American in Shanghai

This is another famous dish from China's northwest Xinjiang. This is the "small pan of chicken" or Xiao Pan Ji.  It would feed about 4 people. I decided to take some "to go" boxes for most of it. It is made from hand cut noodles, potatoes, chicken, peppers, onion, carrot and various spices and sauce. It is not a fast food. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Fourteen people squeezed in around the table for another round of Chinese New Year feasting. See what a basket of fruit can do to open doors? In short, my neighbors know how to cook. The eldest at the dinner were his brother and his brother's wife; 76 and 75 years old. Good thing I like jellyfish. It was both fun and torture simultaneously as 95% of what was said was in Shanghainese. Once in a while they would take pity on me and translate into Putonghua or the common Mandarin. And fortunately I was spared from the baijiu commonly drunk at such affairs as this family prefers red wine. They seemed pretty happy with a bottle of Australian Shiraz I provided, calling it "the good French wine" which to them was what they were drinking. I did not try the special dish of "small cat."

The end of another round of holidays looms in the very near future. I am off work for one week, but my vacation includes two weekends, so I am very grateful. Chinese New Year begins on Thursday, February third, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit. I am enjoying friends, parties, practicing, replacing strings, spa, hot springs, biking, cleaning, reading, reflecting, planning and taking my time: the perfect holiday to stay home and enjoy life at leisure. On another positive note, my father who had pancreatic cancer, has undergone chemotherapy and the Whipple surgery and is now home recovering and eating like a horse. It bothers me that an oncologist prescribes more rounds of that detrimental poison for him when no trace of cancer can now be found. I guess if it were me, I would say to the doc, "Well doc, since we can't visibly see cancer in you either, if you take the same treatment as you are prescribing to me, I would consider it."  The problem is statistics and numbers ...

I just ordered a water delivery and the conversation went like this: "Hello." "Hi. I would like to have a delivery of water, please." "Oh, you're the foreigner up there on Beidi Road?" "Yes, that's right." "Ok, sure, no problem. "OK, thanks." I may be this distributor's only customer where I live, and certainly I am the only foreign customer they have out here. Water that is drinking/cooking water comes in large plastic water bottles such as for water coolers. I have about three kinds of water. Water from the tap, which I only use to wash dishes, clothes and for bathing; water in the plastic big bottle that comes via delivery for cooking and tea, and finally bottled mineral water which I prefer for drinking.

Fun With Gingerbread Cookies (via www.sidsavara.com )  THANK YOU, SID! “The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us. When the world seems familiar, When one has got used to existence, One has become an adult. “ – Eugene Ionesco Just some fun with gingerbread cookies today. Happy holidays! P.S. Today is the last day to get a discount on the advance galley copy of How To Stop Wasting Your Time and Start Accomplishing Your Goals. You’ll get the full, updated version once I incorporate all your feedback – and by acting now, you’ll get it for less than everyone else =). Enjoy your weekend! http://www.sidsavara.com/

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. They are my kind of people. I love the comments with this song as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY    (The link to the song.)    "They created memories that have roots in eternity. They were special on and off camera. I miss what they gave to all of us. A simpler time; a simpler way to live. And faith that we will all find a "Happy Trail"." "At Roy's memorial service they released doves. His son Dusty turned to his brother and said "What do you think Dad would say about this?" The other replied "You take the ones on the right, I've got the ones on the left" :-)"