You in the States may think the season is over, but here we're just getting started. I still have some pictures of past holidays, so I'm going to run through those, and you still have all the hoopla of Chinese New Year to look forward to. As do I. There are no pictures of Halloween, since it was really nothing special (putting on a cape was enough effort, especially given my limited wardrobe). Thanksgiving involved a meal way across town, and across the Yangtze River, at a foreign restaurant called Cafe Brussels. Owned by a large, bearded European, the place specializes in fine Western cuisine and boasts a rather impressive beer selection, including a couple of in-house micro-brews. It's expensive, but they were offering a special Thanksgiving menu, so we made the trip. We had a pretty tasty pumpkin soup to start, and things ended with a passable apple pie. I'm not sure whether the main course was actually turkey, but it was accompanied by so much gravy and mashed potatoes that it didn't really matter. It's hard to tell, but I'm pictured with a knife, attempting to carve the crepe-paper turkey that we, for some reason, had on hand.
Christmas, in contrast, was not quite as low-key as Thanksgiving, as it's one Western holiday that is widely celebrated in China. (Unlike my Christmas lesson, which was mostly candy and songs, I had to give most of my classes a pretty long-winded explanation of the history of Thanksgiving.) Once again, we got dressed up to go across town for a nice meal together, only to discover that everyone else in the city had plans of their own. The streets were flooded with people on Christmas Eve. During the one-hour-plus cab ride, the driver was trying to explain to me in basic Chinese that everyone would be out for the holiday. "Ping An Ye," he called it. Interestingly enough, the Chinese give apples to each other for good luck, since the word for apple sounds a little like the word for Christmas Eve. That, and they're red. Red is always good in China.
We numbered at least a dozen, the biggest group in the restaurant. Next to us stood an 8-year-old girl playing one of those ancient Chinese zithers for our enjoyment. I have to say, she was damn good, playing with the kind of precision that makes you wonder how many hours a day she's pushed to practice. The mood was festive, though, and everyone got a Santa hat. As you can see, I was no exception. And as for the dinner, it didn't disappoint. A perfectly cooked piece of tenderloin and a pint of decent beer were a hell of a lot better than the standard fare of fried rice and dumplings. Though, in keeping with Jewish tradition, I probably did have some Chinese food sometime that day.
The meal ended with a raffle, in which I won a free bottle of Delirium Noël (photo stolen), a surprisingly savory (and expensive) Belgian ale. So, that was cool. But it wasn't the only surprise of the night. When it came time to pay, we were charged only for drinks and told that the rest had been taken care of. With such a large group, the bill would've been come out to a few thousand yuan--a month's salary for the average foreign teacher--but it seems our meal was comped. After that, we headed out to the bar for a drink. Then we found that the bar had been closed by order of the local police. (Apparently, they had exceeded their capacity, and everyone was told to leave. They reopened about an hour later.) So, as you can tell, Christmas is a time for celebration here, but it has nothing to do with Jesus, Santa, or even the giving of gifts (although you can still see Santa's cherubic face posted in a few small restaurants, staring at you while you eat). It's mostly an excuse to have fun and do some shopping. Students tell me that stores participate not only to make money, but also because, as they put it, it's seen as fashionable.
I woke up Christmas morning at about 7 am and had class from 8 to 12. I wasn't too happy about it. But my students did give me a cake, for some reason. It was quite large and fruity and said, "Merry Christmas, Kevin." When I asked if they wanted to help me eat it, they said, "Oh, no, it is for you, teacher." So, I lugged it back to my apartment and took a nap. Don't worry, other students gave me apples, so my diet remains balanced.
You in the States may think the season is over, but here we're just getting started. I still have some pictures of past holidays, so I'm going to run through those, and you still have all the hoopla of Chinese New Year to look forward to. As do I. There are no pictures of Halloween, since it was really nothing special (putting on a cape was enough effort, especially given my limited wardrobe). Thanksgiving involved a meal way across town, and across the Yangtze River, at a foreign restaurant called Cafe Brussels. Owned by a large, bearded European, the place specializes in fine Western cuisine and boasts a rather impressive beer selection, including a couple of in-house micro-brews. It's expensive, but they were offering a special Thanksgiving menu, so we made the trip. We had a pretty tasty pumpkin soup to start, and things ended with a passable apple pie. I'm not sure whether the main course was actually turkey, but it was accompanied by so much gravy and mashed potatoes that it didn't really matter. It's hard to tell, but I'm pictured with a knife, attempting to carve the crepe-paper turkey that we, for some reason, had on hand.
Christmas, in contrast, was not quite as low-key as Thanksgiving, as it's one Western holiday that is widely celebrated in China. (Unlike my Christmas lesson, which was mostly candy and songs, I had to give most of my classes a pretty long-winded explanation of the history of Thanksgiving.) Once again, we got dressed up to go across town for a nice meal together, only to discover that everyone else in the city had plans of their own. The streets were flooded with people on Christmas Eve. During the one-hour-plus cab ride, the driver was trying to explain to me in basic Chinese that everyone would be out for the holiday. "Ping An Ye," he called it. Interestingly enough, the Chinese give apples to each other for good luck, since the word for apple sounds a little like the word for Christmas Eve. That, and they're red. Red is always good in China.
We numbered at least a dozen, the biggest group in the restaurant. Next to us stood an 8-year-old girl playing one of those ancient Chinese zithers for our enjoyment. I have to say, she was damn good, playing with the kind of precision that makes you wonder how many hours a day she's pushed to practice. The mood was festive, though, and everyone got a Santa hat. As you can see, I was no exception. And as for the dinner, it didn't disappoint. A perfectly cooked piece of tenderloin and a pint of decent beer were a hell of a lot better than the standard fare of fried rice and dumplings. Though, in keeping with Jewish tradition, I probably did have some Chinese food sometime that day.
The meal ended with a raffle, in which I won a free bottle of Delirium Noël (photo stolen), a surprisingly savory (and expensive) Belgian ale. So, that was cool. But it wasn't the only surprise of the night. When it came time to pay, we were charged only for drinks and told that the rest had been taken care of. With such a large group, the bill would've been come out to a few thousand yuan--a month's salary for the average foreign teacher--but it seems our meal was comped. After that, we headed out to the bar for a drink. Then we found that the bar had been closed by order of the local police. (Apparently, they had exceeded their capacity, and everyone was told to leave. They reopened about an hour later.) So, as you can tell, Christmas is a time for celebration here, but it has nothing to do with Jesus, Santa, or even the giving of gifts (although you can still see Santa's cherubic face posted in a few small restaurants, staring at you while you eat). It's mostly an excuse to have fun and do some shopping. Students tell me that stores participate not only to make money, but also because, as they put it, it's seen as fashionable.
I woke up Christmas morning at about 7 am and had class from 8 to 12. I wasn't too happy about it. But my students did give me a cake, for some reason. It was quite large and fruity and said, "Merry Christmas, Kevin." When I asked if they wanted to help me eat it, they said, "Oh, no, it is for you, teacher." So, I lugged it back to my apartment and took a nap. Don't worry, other students gave me apples, so my diet remains balanced.
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