food – Page 3 – HurricaneMaine

Hongcun old village, Anhui Province

Established in 1131 in the Ming and Song dynasties, the village is charming and well preserved. What makes Hongcun Village so unique is that the village was designed by a Feng Shui master to resemble a cow. The two old trees at the entrance to the village represent the horns, the four stone bridges the legs, the ponds the stomach, etc. This is the entrance we took to the village and the two trees are on each side of the photograph.

After checking into this cute hotel, I went off to find a place to run. I went along the river to head up out of the town. I passed through a couple of farming villages.

The countryside during the run was beautiful and uneventful except for a couple of dogs. The villagers admonished them when they wouldn’t leave me run through.

This house looks like it could be from the US. Not what I expected to find in the rural area.

After the run I went out exploring with a few of the others on the tour. We found the two trees that made the horns of the cow (ox). One of the trees was used when there was a marriage. The bride is carried around the base of the tree.

The other tree, a very large gingko, is used similarly but when someone passes away.

While walking we noticed this post office sells drinks and cocktails. We went in for a look. They sold some unique stamps and novelties as well as drawings from the many students who come here to practice drawing the village and the mountains.

While we were there a couple chose a post card and sat down to compose it before mailing.

This is one of the bridges that is the legs of the cow and the lake that is central to the village.

Hongcun is unique among all Chinese villages for its very sophisticated water system. Its two large ponds are connected to a series of flowing streams which pass by every house, providing water for washing, cooking, and bathing.

Sights from around the village.

Hongcun at night was beautiful.

There was a charming old gentleman selling small goods. He was in any area not many people were at. I bought a bowl and cup made from bamboo.

I woke up early to get in another run and view more areas while there were less people.

I bought a fried dough with a sesame seed filling inside. It was quite tasty.

Outside the village I ran in a different direction than the day before.

This road is a heritage road between multiple UNESCO heritage sites.

This village is isted as a World Heritage Site.

Additional images of food (snack) making.

Nansha watershed

I went to a blood drive at a hospital to make a blood donation. I have done this before and have a blood donor card in China. I could not give blood though as they just changed their rules. I would have had to give blood one more time before I turned 56 to still give blood until 60. I was pretty disappointed but at least Jack gave blood for the first time.

This is a jellied dessert in a ginger syrup. What I like about deserts here is that they are not very sweet.

We then traveled to Nansha watershed park. Even though there are very few cases here, we still wear masks and there are checkpoints to check temperature and check health codes through the app. It tracks if you have been in a high risk area. If only other countries followed what could be done to keep infection low.

The lotus flowers were beautiful.

These are the pods from the lotus and the seeds are used here as well in cooking and medicine. The root is also used for cooking.

We walked along the water to look for birds. I found egrets.

Of coarse feeding the koi was fun.

View from the tower

We then walked through the forest.

Nansha port

We walked along the road to find the seafood market.

Fisherman’s wharf

At the seafood market they displayed many catches. They also showed the eggs that are in them as well as that is a delicacy.

Local fishermen sell their catch to grab customers before they enter the seafood market.

What I bought was dried squids for a snack. We had already made plans for dinner. It was a great adventure looking at the variety of fish and shellfish being sold.

Yinde, Guangdong

For a day trip Jack and I went to Yinde to a little village that has a park nearby with a tea plantation. Of course I love to eat….so trying different foods was a highlight.

The first thing we did was go to lunch and this eggplant dish was amazing. It was slightly acidic and not sweet. So very yummy. We also had greens with bamboo!

After lunch we went to view the park. The first one was just a series of paths and was not very excited about it, except for the beautiful scenery. And then we saw….

But then we saw the pond with the bamboo boats. I have been on a bamboo boat raft but never had the chance to pilot my own. It was actually very difficult and took a lot of arm strength until you realized you could lean into the pole and use your body weight which was still quite the workout. I also tried not to knock Jack off the boat swinging the pole around. I must say it was a great arm workout.

We walked the rest of the park and saw a settlement who on land next to the park. (The entrance fee to the park does help the village as it is community owned). Here is the persons dwelling.

We followed the cows as they walked adjacent to the paths.

Just the man and his dog…

The village temple….

The little temple that pays homage to the mountain

We then headed to the Tea plantation park. Walking through it was very beautiful. We also tasted the red tea which was very good. i bought some of the red tea. I also wanted to buy a tea plant but was very sure I would kill it (actually my cat as he loves to tear plants apart and drag them through the apartment.)

The tea plantation plants their tea plants on terraces along the mountainsides.

We stopped at another spot to look at the scenery. There was another temple erected by the village.

The formations are many of the same as seen in other areas.

This cave had bats which were fun to watch darting in and out of the stalactites.

Dinner was at a different restaurant with steamed eggs, tofu skins, and greens. The drink is apple vinegar. It is a fermented apple juice drink that is vinegar tasting but still slightly sweet from the apple juice.

It was nice to get away for a day close to the city but be able to walk in some wilderness and see new sights and eat different food. On the way back to Guangzhou we see many crazy things, including a Pikachu car!

Japanese food

The last few weeks were spent going to various Japanese restaurants. Here are just a couple of places.

I went out with Jack and friends Elaine, Killian, and Maiko to a Japanese restaurant that specializes in eel. It was amazing.

Fried soba noodles were delicious.

I also noted a new restaurant near me that specializes in hot pot where you dip the cooked food in a raw egg. Jack and I managed to get a table one night. I was not sure of the raw egg in terms of safety but it was yummy. It turns out the eggs are from vaccinated chickens and flown in from Japan.

This week Bernie Sanders image at the inauguration resulted in many memes. I grabbed this one of Bernie at hot pot.

They also specialize in Omurice. It is a fried rice on a plate where an omelet is cooked with the inside still runny and then when it is cut it flows over the rice. A curry sauce is spooned over top. Here is a video: https://youtu.be/PyOsGWpGk2I

I also went bowling this week with Jack. It has been over a decade since I bowled and it was fun. I won once but at least scored a little more each game we played.

This week was also a surprise at the faculty meeting. Besides the usual snacks was cheese, crackers, and caviar with wine and beer. Not sure why, but nice to have something unexpected.

Running on Sunday morning at Favorview. I like to people watch so always fun somewhere new.

Photobombing in Xiang Xue Park

Not too far from my school in Science City is this beautiful park full of plum trees. They are blooming now with white or pink flowers. Because of the beautiful trees, so many people were there and Jack and I decided only to go if we could find a parking space. We both hate crowds.

But once there the photobombing opportunity made it worth it!

Photo bombing a live performance was not the original goal. You could hear singing everywhere and Jack explained that many of them were live streaming. They have some followers who will send them money but if they do something special they can sometimes get more. So I decided to photobomb them for those watching. I then took a picture of what I saw. Meanwhile Jack took pictures of me.

Then the one singer realized what I was doing! So funny!!!! They didn’t ask me to sing though which is a good thing…

This was my picture from behind the singers.

Beautiful flowers were everywhere. The plum trees were in full bloom and the bees were buzzing. It was so fragrant just walking through the park.

Lots of people everywhere, talking and enjoying the day. Many brought lunch, some played games….

It is a nice free place to enjoy nature and be outside.

I had wondered if there were bee hives here and there were at one end of the park. The darker honey is made from the summer pollen and the lighter from the winter pollen. I purchased some of the lighter honey as I had already purchased the darker from a farmers market a few months ago.

Bees busy making honey from the winter pollen (lighter in color and thicker honey)

This honey is the honey made from the summer pollen.

Across from the trees are a large space for food stalls. I was thirsty so we went in search of something to drink. In Chinese:

Wǒ kěle. Wǒ xiǎng hē guǒzhī. I am thirsty. I want to drink juice.

Sugar cane juice which was sweet but not as sweet as I thought it would be. It was delicious.

This bread was yummy. It is baked in a very hot oven that makes a well.

This dessert is frozen with liquid nitrogen making it very cold and you can blow clouds with your breath.

The food and fresh produce is amazing as it is everywhere here in China.

Running with visually impaired individuals

On Sunday four of us from school learned how to run as a running guide with visually impaired individuals. It was a great day and the gentleman Bin that I led spoke some English and I spoke some Chinese as well.

We held this rigid elastic band and used it to guide. Pulling up means to step up. Pulling down means to step down. Pulling left is to go left while pushing my right elbow against him means to go right. Pulling back means to stop or slow down. Communication is key to be at the right pace and it was a lot of fun.

Bin and I holding the band that we run with.

Late that day I went to Jack’s apartment in Favorview where we drank coffee at the clubhouse. There was a book club meeting there. People are the same all over. I loved how they brought snacks and drinks (they drank tea though in my book club it is often wine). They even had gifts for each other. But mostly they talked about the book while mostly just talking and learning about each other. We do the same as well. They were lovely to watch and notice the care of one another. I can’t wait for my book club meeting next week!

Food, running, and more food

You can find any kind of food here in Guangzhou including a Poutine place. This restaurant is not far from me and friends met to try different versions of toppings for french fries. There is the original Canadian poutine as well as others inspired by different countries. I tried the Lhaksa poutine with shrimp and crab meat. It had coconut and was spicy.

On the weekend, Jack took me to the Liwan district for authentic Cantonese food. It was off the beaten path. We had bamboo noodles. It is regular rice noodles but shaped using bamboo sticks. The soup had pork blood cubes in it. That is a standard Cantonese dish.

Afterwards we went for dessert. You know the place is good when there is a long line waiting for take out.

This dessert Bai xiang guo had papaya in it and a sweet juice. I’m not sure what else is in it. It looks like a rice noodle (chang fen) and the dish is good for those with a sore throat.

Rice triangles with a variety of fillings which could be pork, mushroom, bean, or plum. They are stranded in bamboo leaves.

This dish is made with almond paste and rice milk. It is not as thick as a pudding and it’s served warm. It reminds me of the filling of a bear claw but not as sweet.

The next morning we went running on the Guangzhou International Bio Island. It is a manmade island that houses international corporations many for pharmaceutical and other technology. Self driving cars are tested here and move people around on the island. There is a great running track around the perimeter and it is very beautiful to run with the view of the river.

Mangrove trees. Unfortunately many were taken down when guangzhou was developed and the islandsc were made.

Burning Rick works with individual genetic testing of cancer patients for individualized treatments.

Astra Zeneca China. This company is one of the covid-19 vaccine developers.

Then later we went for sauerkraut fish. It is a sour soup that is quite hot. There are many different peppers and the little round ones that look like peppercorns makes your mouth completely numb of you accidentally eat them.

Later in the week we went to another fish place where you add in other items to the fish and sauce you choose. This was Mekong fish with a spicy garlic sauce. There is so much incredible food here.

We passed by a place where young children get their hair cut. They sit in cats and watch cartoons to keep them still for their haircut. Clever.

Celebrating New years

After arriving back from Shanghai I spent more time with Jack. He had been so sweet and lovely. He gave me a great silk floral arrangement and organic perfume oil for my birthday.

I went to lunches with my friend Elaine. She always finds great food to try. This was a black tea with whipped cream and pecans. It was delicious.

Jack surprised me with plans to go to a village north of the city called Xitou. We had already made plans to go to my friends Tricia and Dan’s for new years eve get together in Huadu so went on a road trip a night early.

Ww ate at a place in Xitou village. They had rice wine that has bees soaking in it. It is to help with certain medical conditions. I didn’t try it but very curious….

The food was amazing. The soup (tang) was made with many different kinds of mushrooms. It was very tasty soup. The sweet potatoes had the best sauce ever.

The mountains in Xitou were beautiful.

The village was also beautiful. Some old buildings are original. Many new places have been erected for others to come from the city to stay and is growing as a tourist destination.

We also had congee and rice roll with egg the next morning in the village.

Then we took a hike to the next village.

We took a wrong road and saw this bird. It is a wild bird that stays there and is hand fed. He was fascinating. The owner of the property brought it a cooked potato to feed the bird.

There is actually a place to charge your phone and make a call in the middle of the bamboo forest. This is solar powered.

In the other village they grow Camellia flowers for tea. It is also being developed for tourism.

After the hike we walked in the village to look at what they are selling.

Tofu dessert and sesame seed dessert. Warm and delicious.

Lunch was amazing at another village. The sour cabbage dish was delightful.

We arrived at my friend’s. There we played games, ate pizza and dips, and watched movies and shows until the new year. With the pandemic, there are no formal ball drop celebrations and in China there are some parties. Getting together as a small group was still better.

I’m the morning, Jack and I ran 5k, had breakfast with everyone and took a stroll around their area. It was a great end of one year and start of the next.

Shanghai and the French concession

After helping Cat with grocery shopping for the holiday meals I took a Didi into the city to meet my friend Tricia and Dan at the Grand Hyatt. I splurged on a massage then meet them for tea in a lounge.

While they were getting ready for dinner I went to the adjoining building to view the city on the observatory tower. Beautiful lights.

Dinner was in the French concession at Pollux. The French concession was an area of Shanghai under foreign control from the 1800’s until about 1943 when it was signed over to Japanese control. Since then it has retained its european flavor and is a popular tourist destination

It is a well rated restaurant. My dinner consisted of charred cauliflower (pureed cauliflower topped with a cauliflower steak with a parmesan crisp on top. Yum!), Salmon with bernaise sauce, and creme brulee.

There are beautiful markets, music venues, and restaurants here. It was lovely to walk around and take in the sights and sounds.

Friends and the week before Christmas

I am grateful to have a variety of friends and activities to keep me occupied during this holiday season. Even though it really does not feel like Christmas and just another week in this crazy ridiculous year that was 2020, it helps to keep my mind off the fact that I had planned to be home in the US this holiday season. Of course now, no one really should be getting together in the US as the virus cases are out of control.

I am equally blessed that my family is healthy even if my brother was potentially exposed at work. So grateful that his covid-19 test came back negative.

The combined Christmas concert at school featured choir, band, and orchestra. As usual it did not disappoint.

My legs were better midweek after the marathon to play in the girl’s teacher-student basketball game. It was called the Christmas chocolate classic. Teachers wore ridiculous clothes. To make it fair, teachers had no rules. We could do anything. We still lost. It was a blast though. Even though my legs didn’t hurt, they didn’t want to run back and forth across the court either! But honestly, those girls can sprint.

The coach is so fun and everyone was great as a team!!

Book club was held where I used to live in Clifford mansion. Tatz made a carrot cake for my birthday, we swapped books for Christmas gifts, and we were surprised by carolers!

We closed out the end of school for the holidays at a 90’s themed holiday party. It was fun despite losing my voice voting (screaming) for my friend Trisha and Dan to win best couples contest! They won and I did win the trivia contest as well.

The first weekend of break I decided to relax. I was originally supposed to travel to Chengdu to go hiking with my friend Morgana before traveling to Shanghai. Unfortunately, Chengdu went red with a covid-19 case that infected multiple places (a young person going from bar to bar…). I cancelled that part of the trip. Money was refunded easily.

Instead I stayed in Guangzhou and ate food and other things. Brunch at a Christmas market and movie on Saturday and dim sum on Sunday with Jack.

At the lobby of the grand international hotel where we ate dim sum.

After dim sum we took a walk around Tianhe park.

Artist who is famous for depicting the mood of the times.

Soldier who led the battle against the Japanese and is buried in the park.

Jack had never tried stinky tofu. It is fermented and has an off smell but tastes like regular tofu. Very spicy sauce.

Great start to my two week vacation. Next on the agenda is Shanghai to visit a friend and then off to Harbin. I really have no plan and am just winging it for this vacation.

Active weekend with a surprise exclusive visit

The weekend started out with Japanese food with a couple friends. I played it safe on the food but did have sake. I was to travel the next morning to run a fun half marathon with friends for charity and needed to be good with what I ate. We ran so that a few new runners could set a goal of running their first event and then we added raising charity for food banks. My friends Trisha And Daniel had this great idea months ago and I was keen to join in!

The next morning I drove with two friends, Jack and Claire to Huadu which is the north part of the city. I attended my last class for the leadership assessment class as we drove using zoom. It was beautiful sunshine but much colder of late.

We ran through the ecological park that connected with other parks. I couldn’t help but stop and take a couple pictures. My time was still 2 hours and 7 minutes trying to take it slow. However I made a wrong turn and ended 2 km away from where I needed to be so had extra amount of running.

We went afterwards to a nice restaurant (Sean was gracious to let us shower at his apartment.)

After the lunch Jack drive to the Imperial Springs. It is a hot spring resort that is pretty pricey. 400 USD for a standard room and much more for the villas that have their own hot spring in the residence. Jack had a personal connection to one of the dignitaries in charge and we were given permission to enter. It was beautiful but it had much more history than its beauty.

It also has a presidential palace that dignitaries use when they visit. We were allowed to walk in the upper floors. The actual loving areas need an elevator to go below. The top buildings are meeting rooms and in the typical Chinese style of the Tang dynasty. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stayed here (Obama after he left office.)

A video of the view off the balcony of the main meeting room over top of the presidential quarters: https://youtu.be/wx7yFMRG2u4

We ate at the hot pot buffet restaurant. Pricey but very good food.

The next day I went for a hike with my friends Joanna. We started at baiyun and found the elevated walkway to the 5 rams park. It was beautiful and we passed through some parks I had not been to yet. The elevated paths connect the parks and then you walk through portions of the parks.

One of the parks that we went through was the Sculpture Park. We only walked along the part of the park that took us to the next section of pathway. There were quite a few sculptures in this part alone.

We also enjoyed noodle soup for lunch with handmade pulled noodles. So yummy and good on a cool day after walking.