What's That? Wednesday: Jiaozi

Last week I had the opportunity to make jiaozi with some local Chinese women.  Jiaozi, pronounced “juh owd zuh”, are Chinese dumplings.  Jiaozi are typically filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in dough.  The dumplings can be steamed (which are my favorite), boiled or fried.

From what I understand, jiaozi originated from northern China, but now many Chinese enjoy eating them.  There are regional differences and I think each family has their own favorite way of preparing them.  I compare it to Southern barbecue; it’s enjoyed across the US, each region has its own specialty and everyone has their own opinions on how it should be prepared.

Mixing the ground pork.

I have eaten dumplings and watched a friend’s Ayi make them, but this was my first time to make them myself.  On this day, we were using the pre-made dumpling wrappers, but made the filling from scratch.  Ground pork was mixed with a vegetable called Chinese chive, ginger, Chinese 5 spice (I have no idea what the five spices are), soy sauce, salt and probably a few other things.  My contribution was helping to chop mounds of Chinese chive. The chives were very mild tasting and didn’t have much of a scent.

I had to take a picture of this
huge wok!

Which sauce would you like?

Chinese chive

He's a good helper!

Mixing the ginger with the pork
on an awesome chopping block!

After the filling had been made, we set out to fill each –and every --individual wrapper. Let me tell you, there were a lot of wrappers – my guess is around 500!  It took about an hour with six or more people filling. and we had a lot of wrappers to fill!  Again, I observed many women sharing their different opinions on how the crimping around the edges of the dumplings should be done.  I was taught one way and I stuck with it.  It was really neat to see the dumplings all in a row and notice the differences between the styles of crimped edges.

Starting to fill the wrappers. 

Everyone has a different way of crimping the edges.

This rectangular wrapper is a wonton wrapper.

Boiling dumplings.

Once the dumplings were filled, they were ready to be dropped in boiling water, much like ravioli or tortellini.  After a few minutes in the boiling water, the dumplings are ready to be eaten.  We all took turns eating a few dumplings, then making a few, and repeating the pattern.  

Some of the finished product.

A little of the aftermath.

There was enough filling and wrappers left over that I was able to bring some home.  My Ayi filled the rest and then froze them so we can enjoy them later.

Let's eat!

The best part of the day was watching the women interacting and cooking together.  Most of the time I had no idea what they were saying.  But, by observing body language and listening to the intonation of their voices, I knew what they were saying.  They were playfully arguing about how much spice to add, assessing when the mixture was just right, and making a case for why their way of crimping the dumplings was the best.  I could have closed my eyes and just as easily been back at our home cooking in our church’s kitchen.  Ahhh, dumplings!

1 Year Anniversary

Happy 1-year anniversary!  We have survived our first year in China.  Thanks to everyone who have supported us and said that we could do it.  Some days I wasn’t so sure myself! It has been a long time since I have cried about having a China day although I know another will creep up on me someday.

I’m not sure how to sum the first year up, but I completely agree with our cultural trainers assessment that when living abroad the “highs are higher and the lows are lower”.  We have had some amazing experiences during the first year, but in so doing, we have given up some things, too.  My mom has reminded me a few times that it is all a trade-off.  Yes, I can buy some inexpensive pearls (not the ones I’ve given as gifts to friends and family, of course!), but it took me moving my entire family to a foreign county to make that possible.

It’s all a trade-off...

I have an Ayi (housekeeper) that cleans my home, buys my fruit and veggies, and can watch my children.

Trade-off:

I have no family that is closer than a cross-Pacific flight to get my children off the bus if I am needed somewhere else or want to visit one daughter’s school while the other is at her school. Some days it takes a heroic effort to go the grocery store (or several stores) looking for one imported or hard-to-find ingredient because I had to schedule the driver, walk 20+ minutes, or take a taxi (or two).  And, it is dirty here, to put it simply.  It takes a lot of work to keep up with the dust, smog and dirt that gets tracked into our apartment.  Doing laundry is almost a full-time job in itself.  The dryer goes up to 200 minutes … I think that gives you an idea of the efficiency!

I have a driver.

Trade-off:  

I have to schedule everything.  There is no spontaneous hopping into a car to pick up a child from a friend’s house or stopping at a new store on a whim. What’s more is the driver knows everywhere I am going and what I am buying.  Privacy anyone?

My children attend stellar international schools with students from over 40+ countries.

Trade-off:

“Their” way is much different than “our” way and there is a lot of catch-up that needs to be done.  Also, it can be very isolating when your daughter is the only student in her class from North or South America.  Because, at recess the children tend to gravitate to children from their own countries so they can play with those kids that speak the same language, understand all of the cultural nuances, etc.  Adults are guilty of this too, because it’s just easier going to the familiar and it’s not necessarily on purpose 

There are great restaurants in town.

Trade-off:

It can be really hard to make a “quick and simple” American meal or to make it cheaply.  I have learned to make so many things from scratch: ground sausage (mixed my own seasonings and add it to ground pork), ricotta cheese, yogurt, crescent rolls, pizza crust, bread, cream of chicken soup, buttermilk and a few other things.  Why must all American casseroles require cream of chicken soup or Velveeta?! 

We have traveled to some amazing places in South East Asia.

Trade-off:

When we’re at home in Suzhou we work really hard.  This is the hardest Jamie has ever worked and the hours are long. He works a full day at the office and then comes home and puts in a few more hours on the phone in meetings with the US.  When visitors come to town there are business dinners, showing co-workers around town, helping them buy gifts for their wives & families, traveling to suppliers across China, and going back to the US every few months to visit the home office.  The mental work that it takes to live here is easily overlooked, but it really takes a toll on someone.  Trying to think and communicate in a second language, learn the cultural rules and expectations, and navigating a large city can be overwhelming.  And, you can’t escape it!  You can’t tell yourself that tomorrow I’m not going to do those things.  There have been a few times where I think back over the day and realize that it has been good because I haven’t left the house!  Vacations are a nice escape from all of this.

One of the most amazing trade-offs has got to be, although we are miles and miles from family and what is familiar to us, we are living in our third child’s birth country.  How crazy is that?!  Not many adoptive families get to have that experience.  This alone has made it all worthwhile.

So, are the “highs” worth the trade-off of the “lows”? So far! It has been a good first year and I have no regrets.  Here’s to year 2!

Another trade-off, it's inexpensive to go get our toes painted

on a rainy Saturday afternoon!

EBean, so patient and holding still!

LBean likes the massage function
on the pedicure chair!

What's That? Wednesday: E-bikes

E-bikes lined up outside a store.

Electric bikes, or e-bikes as they're known here, are an essential tool for daily living here for most Chinese and several expats as well (but not for me).  E-bikes are a fairly inexpensive mode of transportation.  It’s possible to buy one for under a few hundred dollars, which is about one month's salary for many Chinese.  

As the name suggests, the bikes run on electricity, which is much cheaper than gasoline.  There are lines of electrical outlets in our garage for charging the E-bikes.  However, because the motor doesn’t use gasoline and is so quiet, they have been dubbed as "silent ninjas" on one blog I found.  You cannot hear the e-bike coming, so unless the driver uses his or her horn, it's possible to be run over.  The probability of this is pretty high because the e-bikes aren't just found on the road, people drive them on the sidewalk, into the ground floor of our apartment building, and anywhere else they can squeeze them into.  It is frustrating that E-bikes are driven all of the place.  No one in our family has been run over yet.  We do worry about the girls, especially when we are walking at night.  In college if someone was hit by a bike we called it being “schwinned”, as in someone was hit by a Schwinn bike.  Not sure what the verb would be in this situation, maybe “E-biked”?

Delivery bike.  I also see the Amazon delivery man often.

Just like rush-hour with cars, E-bikes tend to be out in full-force when people are going to and coming from work.  To keep the bikes secure when they are parked, drivers use something that looks like a traditional bicycle lock through the tire.  But, it’s not always a strong deterrent.  Friends have had their E-bikes stolen and I’ve heard that it commonly happens when they are left at the subway station for long periods of time.

I enjoy watching couples ride on e-bikes.  It’s cute to see the couples snuggling up to each other and giggling.  It also fun to watch friends drive down the e-bike lane going slow enough that they can carry on a conversation.  And, don’t underestimate the size of an e-bike!  An entire family can ride on an e-bike with their day’s shopping bags!

Melrose pizza delivery E-bike.

Wagon hitched to the back of an E-bike.

This man had an entire crate of eggs on his E-bike.

It's hard to see, but this woman was wearing her coat
backwards so her arms don't get tan.

Riding side-saddle on the E-bike.

There's plenty of room!

Water delivery e-bike.  Notice the hand warmers on the handlebars?

One of our favorite E-bikes, the Sherpa food delivery bike.

What's That? Wednesday: Laowai Street

Today I was able to spend some time at a favorite street in Shanghai, Hongmei Pedestrian Street also known as Laowai Street.  "Laowai" is basically slang for foreigner/white person/outsider, etc.  There is a bit of debate as to how offensive the word is, but at this point I just find it amusing.  

"Wai" (pronounced 'why') in Chinese means "outside".  To go outside, I would say "waimian".  And, in a Chinese family the bride's parents are "waigong" (grandfather) and "waipo" (grandmother) because they are "outside" of the groom's family.  The bride joins the grooms family and leaves her own family.

On Laowai Street there are many, many different restaurants and it is a great place for a Westerner to grab a bite to eat.  As Jamie pointed out to me, each restaurant should serve good food because competition is stiff and patrons can walk next door if they don't like what they're tasting.  So far I've enjoyed burgers from the Blue Frog and sandwiches and salads from Bastiaan Bakery.  I have it on good authority that the Thai restaurant is also quite good.

Some day I'll write about the Hongqiao Pearl Market across the street...

Looking down the alley,
there's actually another alley at the end
and slightly to the left.

Looking down the other direction.

It's hard to see, but up on the sign it actually says
"Laowai Jie".

Saturday at a Suzhou Garden

In the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and the Gardens of Suzhou are listed as a must-see.  It took us almost 10 months, but we finally visited one.  One Saturday afternoon we ate at our favorite Chinese restaurant in Old Town, Yang Yang's, and then strolled to the Master of the Nets garden.

These green beans are so good!

EBean kept asking for more meat.
This dish is pepper beef on hot rocks with cilantro.
I crave this dish.

Look at LBean going to town with those chopsticks!

On the way to the garden we walked through a very quiet alleyway.  I feel like we found the quietest place of all of Suzhou.

Along the alleyway there were several gates with
mailboxes.

The Master of the Nets garden is the smallest of the gardens in the Suzhou but it is considered one of the best.  The garden was started in 1140.  We've found that the gardens are a lot of fun for the girls.  They like climb on the rocks, look at the fish, and look in all the nooks and crannies.

The ground had several inlaid tiles. So beautiful!

EBean saying "hoohoo"

Pointing at the turtle.

The girls asked to have green tea for an afternoon treat.  I chose to have a Diet Coke instead!

This group of ladies was getting a kick out of our girls
drinking green tea.

We ended our Saturday at John Brown Chocolates.  It's a nice little place on Bar Street that serves ice cream, macaroons and some fun chocolate truffles.  The most interesting truffle we tried was chocolate and chili powder.  It was an interesting combination, but I only needed to eat half of one.

We'll be back soon, of course they do deliver...

Birthday Recap

A little over a month ago we celebrated LBean's 6th birthday.  I read a quote once that I think sums up the experience a parent has with young children, "The days go by so slowly, but the years go by quickly."  I shouldn't have a six-year-old, she was just born, right?!

It seems that we gravitate towards Disney show themes.  Last year LBean celebrated with a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party and this year we had just discovered a new show Doc McStuffins.  Through the magic of the internet and Apple TV we have been downloading Doc McStuffins episodes and enjoying some new TV at our house.  LBean agreed that this would be a pretty neat birthday party, especially if we transformed our apartment into a doctor's office and let her friends bring dolls to play with.

Her entire Girl Scout troop and some siblings were able to come and enjoy a day of playing, watching an episode of Doc McStuffins, and munching on some yummy treats.  Instead of traditional gift bags, I decided that each girl should take home their own "doctor kit".  I assembled kits (with a little help from Papa Joe & and an incoming expat family importing a few things) that had real bandaids, felt bandaids, medicine droppers, ACE bandages, cotton balls and all of the kid medical exam sheets I discovered on the internet.  The medical checklists were a great excuse to run to the local printer and to the neighborhood center to buy a laminator, too!

My girls are still playing doctor with their kits.  I just posted on Facebook a conversation I heard this week during playtime.  "LBean you have to take care of your animals, they are waiting for you." "Yes, this one was in an E-bike (electric bike) accident."  And, "I don't have time to see patients, I need to go to the copy market".  The copy market just happens to be where I go to buy knock-off purses and sunglasses, inexpensive scarves and other Chinese trinkets!

Here are some pictures from LBean's special day:

Checking in at the "front desk"

The "exam room".  Each girl had their own
doctor's badge too.

Time to check the patient's eye sight!

Going over the checklists.

Taking care of the babies.

Mesmerized by the television!

Playing medical BINGO.

LBean's cake was heart-shaped with a
stethoscope on it.  She asked that her friends not sing
Happy Birthday to her (which is on par with her personality).
So, they stood behind her and just said "Happy Birthday"
and posed for a picture.

LBean opened her presents in the "waiting room".

At the Suzhou fabric market I had
a dress-up veterinarian's jacket copied in white
so LBean and EBean could have their own doctor's
jackets to wear to the party.  Mine was a left-over from
my hospital clinical rotation in graduate school!