The Tale of the Frog

I will start this off by saying NEVER trust menu translations in China. You know what sounds great after a day of traveling and building up my appetite? Stewed chicken with mushrooms and scallions. However, at this particular restaurant on this particular day in Hangzhou, the chicken had a consistency more resembling scallops than white juicy chicken. These tasteless scallop-textured bits that sat in front of me and in my mouth appeared to be chopped up and filled with bones. The menu said “chicken,” yet the substance in front of me only had a vague appearance of chicken and nowhere near the
consistency nor the taste of chicken. The "Tear Tree Mushroom Stone Chicken" was not Mushroom stone chicken; it was mushroom stone frog (whatever that means). After we figured this out, I justified the first few bites I had put in my mouth telling myself it was good to be adventurous and what better place to be adventurous than in China. A part of me was always curious about eating frog anyway. However, the bites that followed slowly turned what I thought would be a wonderful chicken dish, into an experimental adventurous dish gone wrong. Even though I am glad I tried frog, the remnants of frog bone on the plate next to me quickly destroyed what had been a booming appetite. Imagine little bits of bone encompassed by small chunks of fat.That's what I
remember from eating frog that day, poor froggy. Despite the frochicken, the rest of the meal was quite pleasing. We ate an ambiguous green vegetable in addition to red bean paste rolled in tarot root, which added a bit of sweetness to finish off the meal. I am glad to say I tried the frog but can confidently say I will never try it again, knowingly… I have included these menu translations for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Chalidays

To one and to all, happy Chalidays (throwing a little chanukah into the mix...thought it was clever). I was lucky enough to celebrate it with my mom whom I haven't seen for almost a year. She came down from Nepal and I think the best present I gave her was access to 24 hours of electricity which meant 24 hour heating! Max, my mom, and I shared the apartment for what turned out to be a relaxed, and extremely cozy holiday. From eating frog in Hangzhou (never trust menu translations), to eating about every cuisine offered in Shanghai, including a classic Christmas day brunch of Turkey and roasted turnips, my holidays in Sanghai were everything I could ask for. I will follow up with more pictures and stories but for now, I hope everyone has gotten a chance to Eat, Drink, and rest their heart out, as we prepare to begin the next year anew.

Tale of the Tampons (sorry gentlemen)

Communism and tampons. Tampons are quite uncommon here. I like Tampons, and only tampons. So when Judy (my stepmom) told me she was going to send me a gift she got for me in Bolivia, I thought it was a great opportunity to stock up on some tampons as well. She took the phrase "stock up on" quite literally and decided to send me a years worth of tampons. Fantastic! I will never have to worry about running out of them again! However, a week after she sent the package, I get a call from UPS asking me the contents of my package as it wouldn't make it through border control. After emailing them the exact contents of the package (+/- 200 tampons, a hat, and 2 pairs of leggings) along with a copy of my passport, a copy of my residents permit, and a copy of my last date of entry, I was sure the package would arrive a few days later. I was wrong. Sharing the story with a fellow teacher, I was informed that he had heard a story while in Korea, of tampons being used to send a little more than just cotton...if you get my drift. I just got off the phone with UPS after learning my package, and my 200 tampons are still sitting in customs. I understand how a box filled with a hat, leggings, and 200 tampons might seem a little suspicious but come on...I've got nothing to hide. Ah communism and tampons. If they only knew that I, nor my stepmother, had any other motives than to fulfill my feminine needs I would have my tampons and presents in hand. Moral of the story? I guess I don't have a moral of this story other then maybe a three months supply of tampons at a time is the way to go.