A Visit to the Hutongs and Vegetables

While in China, we had a rickshaw ride through the Hutongs.  The Hutongs are in the older part of town and consists of narrow alleys with gates that lead to a court yard and small, older homes. 

During the rickshaw tour, we stopped to visit with a family who has opened their home for visitors. 

The family we visited is a husband and wife.  Their only child, a daughter, has moved out.  They are the 5th generation to live in this home.  As we walked into their frontroom, we noticed incense burning by a statue of Buddah.

The frontroom had stools for visitors.

Just off the front room was the bedroom.  There is no toilet in the house.  They use the community squatter.  However, this family has a room where they can wash and shower.  They are very excited about that!

We asked her questions, through our interpreter, Oscar.  After several minutes of visiting, we asked if she had any questions for us.  She had only one, "Why don't you cook more vegetables!"  I guess she doesn't consider fries and ketchup vegetables! So, in memory of and respect for our gracious hostess, (she's the one in pink) I have a recipe for you:

Ranch Salad with Roasted Vegetables

6 red potatoes, washed and cubed

4 long carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch slices

1/4 red onion sliced in thin wedges

1 T. olive oil

Place on large cookie sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper or seasoning salt.  Bake 350 degrees until fork tender.

I didn't want to heat up my oven or kitchen, even though it didn't bother me to bake cookies the night before,  so I put the vegetables on aluminum foil, sprinkled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, folded over the foil and placed on the gas grill outside.  But first I had to remove a 2 week old hamburger patty from the grill. 

Being the carnivores that we are, I threw on some hot dogs too!  (Might as well please the whole family) 

While the vegetables are cooking, tear romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss with

ranch dressing and place in individual bowls.  You can add other vegetables to your lettuce; radishes, tomatoes, etc.

Spoon hot, tender, vegetables over lettuce.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or grated cheese. 

The warm vegetables make this a hearty salad that will fill you up.  The hotdogs in buns, smothered with ketchup, mustard and relish also helped make it a filling meal!  (And she thinks we don't eat vegetables!  Bah!)

Enjoy!

Paradise and Chinese Cuisine

If someone was to ask you your definition of Paradise, how would you describe it?
This is Oscar. He's 28, single, an only child, majored in English, and was our tour guide for 3 days in Beijing. Our tours were filled with stories, jokes and philosophies. 

He told us his definition of Paradise:

American Salary

UK House

Russian Wife

Chinese Cuisine

I can understand why he'd think an American salary would be paradise when he made only $30.00 a day as a tour guide, and that was a good salary.  I don't know anything about the houses in UK or the women in Russia - but I have tasted Chinese cuisine.


Let me show you just some of the chinese food I was able to eat.

Noodles with pork.  Not sure what part of the pork was used but it was delicious!  Lorie got the same thing only with egg.  The eggs looked just like the pork, in the brown oil but it had roundish morsels.  She found out after she ate it that it could have been termite or ant eggs.  She said that it tasted good anyway.

Donkey.  It was seasoned well and I had only a small portion, but it tasted fine...kinda like chicken!

Chicken feet...did NOT taste like chicken!

Wonton soup.  It tasted good, especially with cilantro.  Then I noticed the large pieces of "rice" had eyes.  Those little shrimps are a delicacy, or so I've been told.  All I know is I tasted them all day!

Peking Duck - it was good, especially wrapped in a wonton skin.

The ever popular rice dish.  It tasted yummy!

Noodles with tomato and eggs - chicken eggs, I think!

Steamed pork dumpling - tasty!

Lily Bulbs - interesting but good. 

Watermelon was served at almost every meal.  It was the sweetest I've tasted.  I love the presentation of all the dishes.

Last, but not least, are some foods available for consumption - but, my daring spirit must have been spirited away.  I had NO desire to eat that! (click on the picture to read what this is.)

So whaddyathink?  Would you include Chinese food in your definition of paradise?

Persistence

We went to the Zhouzhang Water Village, outside of Shanghai, where we went on a gondola ride through the "streets" of the city.

It was beautiful and peaceful.

After the ride, as we walked on the sidewalk, we saw a small, Chinese woman with pictures of the village that she wanted to sell to us. She'd come up to us, smile her toothless grin, and try to push the cards into our hands.

We kept saying, "No, thank-you" but she kept persisting; following us into the restroom, waiting outside the stall, walking to the sink with us; all the time smiling and making whimpering noises while showing us the pictures. We'd wave her off, and continued to walk out of the village. She followed us all the way to the tour bus, trying to convince us to buy her pictures. When we got to the bus, she stood, holding the pictures and smiling at me. I finally gave her a dollar (1 RMB equal to 15 cents- yes I'm still cheap), held her hand and smiled at her.

She grinned even broader then turned to the window of the bus, reached up and showed us her pictures again. We drove away, leaving her in the parking lot. She turned back to the village to find her next potential customer.

oh the places my fanny pack have been!

Well, guess what? I'm in China still. There are so many cool things to see here in the land of short folks and food with eyeballs, but the lines are way too long to wait in to see everything in time in these last days of vacation. But don't worry about me, I have found the solution to my problem.

The other day we were waiting in line for 15 minutes with  no end in sight to see something Chinesey when I had the most amazing idea!

 I heard that humans over the age of 70 don't have to wait in line here. 

Hey, do you see my fanny pack? Do you think it helps me look 70? So do the locals.  Ah, the locals. I'm lying to them. I say I'm 70. They believe me. Thanks, fanny pack.

I get ushered to the very beginning of the line just like THAT! My vacation rocks.

Too bad for my friends, though. They wore purses. They have to wait in line like everybody else. I told them they shouldn't have made fun of my fanny pack (they called me a dork when I got off the plane). 

As I was getting ushered to the front of a line at something, I looked back at my friends and yelled, "See ya later, you purse-wearing DORKS!"
The last thing I remember seeing before everything went black was Miss Joan running towards me all angry-like.
I woke up like this:

Have a good weekend everyone!

(Enter my favorite daughter's giveaway going on on her blog right now. Tell 'em 70 year old Con-Con sent ya.)

A First!

I'm a late bloomer.  Yesterday, in the mail, I got something that I've never had before! 

That's right, my passport!

Posing for the passport picture, I was told I could smile, just can't show any teeth.  I look like a chipmunk!  But it's all good!

  According to the literature that came with the passport the world is now mine!!

Until 10 years ago, I had never been farther east than Colorado.  In June I'm going to the Far East.  I'm going to China!  I'll be traveling with my friend, Lorie, and meeting our friend, Joan, who lives there with her husband.   I hope my husband and kids don't realize they can get along without me!  I'm scared AND excited!
I have a feeling, getting the passport won't be the only "first" in this adventure!
Tell me about your traveling adventures!