French House in the Chinese Countryside

Last weekend a few friends and I headed about 3 hours out of Shanghai to a town near the small city of Shanyu. We stayed at a new Bed and Breakfast called Guerouel. It was built last year by a french man, who was later joined by his sister, mother, and a bulldog, what a combo! Meant to replicate his country house in Brittany, France where he was born, he built one large french style house called the "French House," and another Chinese style house, called the "Chinese House..." who would have thought. The four of us shared an apartment in the Chinese style house, and being the only guests there, pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We woke up each morning to the strangest looking chickens clucking around, as well as their bulldog grunting as bulldogs do, along with a fresh breeze flowing through the window, and butterflies, and flowers, pretty idyllic. The bulldog, named Cappulhi, which is french for "ugly frog" and "naughty boy" combined, was definitely one of the highlights of your trip. Even though he was at times overly sexually minded, he was a lonely bulldog in the Chinese countryside so I guess who could blame him...and for the most part, he stayed away from our legs. We biked to bamboo forests, ate heavy creamy french food, and drank lots of wine. Although our first meal was a little questionable as it was a dinner of just potato's gratin, the meals to follow thankfully included some veggies and protein. f you know me, you know cream and butter aren't my foods of choice :) Serving french food in the Chinses countryside is a challenge and I think they are still working on that aspect. I All in all it was a nice break from the city and being by far the only westerners in the town, we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. Despite the time two locals felt the need to accompany us on our bike ride by following alongside us on their motorcycle for a good while so we wouldn't get lost, we were mostly left alone to wander the area as we pleased. Even though it was a french house in China, it really felt like we could have been in the French countryside. Such a drastic contrast from Shanghai, it will definitely be a place to revisit especially after the pool and horse stables are built!

Chinese Fondue

Hot Pot. The literally "hot pot" is where the meal starts and ends. Think Chinese fondue. Raw food and big boiling dishes of water and oil. Going to Hot Pot is something that needs to be done with Chinese friends, as was the case after work one night. Upon arriving dishes of oil and water were brought to the table and placed upon the table's burner to heat. You can order everything you want from pigs feet to mushrooms off of the menu, which will arrive in a cart beside your table. Fish, meat, veggies, and tofu; the array of food is both beautifully presented and usually great tasting as long as you don't ask too many questions. On this particular night I arrived a bit late after my Chinese co-workers had already ordered. Some of the stuff in the mix I could decipher and others I couldn't. One thing you learn when living in China is not to ask too many questions about what you are eating and just eat. The common approach when eating hot pot is to simply stick your chopsticks in the communal broth and fish around until you pick something out that looks appealing. This usually suits me until I hit bone and then questions start arising in my head such as "What part of the animal is this? What animal is it in the first place? Do I really want to be eating mushrooms that have been cooked in pig feet infused water?" Generally at the start of the meal the vat of various foods looks appetizing, but by the end, after much of the oil and water has evaporated, the carcasses reveal themselves and you know it's time to leave. Despite the unappealing aftermath, its always a great communal meal. In this case, our whole staff joined and it doesn't get much better than going to local restaurants with locals who know how to order and eat.