Thanksgiving

Datong

International Foods Day

Friday, November 21st, was Interntional Foods Day at Beanstalk.

Super Spaghetti Sunday

Next week is Thanksgiving. We're almost three months into the school year. We are family. My apartment is warm and cozy. It seemed like a cause for celebration, and I've been thinking about making spaghetti for several days, actually for weeks. I've been stocking up on the ingredients. When you have to carry your groceries home on your back, you think about how much heavy stuff you want to buy each trip. Saturday night I stayed up late and made the sauce which wouldn't have been as good without all the herbs I was able to buy that afternoon in Sanlitun.

Janice and Sophia brought a pound cake which we doctored up with Bailey's and cool whip. Then grated chocolate on the top. Delicious.

Cathy took this picture. From l to r it's Patty Barry, Jane Harris, me, Janice Aulicino, and Sophia Kim. I have 5 chairs, so we used the arm of the sofa for the sixth seat.

Jane and Cathy brought their knitting. They also brought wine. Who knew that wine and wool went together so well. I think the pictures tell the story. We had a great time eating, drinking, laughing, telling stories, and getting to know each other better. Before we ate, we stopped to express our gratitude for 2 things each. I think we all agreed with Janice when she said that she was most grateful for our China family. It would be a very different experience for all of us without the fun, friendship and support we share. Good Fortune...as they say here.

Yashao and Bargaining

Saturday morning Cathy and Janice and I played tennis. It was cool and windy, but we had a good time. In the afternoon Patty, Jane and I went to Sanlitun again. Jane was in search of some of some warm clothes and Patty wanted to buy a hat to match the scarf she had already bought at UniClo. That's Jane and Patty here, and them again as they approach UniClo. Now Patty's from Florida and Jane is from northern California, where I know it can get pretty cold, but still the Beijing winter will be a challenge for them. Of course, it would go a lot better for all of us at school if we ever decide to stop heating the outdoors. I realize I"m in China, and they do things differently here, but I have seen and heard that China is making a very big deal about conserving energy. Perhaps they just don't know how to do it, so I think it would be a good idea to start at our school by educating the Chinese staff about the need to close doors and windows in cold weather, especially when we are consuming huge amounts of non-renewable resources to heat the inside and the outside of the building. We could start with a physics lesson focusing on the concept of hot air expanding into cool spaces. We could make it seem really patriotic as in, "Look what we are doing to help China achieve energy efficiency."etc. Starting today, no ai ee's will run around the building several times a day opening all the windows. And the playground doors will remain closed when the outdoor temperature is below 16 degrees Celsius. Yeah! I'll vote for that!!
This tree is in the plaza at Sanlitun. Hanging from the branches are hundreds of leaf-shaped pieces of white plastic with Chinese script on them. I don't what they say, but the tree does seem like a aChristmas tree.
Me, I just wanted to go shopping and see if I could find anything I really wanted or needed. I was mostly thinking of buying some fabric to make covers for the 3 pillows I bought for $1.30 at Carrefour. I figured I could probably buy enough fabric for a dollar or two. But Yashao is for wheeling and dealing, that is bargaining. They say you should never pay more than 50% of the original asking price. So I thought I should give it a try, and wouldn't you know, I came upon a stall with the absolute perfect pillow covers for me to bargain on. First I asked about a pair covers. The price was 185 RMB. OK, around 93 then, I thought. Then I asked about the red one. Suddenly the price for the 3 went up to 555! Crazy. I asked the sales girl if she spoke a little English. She said she spoke very good English. So I told her that it must be her math that was the problem. In the end I paid 210, which I think was far too much. I would have been happy with 150. My math maybe isn't that good either, but my decorating skills are still OK.
In the evening we ate dinner at the Saddle Cantina which makes pretty good Mexican food. Patty's tortilla soup was very good and so was Jan'es burrito. As for me, I had corn chips with quacamole...but the really hit was the beer which they brew right there, so I'm thinking these vats are doing their thing. If you come to Beijing and just want a touch of the good old USA Mexican style, it's a good place to go.

We also stopped at a place calle Henley's where I bought the first brandy I've come across since I got here, French brandy, maybe that's because we were in the French section. They also sold herbs and spices in small packet, so I stocked up. And there on the bottom shelf sat a package of Betty Crocker Pancake mix and some Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate frosting. This time I didn't hesitate, I snapped them right up, and here is what I had for breakfast the next morning.