Where is Elizabeth?

My friend Eralda has been writing about her farmer’s market finds which reminded me of some pictures I have been meaning to post.  This set happened organically – which shows how predictable I am as a photographer!  Before leaving Nanjing, I went to the farmer’s market where I regularly bought fruits, vegetables and tofu.  Then when we arrived in New York, one of the first things we did was go to the farmer’s market in Union Square with my parents.  So I ended up with photos of two very different farmer’s markets on opposite sides of the world almost back to back on my camera.  I appreciated both for providing me with fresh produce and simpler foods.

Enjoy!

Ni hao, Ms. Wu and The Charming Cheetahs Class at The Spence School in New York!  I hope you are enjoying learning about this new and different culture.  These are very good questions about China and I’m so happy to answer them for you:

1. Why did you choose to move to and work in China?

I chose to go to China to experience a different culture and do interesting things.  I studied to be a teacher in college, so teaching English in China was a good job for me.

2. Where in China do you live?

I live in Nanjing, which is in Jiangsu province.  It is in the east of China.  The name Nanjing means “south capital” because it used to be the capital of China before Beijing (which means “north capital”).

3. Is it hard living in a different country?

Yes, it is.  When I first moved to China, everything was new and interesting.  After I became used to living here, I noticed all the differences more.  The food, language, people and culture are very different from America.  I also miss my friends and family a lot.

4. Can you speak Chinese? If not, how do you talk to people?!?

When I first came to China, I could not speak any Chinese!  It was very difficult to go places, but Chinese friends helped me a lot.  Then I began to learn more words and could do things on my own.  My Chinese is still not very good, but I can easily do things like go shopping, order food at a restaurant, take a taxi or bus, and travel.  Reading is more difficult than speaking.  But even if you do not know any Chinese, the Chinese people are very helpful.

5. What is your favorite food? What is it like?

My favorite Chinese dish is Gong Bao Ji Ding (called “Kung Pow Chicken” in America).  It is small pieces of chicken with peanuts and hot chili peppers.  It is very spicy!

There is some very strange food in China.  I have eaten snake, pigeon, pig ears, and goose foot!

6. What’s been your most favorite thing about living in China?

I have really enjoyed traveling around China meeting different people and seeing interesting things.  I have been to many cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.  I usually travel by train.  You can stay in a room with beds and travel overnight on the train!

7. Your least favorite?

The worst thing is being away from family and friends.

8. What kinds of things did you teach your elementary students?

I taught them the English words for things like colors, feelings, animals, clothing, actions, rooms in a house, places and transportation.  We played lots of games.

9. Have you seen a panda bear? What other animals have you seen?

Yes, I have seen several panda bears. They are in most zoos, including the Nanjing zoo.  I have also seen red pandas, giraffes, elephants, camels, sun bears, monkeys, ligers, and reptiles at zoos.  I often see live chickens, snakes, frogs, turtles, crayfish, fish, and eels for sale to eat.  And I have seen goats, monkeys, ducks, and water buffalo in the wild.

I had fun answering your questions.  I hope my answers and pictures help you learn more about China.  Let me know if you want to know more!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

We had a BBQ with the graduating GAC classes on Friday.  It was a lot of fun and interesting to talk with the students outside of classes.  Some of them have some “unique” talents and tendencies.  They should have a great time in the US.

Anne, Lily and I went to Suzhou (wedding dress capital of China) to find a dress for Anne’s upcoming nuptials.  Anne’s mother very kindly put us up at the Suzhou Sheraton.  It was an incredible hotel with an excellent breakfast buffet, indoor and outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, a sauna and a health club all in a beautiful and serene atmosphere.  Our room had comfy beds, foreign television channels and a bathtub.  The first night, we ordered room service and got a lovely cheese plate.  The next day, we ate a huge breakfast and then fed the koi in the pond outside.  We then headed to Tiger Hill Street where all the wedding dress shops are located.  They lined both sides of the street and went back into most of the alleyways; it was pretty overwhelming.  There were wedding dresses and tuxes and bizarre ensembles that I’m hoping against hope were costumes.  We soldiered through hundreds of cupcake dresses and over-the-top frothy creations and finally found a simple and elegant option.  It only took a few hours and we marveled at the ease of it all.  We wandered around to an accessories shop where I got a tiara and a barrette with a veil and feathers attached to it.  That night, we went to the Rainbow Walk to a Mexican restaurant called Zapata’s and to Coldstone Creamery for some ice cream.  We saw people setting off sky lanterns and Anne wanted to try, so with some help from other people she sent it up into the night sky.  It was marvelous trip and a much-needed getaway.

Christmas was as good as can be expected here.  It is definitely getting more popular, but still mainly exists as just decorations.  We decorated a little in our apartment and our building threw up some of their own.  Our school had a Christmas performance, the majority of which was mediocre KTV-type singing of Chinese songs, but there were also some skits and two of my students played violin.  Nathan had to participate in a stupid and ultimately dangerous game involving candles.  On Christmas Eve, we went to a friend’s apartment for a cheesy celebration.  Our Christmas lunch was at a Beijing duck restaurant followed by an illness for me, which may or may not have been actually caused by the restaurant, leading to a new-found rancor for duck.  So, all in all…interesting, to say the least.

We have had a successful holiday season this year.  There was a Halloween party with colleagues and friends.  Nathan was a cowboy (a stretch, I know) and I was Jem.  There were fake mustaches involved which provided hours of fun.  Not much Halloween candy, but that is probably a good thing.

Next came Thanksgiving. We held it in the same place as the Halloween party and ate at a ping pong table. It was like the Chinese version of The Beverly Hillbillies. Nonetheless, we had a great time. We got a whole turkey which Nathan carved the best he could with a paring knife. I went to the store to get a serrated knife and could not find even one! We all pitched in on the rest of the food and it was all delicious. For those of you who don’t know, turkey is very rare in China and is really only ever available around holidays outside of Beijing or Shanghai. Most cities probably never have it ever.

Now we’re ready for Christmas. I put up our sparse decorations today and I will start listening to Cajun Christmas soon. Happy Holidays everybody!

As you may or may not have heard, eggs are also out here in the Melamine Kingdom.  I tossed the ones I had and now am left wondering, “What can be substituted for eggs?”  Obviously, there are not Egg Beaters here, so instead of forgoing pancakes I searched for possibilities.

The Post Punk Kitchen provides a recipe for Scrambled Tofu.

And here are the possible substitutions:

• 2 tbsp corn starch = 1 egg
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour = 1 egg
• 2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg
• 1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg
• 1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg
• 1 banana = 1 egg in cakes
• 2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder= 1 whole
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 3 tbsp water = 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder = 1 egg
• egg white = dissolve 1 tbsp plain agar powder in 1 tbsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.
• 1/4 Cup tofu = 1 egg (blend tofu smooth with the liquid ingredients before they are added to the dry ingredients.)

If you want to reduce your cholesterol (or avoid kidney stones), perhaps this will be useful to you.  Wonder what is next on the list of contaminated foods?