Chicken Cacciatore

Dinner at home last night for friends:

Starters:  pimento stuffed olives, bread sticks, basil cream cheese, figs, rosemary and balsamic baked onions and almonds with glasses of cab-sauv 

Main: chicken cacciatore over spaghetti noodles 

Green Salad:  baby romaine & bibb lettuces, arugula, avocado, pear and toasted walnuts with mock Caesar dressing

Dessert:  custard and fruit-topped tartlets with pieces of chili dark chocolate 

Happy Year of the Dragon

Shanghai Farm Dream

A week ago this morning my neighbors graciously allowed me to go to their farm in the field across from our complex.  I have watched the evolution of farms here for over a year. Before that, it was a field of about 30 acres which will inevitably be developed someday. And unfortunately I can see some changes already happening.  But as for now, less than a quarter of this land is now small gardens.  This land was all farms not too long ago and the people who live in my "community" as it's called were the farmers who were given properties here.  I had been curious about who the farmers were:  the little farms are just far enough away it's hard to make out the people very well.  Now I know that the farm closest to my view is my next door neighbors'!


One day several weeks back I found out my next door neighbors were some of the people farming here, growing many kinds of vegetables like winter melon, bok choi, cabbage, garlic, cilantro, radishes, chillis and sweet potatoes.  They gave me some boiled sweet potatoes and I unceremoniously invited myself to go with them to see their garden soon. 


So last Saturday after some loud bangs on my door to let me know it was time (around 7:30 a.m.) I put on my hikers, climbed over a fence and followed the lady along Suzhou creek to the opening in the fence to the trail through the gardens. 

In a way it was a bit unnerving to connect to the earth with my feet and watch the sky being decorated by super-cranes and jumbo jets coming and going with my eyes. Still it felt great to breathe the autumn air, pull some weeds before the neighbors thinned some green vegetables, and meet some of the other neighbors in our community. 

Tianjingshan, Zhejiang Province

Mountain tofu

Twenty four hours on a mountain in Zhejiang, about 2 hours' drive outside of Hangzhou, my friend and I stayed in a cabin at an organic farm.  We watched tofu being made from soybeans grown there, soaked overnight.  Then, we drank the soymilk for breakfast and had some of the tofu during lunch. It was incredible to breathe some fresh mountain air and to experience the serenity & tranquility that only a mountain can provide. Thank you to the FC Club of Shanghai for organizing the excursion.

The top bit inside the cheesecloth gets thrown out. Underneath it became the hot soymilk we had for breakfast. There is a wood fire beneath the tofu.  There is another kind of bumpy liquid in the wooden vat on the floor which is put into a box and cooked over the fire after the milk is removed.  This finally becomes the tofu.

yogurt

Ok, it has taken me 39 years and 51 weeks to figure out that I can make yogurt at home and wow am I excited about that!  I read several recipes for it on the internet and was not too sure about using Paul's milk imported from Australia, the boxed irradiated variety with no preservatives, coupled with an oven that lets me set it at about 42 degrees C but is hard to maintain for 6 hours.  Wow wow wow - so happy that it actually worked!  If you like yogurt I would encourage you to try it at home. The taste is very nice & they say you can incubate it longer if you like it more tart.  A lot of what I do in the kitchen in Shanghai is an experiment of one kind or another and many things get thrown out instead of eaten, but this is not one of those mistakes!!!  It is actually quite similar to the fresh yogurt we tried in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province.  I am totally sold on this now, except that it takes a lot of hours to incubate properly. At least it can last a few weeks in the fridge!

Qinghai, June 2011

T!bet

The plot thickens. Some days ago the tour agent called me to say that because of the coming "celebration" our tour would have to end on July 25, when all non-Chinese are kicked out of the region.  A few days after that, another call, "I'm sorry.  We have to cancel your tour because no more travel permits are being issued."  After months of planning, sucking it up to go on an "official tour" and a sizeable deposit made...THAT'S CHINA.  Always a little ugly reminder rears up to let you know in no uncertain terms you are never in control.  (To be fair it is probably a much worse situation for all those tour operators trying to obtain permits for their foreign customers...how lovely it would be to be working there and suddenly, officially, most of your tours are cancelled due to human-forces out of your hands.) The plan now is to go to the Kham and Amdo regions of T!bet which do not require foreigners to carry permits and be "guided" to only official tourist stops.  I suspect that this will turn into a fantastic trip anyway, despite the inconvenience generated by *domestic* politics!  I went to the train ticket office nearby today, where the agent told me to come by at 3:00 when the tickets for trains ten days out would come available.  So, I did.  Two parties were already ahead of me, at 2:55 trying to book on the same westward train I wanted, all sold out before anyone could buy any tickets for soft-sleeper.  Go figure. 
 

 

A Whopper

Last week I heard this gem from a student in fifth grade.  "Rock and roll guitar is dirty music. There are many scientific studies that have proven this."
 

 

Chinglish

Something tells me they don't really mean 'ass' manager and probably it isn't donkey either.  Not quite sure what it is supposed to mean. 

/ Hospitality

1 Photo

Flight Centre is looking for Travel Manager/Ass Manager

Flight Centre Limited is one of the world's largest travel agency groups, with more than 2000 leisure, corporate and wholesale businesses in 11 countries.  After starting with one shop in Australia 30 years ago, we have enjoyed remarkable ongoing growth across the globe.

Our rapidly expanding network now extends throughout Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Hong Kong, India, China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

 

 

Tea Village

This is one of the small streets of Meijiawu Village near Hangzhou.

These are the local free-range chickens. Hey, they look healthy and act like they are happy.

Picking the tea leaves.

Not Funny

I used to have a student named Kyung Sik.  He was fond of saying "Not funny," mimicking a teacher I am sure.  Well the following three *posts* if they could be called that, caused me to laugh out loud.  I hope one or two or all of them will do the same for you.  A good laugh counts for a lot. [Disclaimer: These first two come from the cheeky Shanghai community-ish website 'smartshanghai' - I had nothing to do with their composition. I am shamelessly ripping these off and reposting them here. The last comes from shanghaiexpat.com]


>>>>>
A shy gentleman was preparing to board a plane when he heard that the Pope was on the same flight.

"This is exciting," thought the gentleman. I've always been a big fan of the Pope. Perhaps I'll be able to see him in person. Imagine his surprise when the Pope sat down in the seat next to him for the flight. Still, the gentleman was too shy to speak to the Pontiff.

Shortly after take-off, the Pope began a crossword puzzle. This is fantastic, thought the gentleman. I'm really good at crosswords. Perhaps, if the Pope gets stuck, he'll ask me for assistance.

Almost immediately, the Pope turned to the gentleman and said, "Excuse me, but do you know a four letter word referring to a woman that ends in 'u-n-t'?"

Only one word leapt to mind ... my goodness, thought the gentleman, I can't tell the Pope that. There must be another. The gentleman thought for quite a while, then it hit him.

Turning to the pope, the gentleman said, "I think you're looking for the word 'aunt'."

"Ah. Of course," said the Pope. "Do you have an eraser?"
>>>>>>>>>
Hey Shanghai,


Whenever I'm stopped on the streets, the thing I get more than anything is, "Oh Admiral, Admiral... you're so knowledgeable and good looking and insightful about Shanghai life and society -- I bet you speak perfect Mandarin!"

My friends, I'll let you in on a little secret:

The opposite couldn't be more true! I don't speak Chinese for shit!

And then it occurred to me... Why don't I take my eight-years-plus experience in not speaking Chinese and share it with others? For money?
So I'm opening a Mandarin Un-Learning School.

As a sort of compliment to "Mandarin Garden" or whatever it is, I'm calling it "Da Admiral's Mandarin Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland" and we're accepting students at all skill levels, whether you want us to rip perfect fluency in Chinese from your brain, or even if you're looking for something a little more part-time --maybe you'd just like to reduce your vocab a bit and un-learn a few key Chinese phrases -- we can help.

Here's the pitch:
"Through the sweat off his brow and sheer determination, Da Admiral has maintained a near perfect and unassailable wall of incommunicability with 99% of Chinese society. Dude is still pointing at shit on the menus like a nutsack who just got off the plane, like, yesterday.

And now he's willing to share his secrets with you.

For a small enrolment fee, you'll have access to our proven tools of whittling down knowledge of Chinese to basically nil. Whether you want to take a special, personal, one-on-one, 24 hour intensive course -- basically this involves about seven pounds of weed and the Complete Filmography of Nicolas Cage -- or are looking to un-learn Chinese in a group setting with our special "Dog Bloopers and Various Shit on the Internet" group classes, we'll have you not speaking Chinese in no time."

Are you a Mandarin un-learner on the go? Subscribe to our special Un-ChinesePod, which is basically just me screaming nonsensical phrases in made-up French to you, intermixed with the latest news on the Batman sequel. Mind-numbing stuff. Just try to retain knowledge after a few of these.

What I'm saying here is nothing about my time in Shanghai has been more rewarding -- more spiritually fulfilling -- than not learning Chinese, and I feel it's a duty at this point to share my non-knowledge with others for money.

I'm an educator at heart. I care about my students. They're like my family for money. And when we're in cabs together and I see them struggling with that last -- "Zho-gw-ai" or "Yoh-gw-ai" or "Ting" or whatever the fuck it is, I don't know, you know what I mean -- I feel like my job is done.

My job is done... and a tear comes to my eye.
This weekend I recommend events that allow you to step back inside the box, not experience new cultures, and make yourself a worse person. You'll thank me for it.

Kickin' in the front seat, kickin' in the back seat,

Da Admiral

Quote of the Week: "I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it." - Anonymous
>>>>>>>>>>>>
This one is another proudly ripped link.  It comes with its own disclaimer:
Warning: this article contains inappropriate and, frankly, immature euphemisms and innuendo. It should not be read by anyone. You've been warned.

Sweet, Sweet Love Hotel by Dennis Ming Nichols
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/article/sweet-sweet-love-hotel-12649.html


Happy Friday everyone!

What I Did Today

Wake up.  The light is earlier and earlier, helping me rise with it. 

Make a cup of coffee.  Wash some spinach and create a ten minute breakfast of a spinach and cheddar omelette, a piece of toasted walnut bread and a sip or two of grapejuice to wash down some extra vitamin B complex and cod liver oil.  Morning Popeye power.

Take the bike to work.  About 5 near misses with people who cut me off or drive the wrong way in the oncoming lane, someone stopping in the middle of a lane with no warning and no apparent reason. 

Homeroom: 14 energetic middle school students playing guitars and hand drums, some doing homework and getting measurements for an upcoming fashion show assembly.

Block One:  plan for the Piano Class, First grade and Band Class today.  Decide an appropriate piece for upper school students to transition to listening and musical thinking.  Today: Piazzolla's "Autumn" for piano trio.  Hopefully it loads correctly for listening.  Students are preparing for a performance in class on Tuesday morning.  Fourteen students now need to share 6 pianos.  Luckily about three are pursuing violin and guitar, freeing up a few keyboards.  First graders - the plan was to have them glue their wooden beads onto chopsticks for homemade rhythm sticks today.  I go down to their room to bring the new chopsticks, hopefully the right size this week, to their teaching assistant so she can check it before class.  Band Class can also listen to the Piazzolla.  Band Class will also prepare for their in-class performance on Tuesday.  Two students are working on a pop piece for vocal and piano; six are working up pieces for guitar; a quartet substituting clarinet for viola is working up a Mozart Quartet.  I go to the art room to ask to borrow white glue for first graders.  My colleague asks me if I can check over the frames in English for comics which will be published.  I start this but I do not have much time to give it.  Another colleague writes to me from abroad and asks for me to pick up a letter from the school to help her in her quest for her own next job.  I let myself read one news article - the NY Times story about four journalists who were kidnapped in Libya and lived to tell about it.  I forward it to my colleagues because it kind of puts things into perspective.  A colleague comes in to give me flyers for the talent show coming up next month.  My assistant and I also put together the beginnings of hand-made panpipes that the fifth graders will make on Monday.  It is only semi-successful as we need to make a few modifications for it to work well.  This is why we prepare in advance.  I am learning about fruit scented modeling clay.  It DOES harden over time.  A full day is in store.

Block Three:  Piano Class arrives, all ahead of the bell.  Students are generally not tardy to this block.  In fact they arrive and begin to practice long before the bell rings.  My classroom is filled up with bright, eager young minds.  They are all in uniform today.  Even the student with the least English skill is exuberantly practicing her language skills with me.  I guess she has forgiven me for disciplining her for not following the school rules last class.  The students quietly and carefully listen and write their thoughts and reflections about the music and begin to work on their pieces.  About half of them stay at their desks until pianos become available about 35 minutes later.  We talk about their pieces and about World History. I get around to most of the students while they are practicing to work on individual needs and development.  I have a conference with a Japanese teacher who has a field trip and will take one of the students out of the class after a while.

Lunch time.  Class is dismissed.  A boy forgets his lunch in the classroom.  A few moments later he appears again to retrieve it.  He never eats school lunch.  I guess I would not either if I lived in a five star hotel.  I go downstairs and into the cafeteria.  With some food on my tray I am waylaid by a staff member who is still planning a special event for tomorrow afternoon.  Apparently it has not been given enough planning and preparation to take into account students leaving on school buses and a home soccer game.  After about five minutes I glance down at the cold food remaining on my tray.  Not sure I will eat this after all.  In the faculty lunch area, teachers are complaining and discussing a rule our school has about not giving zeros but a score of 50 on the report card even if the student has a zero.  There is also an undercurrent of annoyance that a handfull of teachers have not recorded grades on time.  I walk outside and enjoy the sunshine for a while. I sit with a colleague for a few minutes on the outdoor stage and we talk about the fashion show and flea market on Friday.

First graders will be coming soon.  I set up the tables and put newspapers all over them to minimize glue damage.  Noisy fifth graders in the hallway - I step out to remind them of hallway behavior.  First graders coming in ... they are so excited to have a project to do!  Their classroom assistant, my assistant and I help the kids to make their beaded rhythm sticks which require a lot of glue. The kids carefully thread their beads on in alternating colors.  All kids are successful.  This is not the easiest task and first graders did very well, even following the directions to "try to keep the glue on the sticks."  We had some time for songs so we sang their favorite song-games: London Bridges (making a huge bridge with each student having a partner) and making a kind of dance out of it.  Next was Acka Backa Soda Cracker, which they love.  Then, "Reduce Re-Use Recycle" to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and last was "Love Me Tender."  The kids were so excited by the project I think they needed to expel more energy with the active songs. 

Not much time...Band is coming in.  Another full classroom including two boys who only come for this class as they are otherwise home-schooled.  Today we set up a bit differently after the listening as some art students need to use my adjoining room and its mirror.  We have 6 practice rooms, my classroom, the auditorium piano space and the drama room.  All were being utilised.  Wow I really need to use the restroom as I have not had a chance since my plan period.  Where is my assistant ... another colleague is out and about so I ask her to stay with my class for a few moments.  I am very grateful!  Back in the room I play violin for the Mozart Mirror Duet as the second player was enjoying piano playing for a few minutes before turning back to violin.  Next students work hard on a baroque Trio Sonata.  I check on our clarinetist and a tricky rhythm in one piece.  We talk about how to smooth out the notes.  I check on the vocalist and pianist and they are intently focused on their rehearsal, totally engrossed.  Good: there is no trace of smoke like last class.  Sometimes it works well to quietly indicate the rules to a student instead of making a public case of it.  I will hear the song later.  Time, time, time is rushing by.  I don't get to all of the guitar students in the class today.  The bell is ringing.

After school - I need to get to the post office but I also feel like responding to a discussion about the scoring using 50 on the report cards.  I am a little irritated with some teachers who were late in entering grades for report cards and I let everyone know it because these teachers inconvenience everyone else and seem to not be aware of that.  It is a part of our regular duties and I feel fed up with people not putting the effort out everyone else had to to get this done on time.  We have an early deadline for a simple reason - so that the administrative assistant has the time to proof and produce report cards before students take them home.  Another colleague comes by to hand me a letter that will go from his hands, through mine, to another friend who will send it to Malaysia to some mutual friends.  No time for the post office today. It closes at 4:30.  I swing by on my bike anyway but it is closed.

Home again finnegan jiggedy jig.  Very cold wind blowing today.  Not good for biking!  Whew.  Time for a strong cup of Earl Grey and a piece of dark chocolate cake.  Hehe one teacher takes my email rant about grades very personally - not my intent exactly - but interesting nonetheless.  I make a reply.  I turn on tv and listen to some rerun Funniest Home Video that still makes me laugh about pigs acting like people and people acting like pigs.  I am reheating some spaghetti. 

Time to actually put the effort into my colleague's request for checking the English for the comic frames.  I am tired but I am glad to help out on this. 

A friend texts me to say hi and how is my day ... again glad to have friends in this sometimes hostile environment.  I am about to take a long, hot shower and read in bed. 
;-)