My Chinese cooking class

Now, for those of you who know me well, don't have a heart attack or anything but because of the sheer amount of free time I have here, I decided to sign up for the "Healthy Chinese Cooking" class offered through the community center. In general, I don't cook. And especially in China because first of all, we don't have an oven (it's pretty common here not to have an oven since the Chinese don't bake). And second of all, imported ingredients are expensive and hard to find and I can't read the labels on the local stuff to figure out what it is which really limits my ability to plan a dinner menu.

I think I've mentioned this before but real Chinese food is totally different from the stuff we can get in the States. For the most part, it's much less greasy and fatty and they use a lot of fresh veggies and spices. Some of things that I've learned to cook in my class include a fresh spicy shrimp salad with lemongrass, pork ribs steamed in lotus leaf, and steamed clams with ginger.

Below are some photos from class:

Dana, our excellent teacher!

Fresh ingredients- ready to go for class.

Spinach and pine nuts flavored with chinese cooking wine.

Live river clams ready for cooking.

The finished product- clams with ginger, chilies, and green onions- yummy!

Swine flu from a Chinese perspective...

Let me tell you, China is having a field day with the swine flu pandemic. After the SARS epidemic which originated in Asia, they are thrilled to be dealing with a virus that didn't originate in this country! Now, it is a well known fact around town there that during SARS, there were several cases in the Shanghai; however, to this day the government denies that there were more than a handful of cases. Apparently, rumor has it that they were hiding the patients in an old government hospital. So, it is no surprise to anyone that the only confirmed cases of swine flu here in mainland China have ONLY infected foreigners or Chinese citizens who flew directly back to China from the US or Canada. I have yet to hear of a case where a chinese person infected another chinese person on the mainland.


Now, in China's defense of this claim, they have put some interesting precautions in place. For instance, if you enter any type of clinic or hospital, there is a masked nurse at the door to check your temperature. If you have a fever, you are directed out of the hospital and straight to a local "fever center" where you will be examined and tested for the swine flu. While I don't relish the fact of having to go to a government run fever center instead of my western style hospital, it does make sense to keep it under control and it's an easy way for the government to monitor the situation. Thumbs up for this one (although I pray the kids don't develop a fever)!


The next precaution that has been enacted is that all international flights coming into the country are boarded by men in hazmat suits upon landing. They then use a fever detecting ray gun and check everyone on board. Here's the bummer though- if you have a fever, you are automatically quarantined as are all the people sitting 5 rows ahead and behind you. Now, I am not clear on this but I've heard stories of the feverish person coming back with a negative swine flu test and yet they've kept the foreigners in quarantine for up to 5 days anyway. If the feverish person tests positive for swine flu, then everyone around is kept in quarantine up to 7 days. My issue with this methodology is that they don't account for all the people in the airport, the airplane bathrooms, and the flight attendants that came in contact with the sick person. And now the US State department is warning people that China seems to be randomly quarantining foreigners. I am already super nervous about our trip back to China after our summer vacation and just hoping that nobody around us is sick! Can you imagine what it's like to quarantine two kids under the age of 5?


Check out the picture Sev took on his cell phone camera on his way back from Taiwan:


By the way, we are heading to the US in early July so I am not sure how much more blogging I will get to before & during the trip. I'll try to send some updates but if I don't get to it then I promise to return after summer vacation! Thanks for reading!

Shanghai Headlines

First off, I have to apologize for not being able to blog for awhile. The Chinese government has decided to block Blogger, so I have not been able to update for the past 2 weeks. In fact, I am only able to write this blog using anonymous surfing (don't ask- Sev's a techno geek).
Anyway, I know because I don't work, a lot of people think my life is stress free. True, I don't have work stress, but life in China is a stress all onto itself. As an example, I'll share some recent headlines from the local english language newspaper "Shanghai Daily". Keep in mind, that these three headlines are all from the same day.

1) Investigation of local produce finds up to 15 different types of pesticides- apparently, the local government went around to some local grocery stores and the wet market and tested several pieces of fruit and vegetables. On any given sample, there were up to 15 different pesticides on just one piece of produce, several of which are banned. Now you know if something is banned in China, it's gotta be REALLY bad stuff. I have since decided to try and buy only organic but over here, you can never really be sure if it's really organic or someone decided to slap an organic sticker on it because they know the foreigners like it!

2) Hand, foot, and mouth disease on the rise (again). I mentioned this in a previous post but the very common hand, foot, mouth disease has mutated in China and in some children, it develops into a fatal case of meningitis.

3) City investigation shows unacceptable levels of rat infestation in local grocery stores. The investigation focused on local grocery stores and found that the rat infestation was up to 10% in some stores (with the acceptable level at about 3%). This is wrong on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. First off, why is there any acceptable level of rats in a grocery store?
And you be wondering how they determine the level of infestation- by examining the amount of rat poop, nests, and teeth marks throughout the store. They even found droppings on the counters where bread is sold. Although my favorite Carrefour was not part of the investigation, several of my friends have personally seen rats in the store so I can guarantee you that they have at least a 10% infestation.

So yeah, I am sometimes a little stressed about living in China which has lead to an obsession with getting cancer from our vegetables, compulsive hand washing, and inspecting my groceries for teeth marks from rats. Of course, you could argue it's no worse than worrying about the things most Americans worrying about these days: swine flu, the government taking over the banks and the auto industry, and job loss. It's just a different kind of worry.

Recommended summer reads...

Being an avid reader, my move to China has naturally prompted me to take in an interest in several books relating to the topic. With summer approaching, I thought I'd pass on a list of some of my favorites- a mixed bag so there should be at least one title listed below that will appeal to you, no matter your taste in books. I'm also attaching a link to Amazon so that you can read the professional reviews as well. In no particular order:



China Inc.:How the rise of the next superpower challenges America and the world by Ted C. Fishman

My synopsis: Title is self explanatory; however, it's a pretty interesting read (and scary) to realize how far China has come and how fast considering the fact that they were virtually living in the dark ages from 1945 until the early 1980's. Normally I find business books boring but this one is worth the read!

http://www.amazon.com/China-Inc-Superpower-Challenges-America/dp/0743257529



Fried eggs with chopsticks by Polly Evans

My synopsis: True story of Polly and her 1 month journey through China. Pretty much every situation she experiences in the book has happened to me in one form or another. Overall, a humorous look at China, although I hardly think a month is enough to experience this country. Very easy and light read - great for the beach!

http://www.amazon.com/Fried-Eggs-Chopsticks-Hilarious-Adventure/dp/0385339933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1241162233&sr=1-1



China Cuckoo by Mark Kitto; **Published in the USA as Chasing China

Synopsis: True story of an Englishman who starts one of the first and most successful english language magazines and then has it stolen from him by the Chinese government. But, it's not really about that- it's about his personal journey and how he comes to terms with it and settles down to a quiet life in a Chinese mountain village. Honestly, I probably liked this book a lot because it mostly takes place in Shanghai.

http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-China-Search-Fortune-Found/dp/1602396574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162733&sr=1-1



Wild Swans: Three daughters of China by Jung Chang

Synopsis: True story of a girl who grows up during the cultural revolution in China. Starts back with her grandmother in the late 1800's up through the end of the 1980's. Fascinating story and really gives you a true picture of why the Chinese culture is the way it is. Highly recommend!

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Swans-Three-Daughters-China/dp/0743246985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162908&sr=1-1


The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Synopsis: Extremely intense book. True story of the Nanking massacre- Japanese troops marched into the city of Nanking and killed hundreds of thousands of people. Read with a box of kleenex nearby and don't expect to be in a good mood afterwards. But, it is an important piece of history that we, as Americans, are not really taught much about. Plus, explains a lot as to why the Japanese and Chinese have such a rocky relationship. By the way, the young author of this book was so distraught after writing it that she committed suicide.

http://www.amazon.com/Rape-Nanking-Forgotten-Holocaust-World/dp/0140277447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162982&sr=1-1


Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost

Synopsis: Didn't actually read this one; however, my friend Jodi (also lives in Shanghai) read it and liked it although she did say that it takes a bit of a sarcastic look at life here- sounds like my blog...

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Planet-China-Understand-Comfortable/dp/076792200X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241163282&sr=1-1



Well, that's it for now although I do have a few new ones lined up on the bookshelf including a biography of Mao Zedong. If you end up reading one of my recommendations, shoot me an email and let me know what you thought.

Proud to be an American!

Well, it finally happened. After 12 years of living in the USA, my Polish husband has turned to the dark side and become a US citizen. Why, you may ask, did he wait so long? The story is sordid and long- but, hey, that's what a blog is for, right?

It all started back in December of 1995 when Sev arrived in the US for the first time. Citizens of Poland needed a visa to enter to the US back then and still do today (even though Poland is part of the European Union and most other EU countries do not need a visa to visit the US - argh).

Anyway, he came over on a fiancee visa- meaning we had 90 days to get married or he gets deported. So, we figured what the heck, and we tied the knot in March of 1996- on the 89th day of his visa validity! Sev was then granted permanent residency status- a green card. What this means is that he was entitled to all the same rights as a US citizen except the right to vote & serve on a jury. From his point of view, why take it any further? Who wants to do jury duty anyway? And so it went for the next 12 years and all was well until we moved to China. That's where the trouble began. You see, you cannot keep your green card and live outside of the US for more than 6 months a year. Beginning in 2007 when we moved to China, traveling to the US become a huge problem for Sev. Depending on the mood of the immigration officer, he was often sent to a special room for questioning since he had no visa and technically, his green card was invalid since he had been outside the US for more than 6 months. They always let him in but the stress and unpleasantness of the interrogations finally forced Sev to realize that it was time for the inevitable- apply for citizenship. My own personal reason for pushing Sev for his citizenship was that should we ever find ourselves in trouble overseas, I could go to the US embassy for help and evacuation if necessary, while he would have to go through the Polish embassy. And once you get kids involved, you can see how this can be sticky. I had visions of being stuck in some foreign country during a natural disaster and being helicoptered out as the kids and I waved to Sev through the windows...

So after a year long application process, full of typical government screw ups (lost fingerprints, moving his case to Indiana for no apparent reason, rescheduled interviews, etc) he was granted citizenship on April 8th!

No matter what it says on paper, Sev will always be Polish and proud of it. And so in his honor, I threw him a surprise party at Bubba's Texas BBQ here in Shanghai, complete with our international group of friends- most of whom wore red, white, and blue for the occasion (except our friends from Ireland who claimed they didn't own any red/white/blue clothing!). He was completely shocked and in the end, admitted he doesn't mind being an American after all :)

The cake- tacky, but perfectly suited to the occasion!

The group- the USA basketball outfit Sev was wearing was a gift which he immediately (after a few beers) changed into!

Ah yes, the deer head wall plaque- felt just like we were back in Minnesota!

The youngest American guest in his NY tee. You may have noted the absence of our own kids at the party. I made the last minute decision to leave them at home w/ the sitter so I could enjoy a few beers...does that make me a bad mom? Wait, don't answer that.

Shanghai's changing skyline

At one point, nearly 1/2 of all the construction cranes in the entire world were in Shanghai. So as you can imagine, the skyline changes here pretty quickly. One day something is torn down, the next day something new goes up in it's place. Crazy- and sometimes frustrating when you get to a restaurant you were at the previous week and it's gone (this happens a lot)!

And in case you haven't heard, Shanghai is the host to the World Expo 2010. It's basically a world's fair and the city is really sprucing up for the event. It will last for a total of 7 months and they are expecting over 20 MILLION visitors. Unbelievable! And we will be lucky enough to still be here when it opens in May of 2010- though I am already dreading the crowds.

Just wanted to share a few photos of Shanghai's newest skyscraper- the World Financial Tower. It is the tallest building in the world by roof height, and the 2nd tallest by pinnacle height. Also, the world's highest hotel (a Hyatt) calls this building home. But the most interesting story about this building is about it's design. It's owned by a Japanese company and when the architects first presented the plans to Shanghai's government, there was quite an uproar because the design looked like a knife- stuck right in the heart of Shanghai. (And for those of you who know your history, Japaneses/Chinese relationships are not the greatest to begin with). The top of the tower was initially presented with a large circular cut out, which added fuel to the fire because the circle appears on the Japanese flag as the sun. After some lengthy redesigns, everyone agreed to the current designed which shows a square cut out in the building instead (personally, Sev and I call it the "bottle opener".)

A view from the Huang Pu river of the World Financial Center and the skyline on the west side of the river (Pudong).

World Financial Tower and in front of it, the Jin Mao tower (#5 tallest building on roof height and #7 on pinnacle height). Took this shot from the observation deck of the TV Pearl Tower.

A view of the east side of the river (Puxi). Junk boats cruising past the old European architecture of the Bund (in the background).

Nothing to do with new construction, but this is one of the few old historic cathedrals in China. This one is over 100 years old- you must show your passport to go in and have a look- Chinese are not permitted to enter.

Tongli

We recently welcomed our friend Tom from Milwaukee (although we met him in Minnesota) for a visit. I love having friends and family visit because I get to see China all over again for the first time through their eyes. I have grown accustomed to so many really strange things here that I often forget how different it is from the US until I see our visitor's eyes bug out of their head upon encountering something that I consider normal!

For Tom's visit, we decided to venture out on a little day trip to the small water town of Tongli. There are lots of water towns around Shanghai (a nearby town was used in filming Mission Impossible 3). They are unique because the main part of the town is built up around creeks and small rivers that run through the center. The towns are crissed crossed by a series of bridges and much of the daily life centers around the water. People wash their clothes and veggies in the river, fish, and unfortunately dump some garbage and sewage in there as well. It's best described by the pictures below.

*Warning*- Tongli is also famous as being the home of the China Sex Museum (which we obviously couldn't pass up since we were there anyway). Regardless of the content of the museum, the grounds are beautiful as it used to be a private girls school- how ironic. Graphic pics below so if you are prudish, you may want to skip the last couple photos.

A typical Tongli canal view.

Tourist boats which take you around the town.

Tongli ladies doing the laundry.

The old men sitting around and watching the tourists walk by.

Spare roof tiles.



Another shot of the old streets.

Inside one of the historic courtyards of Tongli. How cool would it have been to live in a place like this (well, actually, it would have been down right cold- there's not much insulation)!

My friend Jodi checking out the Tongli towel head fashion. For some reason which we couldn't figure out, several of the older ladies were wearing hand towels on their heads...

Accidents happen. A 3-wheeled scooter took a curve a little too fast and nailed the large cement ball right in front of us. Good thing we weren't a few seconds earlier or this would have been us instead of the ball! Amazingly, no one got hurt!

Tom and I getting ready to check out the Sex Museum.

The beautiful gardens of the sex museum- most of the statues you see in the distance were X-rated (hee-hee).

The title of this piece was "A woman's dependence"...well, I don't know about that- should have been titled "A man's dependence!"

My favorite statue in the museum. Title "The only part of the body you can't chain down". Pretty much.