Lunch-Factory-Dinner

Well the past few days I've been down with a cold.

Yesterday Sophia and Chad brought me some fruit and accompanied me to the pharmacy to get some cold medicine. Then we went to the store to buy some food...It sure helps if someone can explain what everything is.

Today I'm feeling a little better so they invited me to go with a friend for a drive in the country and meet some other people...I can't say no?

On the way we had a little finder bender...Backed into a truck. Nobody was hurt.

That didn't stop us. We threw the car parts into the trunk and headed down the road.


We stopped at this great restaurant that had bamboo huts to eat in.
The food was good and there was plenty of it!
Chicken soup...feet and all!


Fish soup...I know the head's in there somewhere.


Sophia digging right in. The guy on her right is the manager of a textile factory nearby. I asked him if we could visit it after lunch and he seemed excited that I was interested. So after lunch off we went.


And MORE food! Mmmm, snails and potatoes.


Chad and Sophia.


And the beer was flowing...That will fix that cold of mine!



At the factory.


Now I know that textiles means clothes or cloth. But this textile factory made polyester that is used for anything from bags to diapers. No free shirts for Jim!

But I did get a behind the scenes view of how plastic was made into cloth.



I learn something new every day...who knew that today I would learn how cloth for diapers was made?


David from the school called this morning and invited me to have dinner with a friend of his...Even with a cold I can't say no to a free meal...Even if I don't know what it might be?

David couldn't make it but his friend and her son and husband picked me up at about 6 and took me to a very nice restaurant in a hotel here in Changxing.

I don't remember Mom and Dad's name but I couldn't forget the son's name...Cash.$$


Dumplings

Sheep and fish soup. I know it doesn't sound great but it WAS.

Ok....I just don't know...but I liked it!


More great food and more great friends!


I love this place!

One of the great things about travel is you find out how many good, kind people there are in the world.

Jim

Chinese Lunch and American Dinner

One of the perks of being adopted my multiple Chinese families is that the feed you.
And feed you well at that!

Sophia's mom invited me to have lunch with them today. I had class this morning but was done by 11am. I asked if I could take some pictures while they prepared lunch and they said "sure" but were a little curious as to why.
I told them that the food in China was very different than the Chinese food in America. They had no idea what a fortune cookie was!

So here are a few shots of how Sophia and her family prepare lunch in China. I would say typical lunch but I think they thew in a few extras for me.

To begin...a lot of people use various coal cookers. You buy these round coal bricks and put them in the cooker and then you make a fire using wood to start the coal. After they get going your cookin' with coal!


When I first arrived Sophia was cooking up some greens. I think this is similar to spinach.


Mom was working on the tofu. She was putting little slices in them to help them absorb the flavors to be added later.


Then Sophia fried it up.


This guy would be dealt with later!


After the tofu is browned you add some spices and soy sauce. And let it simmer.


Meanwhile dad cleaned up some bamboo.


And mom diced up some pork.



Then Sophia fried the pork while mom diced up the bamboo.

What a cook!


I've never eaten so much bamboo in my life.


As I watched them...Others were watching me.

Old and young alike.

This is the young.


And this is the old. I love this shot. He wasn't very keen on me taking his picture so I had to trick him into it. Afterwards he really liked it. I think I'll get a copy printed for him. I love taking pictures of old people. Their faces have so much character.

Dad keeping busy peeling some spuds...aka, taters.


Then supervising the cleaning of the shrimp.


I'm not sure who this guy was, but boy does he like ice cream.


Sophia dicing onions. She's pretty handy with that cleaver!



These were the biggest shrimp that I've seen in China yet. Big enough for me to be able to peel them with my hands.


And this guy finally got his turn in he wok.


Mom even killed a chicken just for me...bless her heart.



Well the table is set and the beer is cold. I never have beer for lunch but when in China...Do as the Chinese.



A few friends and relatives stopped in to join us.


And we had a wonderful time.





I invited Sophia and Chad to have pizza for dinner with me later on. They had never had Italian/American pizza before.
As a matter of fact as the waitress sat us down, Sophia looked a little worried. I asked what was wrong. She looked at the forks and knives at the table. She said she had never used them before and was worried that she would use them wrong.
I told her not to worry...You don't use a fork to eat pizza. Just your hands!



I'm not sure, but I think it has been said that food brings people together.

It did today!

Jim

New Family

Well, once again I have a new family here in Changxing.


You might remember the dad...He was the guy I me making the fried yo-bings in the street.

The fellow in the right is his son. His Chinese name is You Bing. He didn't have an English name but wanted one...I named him Chad. He reminds me of my brother Chad.

And this is Sophia.


And Mom.


Her Aunt owns a little clothing store near by.



When the usual crowd gathered around her store as we took pictures everybody wanted in on the action.



They own a little shop that sells duck. Duck legs, duck necks, duck feet and just about every other part of the duck. You can also buy you-bings, ice cream and drinks.


I had some of the photos developed and took them a copy.



I also had lunch with some other Chinese friends today.
This is Zhou Qing...She works on the floor above the school. She sells Am-Way products in the evening and she is an accountant during the day.


Hmmm...Hot egg and fish pudding....I Passed. I tried it at the lake...Not my cup of tea!

The woman on the right is a doctor at a nearby hospital....She spoke a little English.



We had shrimp, fish, fish soup(the kind with the whole little white fish in it)and a first for me here in China...Broccoli.


Fish soup.


I still haven't been able to peel these guys in my mouth. I have to peel them like back home in America...With my hands....What a rookie.


And some of these bread things that you filled with greens and pork.


But lord knows...I'm eating good!



Quote of the day.

"A journey is best measured in friends rather than
miles"

Jim