was
not even 3.  We were in my sister's car and she took an off ramp a little too fast.  I grabbed the oh s**t handle of the car with both hands and screamed "ooh noooo!"  and from the back seat my little girl chimed in "we're all gonna die!"  I've never been so proud. 

Bread and Sandwiches

I finally got myself together to make sourdough bread using the starter that a friend of mine gave me.  Apparently this starter is from New Mexico around the time of the civil war.  I have been interested in trying sourdough for about a year now, but have never had the nerve to try it.  BUT  with someone else's starter I was ready to give it a go.
I didn't just start with a plain old sourdough though, I am always trying to add more grains to our diet so I started out with Bernard Clayton's Oatmeal Sourdough bread.  It's pretty good.  It made a really pretty loaf, and the inside was pretty soft.  The recipe made one big loaf and four mini loaves.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Using this bread I made feta and tomato sandwiches which are awesome!  I spread feta onto the bread, then added sliced tomatoes, basil, and olives.  Then pan fried them like a grilled cheese sandwich.  Superb!

A Museum and Crickets

This past weekend we went into downtown Chengdu (is it still downtown, if you travel uptown to get to it?) to visit the Science and Technology Museum with Babes.  The Museum itself is not bad.  There are 4 or 5 floors (we got there late so we kinda ran through it) and lots of hands on activities for the young ones (and us adults) to try out.  Despite the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon it was not too crowded.  Some of the more popular activities were crowded, with little kids zooming in and out constantly, but we were able to do a fair amount, and did not get pushed around too much.  There is also a 4D theater, which is supposed to be pretty neat.  What's 4D you might ask, well I asked the same thing.  Apparently it's a 3D movie with touch added to the experience as well.  For instance, if an elephant sprays water, you will get shot with water, or if there's a breeze blowing, they will pipe wind through the theater.  Sounds cool, and I think when Babes is off for her 2 week break we are going to head back for a more in depth exploration of the museum.
On our way out of the museum we found ourselves in the midst of some sort of anime convention.  At first we saw a girl in a Japanese school girl outfit, and I thought strange, but you know how kids are...  Then we started seeing more and more people in school girl uniforms, or with pink wigs, or other costumes on.  I don't follow anime so I can't say which one it was, but I think it was a particular series as most people were dressed in similar costumes.
Along with the costumed kids, I saw this

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

You can't really see it, but it's a bicycle full of crickets.  The noise was unbelievable!  And when you got up really close you could see giant cricket legs (ok they weren't that big) sticking out of the holes.  So creepy.  I thought I should buy one so that I could take a picture of the bug inside, but I couldn't bring myself to get any closer than picture distance.

The relative freedom of 4 tv channels

We only have four TV channels.  Not four channels that I like to watch, or even four English channels, we have four channels.  We have a sports channel, a news channel (that is half fox news and half CNN)  voice of America (which is often in some language that I don’t even recognize) and a Chinese channel.  The news channel and the sports channel will sometimes become something else.  The sports channel will sometimes play US sitcoms and dramas, and the news channel will sometimes have morning shows, but in general, when I flip on the TV there is nothing to watch, or completely inappropriate things to watch, like Dexter will be on in the middle of the day, and the morning shows are on at night (this is what happens with a 12 hour time difference).  When we moved in we asked about getting local cable, but the wiring in the building is too old so we can’t get that.  Then we asked about Satellite, but it is pirated and the Consulate will not condone that either.  So we’re stuck with four channels.  At first I was mad about it.  I was stuck in the house with a 3 year old with nothing to distract her (you’d be surprised how much ½ an hour or an hour of TV for a kid will restore mom’s spirits, particularly if it’s been a bad day).  But I’ve come to appreciate it.  
When we’re in the US, I will often flip on the TV without any plans to watch anything and I will waste a good ½ hour just flipping looking for something to watch.   I would sometimes do it more than once a day and before you know it, you’ve just killed 2 or 3 hours doing nothing.  Now I have to plan to watch something.  I have to think about it ahead of time, order the DVDs or find it on Netflix, and then when I’ve got some time to kill I can sit down and watch it.  I think I spend about the same amount of time on TV, but it’s usually something that I want to see.  There are even days when we don’t turn on the TV at all (at least not until after Babes goes to bed).  Grant it, it’s still not edifying my mind or enlightening me somehow, but it’s better than the frustration of mindless flipping.  

Kunming

I am sitting here trying to figure out what was it about Kunming that made it so beautiful, it's hard to put into words.  Thinking about it critically, it wasn't the city itself.  While not the dusty dirtiness of northern Chinese cities, Kunming did not have any of it's own special charm.  In fact, I think I only took pictures of one temple, and a gate here and there.  But underneath a crystal clear blue sky even the shabbiness of the buildings seemed pretty.  And now that I'm thinking about it, that has to be what it was.  The blue blue sky, the green green grass, and the sparkles of the sun dancing off the lake (in the park near our hotel).  The weather was awesome.  Right on the edge of being hot, but never quite making it.  In the background there are mountains, and lots and lots of greenery.  In some ways it reminded me of Southern California.  I think coming from the land of the perpetual grey skies (Chengdu) it was shocking just to see blue skies.  Anyway, a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.  Some views of the lake, and also of the really Yum yum yummy Yunnan food.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE how much variety there is of Chinese food?  Just one district over from Sichuan and already you have a completely different food experience, instead of a mouth numbing intestine burning dining experience.  There is a sweet/sour burning that sets your mouth on fire, but does not burn in your intestines for days.  Also lots of fresh fruit and edible flowers.  What's not to love?

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Chutney and baby booties

It's been awhile since I've done a what I'm cooking post.  Mainly because the farm subscription has been boring.  I understand it was winter, things don't really grow in the winter, but MAN did I ever get tired of greens.  However, two weeks ago I got a two handfuls of long green hot peppers (I looked it up and this was the best name I could find), which gave me pause.  In the past, hot peppers would not have been a problem, I would just chop them up and add them to everything.  But since Babes has been with us, I can't take the heat, and she can't either.  So what's a woman to do with the hot pepper bounty?  CHUTNEY!  I don't think I've ever had chutney before this winter when NY galpal and I went to do a cooking class at Camaje.  In the class we did a whole Indian menu, and most of it was pretty simple, and Chutney is SO good.  Which is what I ended up doing at home too.  It started off as "well let me make chutney with these hot peppers"  And then since it was vegetarian night I thought I would make Eggplant fritters with the eggplant in the fridge, but instead of making them Italian like the recipe called for I added a barrage of spices to turn them into Curried eggplant fritters.  Add some random stir fried veggies, and curried Indian chickpeas and you have this:

From Blogger Pictures

In other news, I have been knitting a flurry of baby related items.  For my new niece (Welcome to the world Niecey!), And for two little boys that are due to arrive in our community before the fall.  So just for the awww factor, here are a some baby booties for your viewing pleasure.  All were knit with local self striping yarn.  I love this stuff, except for the tendency for the stripes to not knit out the same.   From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures

The classiest McDonalds I've ever seen

Last week I had to go downtown to get my camera lens fixed. I left right after I took Babes to school, but ended up getting there WAY before the Nikon store opened. After looking around, McDonald's seemed to be my best bet for a place to sit down and wait without going too far. When I walked in though, I thought for sure I had wandered into a restaraunt or something. This place did not look like any McDonald's I've ever seen. (It was though, and I had an egg mcmuffin to prove it).

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

I do NOT live in the US

I do NOT live in the US.  There I've said it.  Now if only I believed it. Part of the problem with being an expat (as opposed to immigrating) is the feeling of being neither here nor there.  I've lived in China now for over a year and I don't feel like I live here.  Point of fact, I don't really have a "home" (unless you count where my parents live).  DH constantly gets mad at me when I say I'm going "home" for Christmas, or when are we going "home" for a visit, etc., but I have to say I do not feel that China is home.  Yes, DH, Babes, and Honeydog are all here with me, all our crap is here, but it feels temporary.  I don't know how to explain it.  Maybe it's just the mental attitude, as an expat, everything is temporary.  I know that we are only going to be in China for two years, and then we'll go somewhere else.  I also live outside of the everyday life experiences that your average Chinese person would have.  I don't pay local bills, I don't really use local internet (I can use facebook and blogger through a proxy).  I don't think of myself as Chinese.  I'm not trying to raise my daughter to go through their educational system. 
But at the same time I don't live in the US.  Every month we spend away I get a little farther from that culture and what's going on now.  Some of it I'm very happy about.  For instance I am only vaguely aware that there have been some massive panic attacks over plastics.  But it is very weird to not have an idea of what's super hot, or what kind of music is on the radio right now, or even what TV show everyone is talking about.  I'm not following politics or even major news. 
So where does that leave me?  Or worse, where does that leave Babes?  Will she be one of those kids who claims to be American, but has only visited on holidays?  Where will she think of as home?  One of the many featureless apartments that we live in overseas with our Drexel heritage furniture (the brand of furniture that is furnished in USGovt housing worldwide)? 
I know she's getting more life experiences and a much broader perspective than she could have in the US.  And she will be getting a better education (in most cases), but still I wonder if this lifestyle will help or hurt her.  Would she be better off with more stability and less perspective? 

So you think you have traveled

This is what I thought before I had Babes (and I only have one, I can't imagine 2, 3, or 4).  Traveling as an adult without kids is stressful.  There are hotels to book, tickets to buy, clothes to prepare….a hundred and one little things to get sorted out to ensure a pleasant journey.  With a kid there are a million and one little things to take care of so that the possibility of a pleasant journey is there.    In the past, once I was on my way the stress of traveling eased and I could relax and enjoy myself.  After all, if I had my tickets, my ID, and packed clothes to wear everything else would sort itself out.  In fact, when I met DH I found my perfect traveling companion, he liked to have a plan, so I only had to pack my bags and show up and he took care of the rest.  I like to think we were perfect together, he found exciting things to do and I never complained, provided companionship, could read a map and navigate us to almost anywhere. 

Now that we have a kid though, it is a different kettle of fish altogether (what the heck is a kettle of fish? Why did I just use that expression).   In the past it was always my goal to walk on board a plane with just my tiny purse and a book.  More than anything I hate carry-on luggage.  I hate the overhead bins, I hate jamming crap under the seat in front of you and I hate everyone in front of you who is trying to do that.  Now I LIVE by carry-on luggage.    There are toys, snacks, changes of clothes, blankets, books, and a myriad of other things that need to be carried on for a 24 hour journey. 

BUT, and Mister Business Man this is directed at you, I can get myself, AND my four year old through security faster than you can with your stupid laptop, and I resent the look I get when I get into a security line ahead of you.  We know the procedures, and we are prepared.  My child and I wear loose fitting clothing with no unsuspecting metal parts that can set off a metal detector and shoes that will easily slip off when we get to the front.  I pack all my liquids in an easily accessible place so that I can whip them out and then back in when I need to.  And even when we had to use a stroller, I only needed more than a few seconds once… the first time, when they told me that I would have to put the stroller through the machine and, well it was my first time traveling with a baby and I had no idea how to do that with one hand.  Whereas you, Mister Business Man always seem surprised that you have to take off your shoes, and take your laptop out of the bag.  IT SAYS IT ON THE SIGN, how many times have you traveled?  Oh and your stupid belt…  How many times do you need to travel before you figure out you have to take it off ahead of time?  I remembered after the first time I traveled, many many years ago, and haven't worn one to travel since.  You can't be that busy, I remember to do all these things AND I am watching a four year old who is trying to lick the security rails. 

Once on the plane, I used to kick back with my book, for a bit, and then I'd sleep the rest of trip, or maybe watch a movie or two.  Now I'm lucky if I can watch a movie all the way through if they play it three times on the plane.  And sleep?  Ha I can get maybe an hour or two!  You may be thinking how hard can it be?  You just sit in a seat.  But then you must not remember being three.  Three year olds have the very short attention spans, unlimited energy, and boundless curiosity.  They have to touch EVERYTHING.  They have to squirm, kick, jump, wriggle, flop…..  I could go on but you get the point.  So as a concerned parent I have to be vigilant against the child kicking the other passengers, annoying the other passengers or being entirely too loud altogether.  So it's a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of the active mind of the child before she finds something to amuse herself.  I can't wait until she's a little bit older and we can do littlest pet shop toy sets.  

And then there's the jet lag…….               

Mashawna

LuoDai

This past Saturday we went to the newly built ancient town of Luo Dai. The weather was actually pretty nice, it was warm enough to be outside in light jackets, and the sun actually shined every so often. I'm not actually sure what it is you are supposed to see while you are there, but the town was nice. A paved pedestrian area lined with shops, snack places and restaraunts, sprinkled with a couple of old temples and gates. It was great scenery as well as excellent people watching. Chinese people seemed to either be getting rides in pedi cabs or these weird wheelbarrows with seats decorated with flowers and playing music. I know it sounds weird, but these things were all the rage. Way more popular than the traditional pedi cabs. It was also very popular for young ladies to dress up in 1980's style prom dresses and take a prom picture (I don't think they were taking prom pictures, but that's what it looked like). Since it was one of the first nice days we had it was pretty crowded. Babes, of course, was the center of a lot of attention. It always amuses me when people almost walk into one another because they can't stop staring at my beautiful daughter.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

crafts, cars, and lunch

I finally finished one of the two baby sweaters I've been knitting for the little baby boom that has been going on in my world.  My brother and a good friend from college are both having babies this summer so I decided to knit them baby bear sweaters. It was just supposed to take two months, but I wanted them to look awesome AND I was super busy in the US so they bled into a third month.  They also required me to seam which I've never done on such a large project but I found an excellent online guide at Studio Knits.

From Blogger Pictures

Also yesterday I went to get an oil change, all by myself.  Now, you might be thinking to yourself "so what, getting an oil change is no big deal"  But you'd be wrong.  First of all, they are doing construction up and down the airport expressway so while the Toyota dealership is only 15 minutes away, it took me over 2 hours to find the place.  I could see it almost the whole time, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to get there.  I kept getting closer and further away, closer and further away.... When I finally did make it there it was during lunch time and all the front office people kept trying to get me to go get lunch.  But I told them, in my toddler Chinese, that it took me forever to find the place so I would just wait because I wasn't leaving.  Now onto the second problem....  How much do you know about what they are talking about when you get an oil change?  I know that there's a filter involved, and oil, but that's about it.  Now, imagine trying to conduct this business in a language you barely speak.  None of my Chinese involves anything to do with cars.  Basically I told them, Change Oil, and if they asked me anything, I said just Change Oil.  They tried to sell me the expensive oil (I think) and I said, no, just the common oil, and then they asked something else, and I said Change Oil.  I'm sure they thought I was none too bright.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

On the bright side, they took pity on the poor lost foreigner and fed me lunch at the Toyota Employee cafeteria.  The food was pretty good.  It didn't look great (Chinese food served buffet style almost never does) but it tasted pretty yummy.  And they washed the car.  So I got the signature Toyota service oil change, lunch, and a car wash for about $50 US.  Not cheap, but I found it myself, got it done-in Chinese, and made it back in one piece.  All in all a successful trip!

Lemon Tea Bread Muffins

Just to keep posting. Here's some pics of muffins I made from the Lemon Tea Bread recipe in the Southern Living Cookbook. Very different from my usual muffins, but it has gotten me thinking.... Lemon leftover oatmeal muffins? While searching around I also came upon strawberry muffins... Lemon Strawberry Leftover oatmeal muffins? Stay tuned for more experimenting.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

The only thing is I think I over mix my muffins. I rarely get the rounded top.... I'm going to have to do some research...

Pasta Pasta!

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

This week in an attempt to cure my doldrums on returning to post I decided to finally crack open the pasta making attachment I got for Christmas this year.  And I have to say WOO HOO for the proper equipment!  I made pasta by hand once a long long long long long time ago, but the resulting mess was horrible.  The noodles were thick and spongy and just generally unappetizing.   Plus it took FOREVER!  With that in mind I blocked off a huge chunk of time for pasta and sauce making, but swish swish!  I was done in half the time.  I LOVE MY KITCHENAID!  The pasta making attachment zipped the dough through in no time, and then lickety split cut up the pasta into thin noodles.  I am so excited!  We can have fresh pasta all the time!

escape plan

The events in the Middle East over the last month has highlighted one of the things that I fear the most about the foreign service.  An unplanned evacuation.  As a foreign service family there are a lot of hardships and difficulties that we deal with on a day to day basis.  Most of them are minor and can be dealt with, or ignored.  You know, not understanding the local language, frustrations over local customs that you might not understand, not being able to find a peanut butter that you like, etc.  Not a big deal.  But as the events in Libya have shown sometimes things can go from unpleasant to serious in a matter of weeks, if not days.  Or they can go from bad to worse in a matter of hours.
Since they evacuated the embassy in Egypt I've been trying to figure out what we would do in such a situation.  We have an emergency bag packed.  It's got a change of clothes, our passports, toothbrushes, Honey's rabies certificate, etc.  But, like in Libya, what if we have to evacuate quickly.  What would happen to Honey?  What about all the pictures and the little things that I've collected over the years that have some sort of emotional significance (like Babes' first pair of shoes)?  Would that stuff get packed up if things stabilize?  Will it get torched by the locals?   And poor Honey, the thought of having to leave her behind breaks my heart.  DH claims it's my fault for wanting a dog, but she has added so much to our lives, I can't imagine leaving her to her fate.
There are so many things to be thankful for while we live overseas, but there is also danger, frustration, and loneliness.  And yes, we signed up for it, and yes, we know it's a possibility that the country we are living in could destabilize under your feet, but it's a price we are willing to accept because we think the work the Embassies and consulates do overseas is very important.  

New Hope

The past two weeks have found me in the suburbs and surrounding areas of Philadelphia.  In an effort to do something different I met a friend in New Hope and Lambertville.  I think this is one of those "revamped" small towns that now cater to the antiquing set.  It is basically a town that consists of a main street, and several smaller streets that spoke off the main one.  There are lots of furniture shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and general kitsch shops.  Very very cute, and very very expensive.  I know I'm cheap.  Yes, I admit it.  I'm cheap, but I will sometimes pay for something if it's quality (not always, I like to shop on sale), but this is a recent development.  DH has been working hard to get me to spend more than $50 on a pair of shoes, or pay more for the expensive phone that will last longer than a year.  And I have slowly started to listen.  But this stuff is expensive!  Which is unfortunate, because some of the furniture they had was really cool, funky, and a little odd.  Perfect for us!
But that's ok, I figure we can save up (that's my answer for everything)!  In the meantime, as we were meandering the shops I noticed some hand knit items, so I casually wandered over to see how much they were, just curious.... and I was BLOWN AWAY!  Yes I used all caps on purpose.  I saw socks for $15 a pair!  Scarves for $80 and those little knit flowers that I love to do for Zora and can churn out in an hour $12!!!!!!!!!!!  People have said that I should sell my stuff, but I always thought that what I would have to price them at, no one would pay, but I guess I was wrong.  SO CRAZY!  I'm totally going to open a knitting boutique next year!  TOTALLY!

The US

As you can probably tell, I'm in the US now.  Firmly ensconced in the in-laws house in Philly, well, the suburbs of Philly.  I've been visiting friends.  I've got internet - unfettered internet, I've got a cell phone, and a new ipod touch.  We have a car, an ATM card, and credit cards, and stores glorious stores!  Oh and grandparents!  Life is good.

San Fransisco

I lived in Southern California for 9 years...  The last two years of high school, summers and winters in college, and three years of law school, but I have Never been to San Fransisco.  I know, I know, it's shocking, but SF was nine hours away by car and expensive by plane, and I never found the time, or the travel partners to get up there. 
So it was with great excitement that we planned to make a 2 1/2 day stoppover in SF on our way back to the East Coast for vacation.  Unfortunately, during the same time we planned our trip things in Cairo heated up.  Now how, you might ask, do the protests in Cairo effect a trip to SF?  Well, I'm glad you asked, see DH is a consular officer, these are the people in an embassy or consulate who issue visas, passports, and perform general American Citizen services.  When things in Cairo went to pieces most civilized countries sent extra diplomats to the area to help their citizens in Cairo safely evacuate to another location.  The US is no exception.  DH volunteered to help process American Citizens in trouble, those who might need, visas for family members, or update passports, or birth certificates, or the like.  He was gone for less than a week but missed SF altogether.  In the grand scheme of things, not a tragedy, and generally speaking, I am capable of traveling on my own and having a perfectly grand time without him, but!  And it's a big but!  It IS a big deal when you are traveling to a new city, jet lagged, AND with a jet lagged 3 year old. 
Even with all that, I LOVED SF.  It feels like a newer cleaner East Coast city with the beautiful California skies and coast line.  It's hard to say how much of my impressions of CA are colored by Chengdu.  After months of gray colorless skies and damp cold weather, the pale blue skies of CA, the beautiful sparkling water, and the general greenery of the city were like music to my tired eyes.  The people were also blessedly polite.  I almost wanted to shop and by things because I found every thank you, every have a nice day, every smile to be a salve on the wounded veneer of my heart.  I KNOW Californians are not that polite so I know at least this was due to the wretched grumpiness of my dealings with people in China. 
But I loved it so. 

Shanghai

I finally published this post that I started way back at the end of January....

I'm finally back from my whirlwind tour of China with my sister.  When I worked in the consular section in Beijing I always thought it was crazy that Chinese business men would go to America for a week and see 10 American cities.  But, this is the second whirlwind tour of China that I've done, so I guess it's not that crazy.  After spending several days in Chengdu, Sis and I flew to Shanghai.  While in Shanghai we stayed in the French Concession.  Granted we were only there for a day, but Shanghai is a very pretty place, even with snow melting into mud puddles on the street.  As we breezed through (no time to stop and look, we only had a day to see everything we could) the streets I couldn't help but notice the little bakeries, the small clothing shops, and even tinier coffee shops.
Unfortunately we had to whisk ourselves right out of the French Concession and into the very heart of Shanghai.
It is easy to see how Shanghai can be considered to be one of the cities of the future.  It is growing at an amazing rate, clean and modern.  In comparison to Chengdu, traffic flows nicely, people follow traffic laws, and pedestrians stay on the side walks and in cross walks (for the most part).  The Shanghainese are fashion conscious and stylish. 
When I see Shanghai, I am reminded again how Americans are losing sight of what's important.  Yes, American cities are at a disadvantage, after all how many US cities can boast a population of several million people, but still, the city center in Shanghai is bustling.  Lights, shops, eateries, all centered around a fairly busy pedestrian street.  The subways are clean and efficient, and there are buses that connect the distant parts of the city (so I'm told, Chinese busses still scare me, the maps are in Chinese, and the streets often fly by too fast to read a map). 
Seeing all this, I wonder what the world expo was like.  I'm sorry I missed it, I've been told it was a sight to behold.

cool Picture

I just love this picture

From Blogger Pictures

New Year!

It's the New Year (yeah I know I'm late) and we are already back in gear! After the child and husband mutinied I was forced to leave the tree up an extra week, but it's finally down. I don't know why, I think it's parental influence, but having the tree up past New Year feels a bit like clinging to the old year. I like to have Christmas done and put away so that we can get onto new business!
My sister is coming this week and I plan on taking a TON of photos and we're doing a bunch of traveling so I hope to take some time to update the TRAVELING part of my now non-travel related blog. Maybe I should change the description of my blog. Because really it's now more about stay at home mommying overseas. We don't travel NEARLY as much as we used to. *SIGH* I miss it. BUT little sis is coming and then we are headed back to the US to try to visit EVERYONE, and then when we get back, well I don't know.
But for now Happy New Year everyone!