What I Eat

I’ve had a lot of questions about the food I’m eating, naturally, but I’ve hesitated to put up a post on the topic because I keep getting exposed new things. However, my meals have started to develop a pattern, which I’ll do my best to describe.

That’s another problem – I can’t give you an exact image of the foods I eat. So, I’ve taken the liberty of photographing most of my meals, and will be posting them on flickr.

I’ll answer the obvious first: Food in China is nothing like the food you pick up at the Hy-Vee takeout. Nothing. Except maybe the rice. But I have yet to see any sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, or any of the other American favorites.

Usually I eat on campus, which isn’t as limited as it may sound. I discover new parts of this university everyday, and so far I must have seen at least a dozen places to eat. I’ve sampled several, but there are two or three I frequent most.

Lunch and dinner meals usually consist of rice and a meat/vegetable dish (peppers, potatoes, chicken, celery, tomatoes, eggs, eggplant, tofu, beef, snow peas, spinach, cucumber, mushrooms, and beans of various kinds are common fare). I might also have some Chinese bread (usually steamed, like a bagel), plain or with a filling. Again, see flickr for more specifics.

Breakfast is a bit more difficult – for one thing, there aren’t as many places open. I often get the morning pick-me-up of choice here. I think it’s hot soy milk, but I could be wrong. It’s warm, slightly sweet, a little nutty, and unlike anything I’ve had in the U.S. My breakfast meal is usually some type of bread or roll, sometimes accompanied by a fried egg. I’ve also had fried bread, which is pretty much like a doughnut, but not nearly as sweet.

On drinks: In America, in my experience anyway, it is rare to have a meal without having something to drink, too. This is not so much the case in China. I’m still not entirely sure why, but most students I see in the cafeteria either have no drink at all or maybe a bowl of hot soup.

It’s not that there’s no drinks available – in fact, I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur of the various bottled drinks offered in China. I quickly moved past the standard Pepsi to sample the rainbow of teas and juices always on stock. Unfortunately, I can’t read the labels on the tea, so all I can tell you is that I’m quite fond of the brownish one with a yellow label, and don’t care so much for the yellowish one with the green label. When I return to the U.S. I think I will sorely miss having peach and pineapple-papaya juice.

Speaking of fruits, I should mention that watermelon is everywhere. There are mountains of melons in the carts of fruit vendors on the street. It tastes pretty much the same as in America – but they cut slices rather thick, making eating them a bit slurpy and sticky.

Of course, there are no forks to help me out. For survival purposes, I’ve become quite comfortable using chopsticks. They’re really not as complicated as they look at first glance.

I should also talk about my experiences eating at Chinese restaurants. I’ve eaten at five restaurants in Beijing, and tried three versions of Peking duck. I think they were all cooked similarly, but the most traditional one was dipped in a sauce and then wrapped in a thin crepe. At all of the restaurants, many dishes (often 10-12 for large groups) are served, and everyone eats out of the same dish. I find this to be a very hospitable gesture, but germophobes may be less enthusiastic.

Some foods I have tried: eel, an unidentified fungus, squid, zhong zi (a traditional food – rice and meat, beans, or dates wrapped in a triangular bundle with bamboo leaves or reeds), a scallop of some kind, and a piece of pork “from the head”

Foods I have eaten accidentally: shrimp head, spine of said eel

The most delicious thing so far: a sweet roll (shaped like an egg roll) filled with sweet bean paste and rolled in sesame seeds. Although the bread dumplings filled with meat and vegetables are a close second.

Lastly, you know that saying about Chinese food: “The problem with Chinese food is that you eat it, and then two hours later you’re hungry again.” Not true at all here! Everything’s so filling, my companions quickly pick up on the English phrase “I’m full!”

How I Get Around

My stay in Beijing has allowed me to sample the various ways that people in this city move themselves from point A to point B.

It’s been a bit of an adjustment – in Iowa I can drive to pretty much anywhere I need to be. This luxury is not so readily available in Beijing. Traffic is dense and loud, and laws (such as right of way and driving in the correct lane) seem to be optional.

Luckily, there’s a multitude of other choices. The bus system is pretty easy to locate; however, the signs explaining the routes (at least all I’ve seen) are all in Chinese, so I definitely wouldn’t be using them without a student guide with me. The subway/train (the part I rode was above ground) is a little easier to navigate. And when you exit the station, there’s a mob of drivers soliciting customers for their services, including motorbike taxis. I took one look at them, imagined myself balanced precariously while zooming through Beijing traffic, and thought “Hahahaha, noooo thank you!” Better off with a (clearly marked) cab.

The diversity in this city is truly amazing, and it applies to transportation as much as anything else – behemoth buses to taxi vans to mule-and-carts driven by farmers taking their fruit to market. But in Beijing the signature way to move is by bike. It’s fast, free, and, most importantly, small. Meaning you can swiftly dodge that bus that’s about to run you over. Whenever I embark on GOGBRAB (Gwen’s occasional great bike ride across Beijing) my usual mantra is “ohmygodohmygodohmygodOHMYGOD!” I much prefer pedaling around the comparatively quiet PKU campus.

Anyway, the bike racks are always crowded, and I’ll post some pictures of the ones on campus on flickr.

And I can’t fail to mention: I’m glad to have my tennis shoes with me, because sometimes the best option is on your own two feet!

Visiting the Forbidden City

My busy day Saturday:

Around 10 I went to a meeting in the lab of all the biotech students, where we watched a presentation by a researcher from Cornell. She spoke English very well, but also very quietly, and Dr. Kang and I were in the very back of the room. But what I did hear sounded interesting. We had lunch at the lab (including my first Chinese watermelon!).
After lunch, I was checking my email when Xiang Chen (sp?), whom I’d met briefly a few days ago, came in and wondered if I’d been introduced to many of the other students, and I said only a few. He was incredibly kind and welcomed me to come hang out and talk with his friends and him whenever. While we were talking he asked if I’d been around the city, and I said I pretty much hadn’t left campus. Before I knew it, we had plans to go visit the Forbidden City that afternoon!
His girlfriend ‘Julia’ came by and we grabbed a taxi. It was a lengthy ride to the middle of the city, and when I wasn’t glued to the window we talked about a lot of things, from college to American TV. They both spoke excellent English – Xiang Chen had spent a year in the UK, and Julia was actually planning to study in Paris (so she’s at least trilingual!).
However, for being so global, neither of them had visited the Forbidden City before, even though Julia had grown up in Beijing. I told them it was okay – I’d never been to Chicago!
The Forbidden City was SO beautiful and SO enormous. There was building after building of stunning Chinese architecture surrounded by expansive plazas and lush gardens. We spent a couple hours walking around and didn’t even see half of it.
Taking pictures was a little frustrating because I couldn’t really do the place justice – but you can view my attempts on flickr!
I was so lucky to have my own personal Chinese guides with me. Xiang Chen explained the significance of the dragon and the number 9 in the architecture and told me some of the legends about the place (like where the emperor hid the name of his heir & where a famous concubine was drowned).
And as I watched American tourists struggle to get a cab I felt so fortunate to have native Beijing-ers with me!
On our way back we stopped at a Cantonese restaurant where the main theme seemed to be eating food with the head intact. We weren’t quite so adventurous, but everything was still new to me. We had Cantonese duck, stuffed mushrooms, a kind of braised squash dish, pink Chinese yogurt cakes sprinkled with coconut, and kiwi juice. The duck was the hardest thing I’ve had to eat so far with chopsticks – it was served kind of like ribs, with bones attached, and I didn’t have the grace to hold a piece up to my mouth and detach the meat with my teeth. So my fingers got a little greasy and I looked pretty silly. But everything was delicious!

Oh, and the prices for everything:

Ticket to the Forbidden City: 60 yuan ($7.82)
Ticket to the Hall of Jewelry: 10 yuan ($1.30)
Dinner for three: 115 yuan ($15)

Pictures at: Flickr.com

Rice paddies

Yesterday was my first day of actual work! Dr. Kang called at around 7:30 in the morning:

Dr. Kang: Hello Gwen, are you awake?

Gwen: Yes, I’m awake.

Dr. Kang: You still want to go visit the rice paddies?

Gwen: Of course!

Dr. Kang: Okay, come very quickly, I’ll meet you on the road!

So I dashed out the door and hoofed it toward the biology building. Halfway there I met Dr. Kang coming with our bikes, and we rode to the campus entrance where we caught a cab to a nearby university. There we met a group of students crammed into a van. They squeezed me into the front seat and off we went through Beijing! I had no idea where exactly we were going, or even which student I was supposed to follow, since Dr. Kang had left in a rush. But once we arrived at the rice paddies (which were part of the university’s experimental fields), and students started leaving every which way, two very nice girls came up to me and said “This way, please.” I hung out with them and another student for the rest of the day. Lucky me, there’s always an English-speaker to the rescue!
We spent the day (well, maybe 10 – 4 ) weeding the rice paddies. Which, though hard on the knees is easier than most gardens because the soil is saturated. It was nice and cool outside, though a little rainy. But when it started drizzling, we just pulled the canopy over the rice, and we could work under that.
Back at PKU, Dr. Kang recommended I try eggplant dumplings, which were very good. He thought I might not like the garlic sauce, but I insisted that no, I would like garlic very much! And I did. ☺

Where I live

My desk

My dorm (my bed is on the left)

As I’ve mentioned, I’m spending this summer on the campus of PKU (Peking University). I live in the international dorms in an average-sized room on the first floor. There’s a big window which is great for letting in a breeze, but also for letting in all the noise on the street. Luckily, I’m usually so exhausted I sleep like a rock, so it doesn’t bother me. Bathrooms are down the hall, with separate rooms for sinks, showers, and toilets. It’s slightly different from what I’m used to (cold showers and BYOTP), but it’s not too difficult to adjust.
When I have the time I like to walk around campus because every inch is absolutely beautiful. There are so many paths winding around elaborately designed buildings, stunning lakes, and curious plants. Cars and bikes drive down the main roads (Beijing style: precariously close to pedestrians) but there are also small foot trails that you can follow up through the rocks and trees. I’ve had a couple people show me around the area close to my dormitory, so as long as I don’t wander too far or forget landmarks, I don’t get lost.

More Pictures

Chinese architecture

Statue on campus

The Unnamed Lake (yes, that’s its real name)

Chinese architecture

More pictures at:
www.flickr.com/photos/8709356@N05
Gwen's flickr gallery

Okay, here's the plan

The good news: After much searching on the Internet I think I've found a way to sneak around the Great Firewall of China. I found a handy proxy that lets me view my blog; however, there's still a few bugs (everything but my blog is still mostly in Chinese, and I don't think I can edit my posts once I post them). Thanks to an add-on from Firefox, though I have full access to my flickr account.
gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8709356@N05/)

So I'll try to put as much as I can on this blog, since it's what I told most people to check, but if you want to see pics, check flickr!

Thanks for your patience!

Oh, and if anyone has any tips on accessing wireless internet in China from a Mac, I'd really appreciate it!

The Journey from Des Moines to Beijing

Well, the trip from Des Moines to Beijing was long and difficult, but here’s a quick summary of what happened:

We left Des Moines for Detroit on a teeny tiny plane with minimal difficulties, and had about two hours to spend at the Detroit airport. We took the opportunity to take a look around, as it was a pretty neat place. (And, at the time, the biggest airport I’d been in. That changed in Tokyo…) There was a beautiful fountain – you probably can’t tell in the picture, but the water’s actually running over the edge. When going from one part of the airport to another, there’s a long tunnel where you’re surrounded by lights changing colors and some weird music. No idea why it’s there, but it’s pretty cool. Just as Courtney, JoAnn and I were about to leave for our gate, we found a tree where people had signed the rocks around it, so we thought we’d leave our mark.

Then we boarded for the long flight (12 hours) for Tokyo. I didn’t get much sleep, and the sound for the movies wasn’t working (so I enjoyed silent versions of Music & Lyrics, Freedom Writers, and Happily N’ever After), but the people sitting around us were super nice. Next to Courtney was a college student who was going home after studying at a university in Boston, and there was a family in front of us with a very precocious 5-year old. Her mother was Chinese and her father was Algerian, and she was fluent in both Cantonese and English and so adorable.

After landing in Tokyo we were rushed through security (we had less than an hour before departure) and found our seats for what we thought was our four hours in the air! But after an hour of sitting on the runway, we were herded back into the airport, and told to come back to our gate in an hour. We used that hour frantically trying to get a hold of Lisa (BR intern program director). Shortly after we finally got a phone card to work, our flight was cancelled. Long story short, we ended up spending the night at the Tokyo Bay Hotel (after going through Japanese immigration) where we slept for about 3 ½ hours before leaving for the airport in the morning.

And that flight finally took us to Beijing!

Day One

Okay, it seems I have a little more time, so I give you a few more tidbits. I haven't really had a chance to reflect, though, so it'll be unorganized...

I just met Dr. Gu and she's really nice. Told me to take it easy and get lots of rest (you see why I like her now).

Besides sleep I'm also trying to get hydrated. The flight attendants are rather stingy with drinks, and we didn't get a chance to buy drinks at the Tokyo airport. I've got some tea now, though. Elen would like it. Straight leaves in a cup, no bags or malfunctioning espressomatic thingys involved.

Dr. Kang insisted I ride down to the biology building on a bike. And I looked pretty ridiculous trying to wobble around while following/talking to Dr. Kang. He has plans for me to go buy one for myself already.

I'd better go now. Will write more later. Beijing is very big.

Gwen

Leaving On A Jet Plane

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...