Chinese Barbecue – The Kinetic Canuck

So You’re Moving to China…

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I got around to blogging! Life has been nutty here again…but I’ll have more on that in my next post.

I also haven’t forgotten about my poll. It was a 3 way tie, so I’m going with ‘The Best of Suzhou’. I’ve been collecting material for weeks

Tonight, after realizing that I had bit of spare time, I decided to write a post I’ve been considering for a long time. This particular post was inspired by an old friend of mine who’s thinking of moving to China. I was giving her advice this morning and it got me thinking about all the crazy stuff that I’ve gotten used to dealing with living in this strange country.

So here it is…a list of all the stuff that you should know if you’re moving to China!
1.) The Food is Amazing…and Amazingly Weird….

Item #1 on my list isn’t a shocker. Chinese food is popular around the world, so there has to be something good about it! I love Chinese food and I doubt I’ll ever tire of it. There are many different varieties, depending on the regions of origin. In Sichuan province, you’ll get spicy hot pot, for example. On the east coast, you’re more likely to get sweet sea food. No matter where you go in China, the local cuisine is worth a try because WOW…there are some amazing things to eat out here!

Hot pot is probably our most regular food in China.

Peking Duck is a MUST try!

Dumplings are a regular for anyone living in China

Then again, when you say you’ll try a local delicacy, you might get more than you bargained for…

I think most of the world is aware that people in China will eat anything and everything. From chicken feet to pig face, and everything in between…nothing is off-limits in this country. I can proudly say I’ve tried everything that’s been offered to me since I got here (still no dog…that may be the one I turn down…), and some of it isn’t bad.

Strangely enough, I enjoy barbecued chicken feet. There isn’t a whole lot of meat on them, but they’re alright. I also like chicken tail a lot. They get nice and crispy on the barbecue. Organ meat has become far more normal for me to eat as well and I’ve become particularly fond of liver, though brain still grosses me out and chicken gizzards seem pointless and rubbery.

Pig feet aren’t too bad. They are really fatty though, so probably not great for the heart…

It’s quite shocking how quickly I became used to eating animals whole. This is a fish and pepper dish, where you eat whole little river fish…bones and all. Having my food look up at me doesn’t even phase me anymore

Most of it, however, I simply don’t ‘get’. I can understand how a starving person might think that pig intestines are the most delicious thing they’ve ever eaten, but for me…they’re kinda gross. There isn’t much meat in them, and every time I’ve had them…they always faintly taste like poop….maybe it’s in my head…but I swear I taste it. So I now avoid them when I see them on the menu.

2. Sanitary Standards are VERY Different in China

Currently, I’m teaching a Food and Nutrition class at my school. It’s basically home economics, but I mostly just teach the students how to cook. The biggest challenge for me has been teaching them about bacteria, food poisoning and basic sanitation. It isn’t as easy as it may sound…

There’s no hot water in our kitchens (a norm in China) and I had to teach them to boil water for doing dishes. When classes other than my own work in the kitchen, the dishes are left a bit oily because cold water just doesn’t clean that stuff off, and soap is often an after-thought…

Teaching them about meat safety has also been a huge issue. In China, meat is frequently left out, unrefrigerated and uncovered. Even in the western type stores, like Carrefour and Metro (if you are new to China, seek out those two stores! They are a must-have for anyone living abroad), you’ll frequently see questionable meat sitting out on the counters.

Meat hanging out of an apartment

Chickens drying in the sun

Meat sitting out on shelves at Carrefour

More Carrefour meat

Dried pig face…I couldn’t decide which section to put this in: strange food, or hygiene

some VERY questionable meat, sitting in a crate…

Similarly, the ideas about personal hygiene are different here. By the time you are finished your first (of many) colds here in China, you will grow very tired of people telling you to ‘drink hot water’. It seems to be the cure to everything here in China, while preventative measures, like hand washing, are never discussed.

IMAG1651 — Throwing rubbish in the drain….no problem. Cold water….TERRIBLE idea!

IMG_20160306_171256 — At the gym, cold water isn’t even an option. The best you can get is ‘warm’ water (which is still pretty hot), because apparently, cold water is bad for your health…

There are also some pretty nasty habits here, that I have never grown used to. Spitting, for one, still grosses me out. People don’t like to swallow their saliva here, so they just spit it out. This is especially true in poorer areas (where people are less educated regarding the spreading of germs) and with the older generations. Similarly, Chinese people think that sitting on a toilet seat is dirty, so they will often hop up on top of the seat and squat over top of the toilet, when an actual squatter isn’t around. The result is usually that urine ends up everywhere (because sit-down toilets aren’t made to be squatted over), which, to me anyway, seems a lot less hygienic than sitting on a toilet seat!

aid253056-728px-Use-a-Squat-Toilet-Step-7 — Furthermore…flushing your toilet paper here is a no-no. The sewage systems can’t handle the tissue, so public restrooms always smell because of the tp sitting in bins…

3. Be Prepared for Pollution and Pollution Related Illnesses

Everyone knows that China has a pollution problem. It’s a topic frequently discussed out here, and Chinese citizens are really starting to pressure their government to regulate factories better for the sake of the air. In Canada, I’d never really experienced pollution before, and until I moved to Suzhou, I’d never really given air quality a second thought. Here, students actually know the names of the different air pollutants and what they can do to your lungs. For example, I had a 13-year-old girl tell me that the PM2.5 levels were very high one day, and that I should wear a special kind of mask so that the particles don’t end up in my lungs. PM2.5, she informed me, is the most worrisome pollutant because your body doesn’t have any way of flushing it out…the particles stay trapped in your lungs for years.

When I was 13…pollution was hardly a concept I’d ever even considered!

IMG_20160306_171614 — A smoggy day in Suzhou

I don’t know a single teacher that doesn’t catch at least 1 or 2 terrible colds per term here. I was so sick back in March that I had to be put on oxygen after a short walk to the a nearby clinic. They put me on 5 different medications to combat the viral infection I had in my lungs and I was honestly really scared because I’d never had such trouble breathing in my entire life! Even pneumonia hadn’t been as bad as that lung infection was…

4. Things are Done Differently Here

If health hazards are shrugged off here, I don’t even know how to explain how people here feel about safety. Workers frequently wear minimal or no equipment went doing construction, and I don’t even want to think about the repetitive strain injuries that some of those people suffer. I’ve seen women in their 40s and 50s hauling broken concrete out of demolition sights in wicker baskets hanging off their backs…

IMAG1650 — All of this was hauled out of the building by hand…on the backs of manual laborers…

And those are just some of the long-term consequences of having no standardized regulations for safety in the workplace. Sometimes the consequences are much more current…

In funnier instances, some things just don’t seem to make sense here. Such as:

Our hot water tank being right above our washing machine…but our washing machine wasn’t connected.
Escalators being built outside, instead of under the roofed area…causing them electrical damage every time it rains.
Having air conditioners in every room at a school, but forbidding anyone to turn them on because the cold (or hot…they do heating in the winter) air is bad for your health…
At the school, we use paper so thin that the students have dubbed it ‘toilet paper’. It’s done because they are trying to use less paper and save the environment…yet no one sees anything wrong with having between 20 and 30 flyers left in your e-bike every week
The government telling employees to smoke more to boost the economy…

I can’t stress enough: Cold Water = Bad……transporting food in dirty-cut-up-old containers…FINE!!!

Well, that’s all I have time for tonight! It looks like this one is going to be a 2-parter! Come back soon to see the rest of my list which will include:

Traffic Laws (and lack of traffic laws)
Signs: The good, the bad and the incoherent

and plenty more!!!

Xiamen – Part 2: Parks & Shopping

Another day is coming to an end here in Guiyang. On Wednesdays I teach 2 kindergarten level classes; one at 5:30pm and one at 7:00pm (each are an hour long). I can’t say I enjoyed teaching these groups for the first few weeks. I’ve never been particularly fond of teaching kindergarten (I find it’s more nose wiping than it is teaching), but these students have come a long way in the 9 weeks that I’ve been their teacher. Their behavior has improved greatly and they learn new words every class. In the last two months I’ve taught them 10 occupations (policeman, doctor, mailman etc…), 12 locations (library, park, hospital), how to use 5 pronouns properly (he, she, it, I and you) and I’ve even taught them a couple of phrases (Where does the policeman go? He goes to the police station!). More importantly though, these students have been building the confidence that is SO necessary when learning a new language. I had parent teacher interviews this weekend, and one parent made my day. He told me that he’s noticed a HUGE improvement in his son’s confidence since I began teaching them this semester. Jason even approached a Lao Wei while on vacation and struck up a conversation with them. His father was so impressed that he asked if I could stay in Guiyang forever. This…my friends…is why I’ve spent the last 8 years of my life telling you all how much I miss teaching.

My first class of the week! They can be pretty rowdy...but I have to admit they're a lot of fun. — My first class of the week! They can be pretty rowdy…but I have to admit they’re a lot of fun.

IMAG0074 — The little girl in the front came in today with a monkey on her sweater. She gave me a big smile and pointed to it. I always call them my funny little monkeys. She apparently understood!!! I love that kid so much!!!

No matter how much I love teaching though, holidays are pretty grand as well! The last 3 days of our National Holiday in China were spent in Xiamen city where we drank tea, shopped to our hearts’ content and enjoyed the hot sun.

Our first stop on Thursday October 2nd, was Zhong Shan Gong Yuan. Our hostel was located right next door to this large park, so when we got outside our first day, we walked through the park to get to our bus stop. ZhongShan Gong Yuen is famous for its pristine condition, it’s beautiful palm trees and it’s lovely man-made creeks, where you can rent a paddle boat and enjoy the views from the water.

Retirees playing mahjong and card games in the park. I think this would be a lovely place to spend my retirement!!

Well kept gardens and lawns. Lots of trees shading us from the hot October sun

Another beautiful path. There are plenty of benches, where you can enjoy the view, read a book or take a break from the crowds after a busy day of shopping on Zhong Shan Road

Nice little bridge and a paddle boat. We never had time to rent one, but I've always been impressed at how clean they keep this water. Very unusual for China! — Nice little bridge and a paddle boat. We never had time to rent one, but I’ve always been impressed at how clean they keep this water. Very unusual for China!

After a peaceful walk through the park, we head downtown so I could show Dave all the places where I lived and worked back in 2005/2006. We didn’t find any of the restaurants or tea shops where I spent my time then but we did find a new tea shop where we sat for over an hour, trying different leaves and chatting (as best we could) with the owners. We left with two very nice red teas, and head for ZhongShan Lu…the shopping street of Xiamen.

Fujian is famous for its tea. This is an Oolang Tea Plant harvest, just out side Xiamen. Tea is taken VERY seriously in Xiamen. In Guiyang, we've walked into several shops and had nobody even look up at us. In Xiamen, we walked into each shop, and within 30 seconds, we were being served tea each time. Tea tasting was one of my favorite pass times in Amoy City — Fujian is famous for its tea. This is an Oolang Tea Plant harvest, just out side Xiamen. Tea is taken VERY seriously in Xiamen. In Guiyang, we’ve walked into several shops and had nobody even look up at us. In Xiamen, we walked into each shop, and within 30 seconds, we were being served tea each time. Tea tasting was one of my favorite pass times in Amoy City

Zhongshan Lu is interesting in several ways. First, it should be noted that it is a pedestrian street. The lack of cars means it’s much safer to weave in and out of shops, and it’s no problem to run to the other side of the street if something catches your eye. Zhongshan Lu is also interesting because you can find both designer brands as well as knock offs, all within feet of one another. There are more stores than you could possibly visit in a day, and it’s a struggle just to pick and choose which ones to stop and see. Finally, Zhongshan Lu comes to life at night. We were there during a major holiday, so this was especially true during our visit. For as far as you can see, there are people walking from stores to street vendors, and from tea houses to restaurants. There’s an abundance of strange foods to try, and often, there are shows put on as well. I saw some neat puppet shows years ago, and this trip, we saw some street performers and a photography show.

The view behind us on Zhongshan Lu that night

I do have to say that my favorite part of ZhongShan Lu though isn’t the shopping or the way the buildings are lit up at night. My favorite part of Xiamen night life is the food! We had various dishes from street vendors both on the main road, and off onto side streets. We ate some fantastic dumplings at a small wooden table with pink plastic stools. The location left something to be desired perhaps, but the food was delish! We also got something similar to popcorn chicken while we were there. The key to eating street food is to eat where the locals eat. We weren’t worried about buying meat from this street cart because she was running out before the stuff she brought from her freezer had had time to thaw!

I never got a picture at the time (I don't like having my camera out when it's that crowded...always scared someone's going to snatch it!) but this is a street similar to the one where we ate supper on Zhong Shan Lu — I never got a picture at the time (I don’t like having my camera out when it’s that crowded…always scared someone’s going to snatch it!) but this is a street similar to the one where we ate supper on Zhong Shan Lu

My favorite street food dish that night happened to be crab. Whole crabs are coated in a batter and deep fried on a skewer. People huddle around garbage cans to eat the meat and throw out the shells, so we joined them after ordering a skewer to share. Of course, we soon realized, standing over that garbage can, that we were as much of a tourist attraction as the street itself. People started flashing pictures of us eating this (rather messy) crab on a stick, so we decided to finish our delicious snack back at the hostel, which was only about a 15 minute walk away.

We took a quick picture as we were getting away from the crowds, because I wanted to be able to show you the crab! I could have eaten 3 skewers myself! haha!

Now, this wouldn’t be a blog written by Marie Willman, if it didn’t have a cute animal story or two, so here’s one from this day that we spent in Xiamen:

Back at the hostel, we sat down at an outdoor table to enjoy our crab and put down our numerous bags for a while, before heading up to our room. Two minutes after sitting down, we heard frantic meowing and saw a white ball of fur charging toward us. This cat had been somewhere on the grounds and smelled our food. He came running, hoping that we’d share. Of course, Dave and I are total softies when it comes to animals, so we began throwing him scraps. Before we knew it, the meal was gone, but our friend stayed. He took a bath (as cats tend to do after a delicious meal) and curled up on one of the empty chairs at our table. He looked healthy, so I went over to pet him and sure enough, he was purring up a storm. I miss my “Hobbsiecat” so much…and it was so great to meet a furry friend in Xiamen. I saw him the following day and he came running over and rubbed up against me. Cats in China aren’t usually friendly (because people in China aren’t usually very friendly to cats), so for this guy to come up and give me some loving was pretty cool!!

He got downright cozy with us! Shameless, Mr. Kitty!! As you should be :) — He got downright cozy with us! Shameless, Mr. Kitty!! As you should be 🙂

Also, here's a picture of Hobbes because I miss him and happen to think that everybody should see his face now and then...I know he brightens my day, so I hope he brightens yours too :) — Also, here’s a picture of Hobbes because I miss him and happen to think that everybody should see his face now and then…I know he brightens my day, so I hope he brightens yours too 🙂

The rest of our night was spent sitting in the hostel bar, sipping beer and talking to fellow travelers, as well as our bartender, Wesley. We sat there for hours, eating BBQ and relaxing after a long day in the hot Xiamen sun. Hostels aren’t always the nicest places to stay, but I’ve always met interesting people at them, and I always look forward to my next hostel experience as a result 🙂

The hostel where we stayed our two nights on Xiamen Island

BBQ as it's done in Xiamen. They do something similar in Guiyang, but they deep fry everything before throwing it on the grill (to save time, I suppose). It isn't nearly as good. I was so happy to have Dave try proper Chinese barbecue, as I'd always enjoyed it. He agreed...it's much better this way!! — BBQ as it’s done in Xiamen. They do something similar in Guiyang, but they deep fry everything before throwing it on the grill (to save time, I suppose). It isn’t nearly as good. I was so happy to have Dave try proper Chinese barbecue, as I’d always enjoyed it. He agreed…it’s much better this way!!

Next time, I’ll be writing about our adventures at the South Temple and on Gulang Island!

Guilin – Part 4 – Pagodas in Paradise

It’s beginning to get colder here in Guiyang. Both Dave and I are wearing sweaters and slippers, and we’ve pulled out some extra blankets for the bedroom. The Chinese government doesn’t provide heating for anyone below a certain imaginary line they’ve drawn across the country, so in Guiyang, we don’t have indoor heating. We were lucky to find several space heaters that had been left behind by previous tenants of our old apartment, so when we moved this weekend, the heaters came with us. We were also smart, and brought along slippers with us. Mine are the nice fur-lined moccasins that my dad got for me for Christmas 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the fur on them has seen better days (life with cats!), but they’ll help a great deal with keeping my toes warm through the cold months. (Also, Dad, if you’re reading this…I could use a new pair :p Size 8!!!).

See...could totally use a new pair :P Also, this is our flooring. It's basically stone tile, that's laying on top of concrete. It gets chilly!! — See…could totally use a new pair 😛
Also, this is our flooring. It’s basically stone tile, that’s laying on top of concrete. It gets chilly!!

Our final day and a half in Guilin was most definitely not ‘slipper weather’. We developed some well defined tan lines in Guangxi (they only got darker in Xiamen), and the sun was very welcomed, after 2 months of clouds in Guiyang.

Guiyang Clouds — Guiyang on an average day. In August, the city’s peek month for sunshine, roughly 41% of the the month sees sunshine. In January, Guiyang’s cloudiest month, the number dips down to 12%. For comparison, Winnipeg’s peak is around 62%, and it’s lowest average is 41%…we get a lot of clouds here!!!

After the Rice Terrace tour, Emily dropped us off downtown once more, where we said goodbye and hugged our wonderful tour guide. We exchanged phone numbers and WeChat IDs (WeChat is a little like BBM mixed with FB). Since then, she’s sent me several messages, telling us what a great job we did painting our apartment, and even sending me links to job postings in Guilin city. Oh, how I wish I could make that happen!!!

Guilin City — Yup! I could sure handle living here!

We spent our last evening in Guilin walking around downtown once more. This time, we walked down to the Sun and Moon Pagodas, one of Guilin’s most famous sites. They are located right on the river, and are lit up beautifully, so they were really worth seeing. The river path was gorgeous and clean. People don’t spit as much in Guilin (it’s bad for tourism; the city’s main source of income), and it seems like fewer people there smoke as well. We enjoyed our walk along the river, as the sun went down, talking about our day in the fields, and enjoying the view as the pagodas began to light up.

Beautiful paths leading to the river. The gardens are well kept here.

Our first clear view of the pagodas. The one with the orange glow is the sun pagoda, and the slightly smaller one is the moon.

A very neat shot of the Moon Pagoda that Dave captured 🙂

I love the contrast with the sky in this picture!

A closer shot of the Moon Pagoda. It’s very elaborate

We spent a few more hours in the market after our walk along the river, buying a few more Christmas presents and enjoying some Guilin style bbq. There is more seafood available in Guilin than there is in Guiyang so we definitely took advantage of that! As we were leaving the restaurant, we noticed a strange looking meat, wrapped around a skewer. At first, I thought it might be snake, so we asked the waiter. He looked bashful and told us it was “Zhu Rou” (pork meat). I’d seen many pork parts at bbqs in the past, but I didn’t recognize this one, so I pointed to my stomach and said “from here?”. He looked at me bashfully once more, pointed at Dave’s mid section, and looked away very quickly. The Chinese believe that whatever part of the animal you eat, the better you will become in that area. They eat brain to be smarter. They eat eyeball to have better vision. They eat pork penis, because well…you know…We did not try it, as we were very full. I imagine Dave would have probably wanted to, but I’m not upset that we missed the chance!

Pork Penis — This, my friends, is pig dick on a stick!!! (sorry moms…it was too perfect of a joke not to include!)

The next day, we head downtown once more, but the experience was very different from the previous nights’. It seemed that overnight, quiet and beautiful Guilin was invaded…by tourists! The buses were ‘standing room only’ and the streets were so full that it took ages to get anywhere. Everywhere we looked there were vendors selling food, drinks and cheap merchandise. It was all very overwhelming, so we found our way to Elephant Trunk Park, where we hoped there would be fewer people (the high admission price kept many tourists at bay).

mmexport1413391354706 — A band playing in the middle of the sidewalk. We were able to snap a picture before the crowd got around them and made them impossible to see

Elephant Trunk Park, I must say, was a bit of a let down. It’s main attraction, a large rock formation that’s shaped like an elephant (I guess?) was really the coolest thing to see. Still, it is the most famous scene to see in Guilin, so I’m happy we went. And to be fair, I honestly think anything would have disappointed me after seeing the mountains along the Li River, followed by the LongJi Rice Terraces!

The entrance to the park. These trees are actually made of concrete

One of the coolest sights to see there… a Lao Wei!!!! These guys asked for a picture with Dave, so I snapped one as well 😉

There were a few other things to see in the park. There were a large number of parade floats set up around certain areas of the park. Some of them were quite well done. Some of them were in some very strange positions. And a lot of them made no sense at all.

As I said...some were quite nice... — As I said…some were quite nice…

Some were in questionable positions... — Some were in questionable positions…

And some were downright confusing... — And some were downright confusing…

And thus concludes my telling of our four day stay in Guangxi Province! Next time, I will be writing about our stay in Xiamen; my first home in China!!