Today all of the NSLI students performed at a shopping center, in front of reporters and a crowd, the traditional Chinese arts we had been practicing: kung fu tea, traditional tea ceremony, tai chi, and Sichuanese cooking. I really enjoyed getting to experience kung fu tea; I probably will never have another opportunity to pour tea from a three-foot spout balanced on my head.
My favorite dish that my host family has served me so far consists of a mound of long and thin potatoes cooked in oil (I know it sounds suspiciously like French fries but is actually traditional). I have had some other tasty treats, but none of the desserts that I have tried have actually been that appetizing. My host sister generally says our desserts taste too sweet for her (like cotton candy which she was surprised to discover existed in the United States). Lily and I tried to cook chocolate chip cookies using a bag mix I brought from America. First we had to substitute for the butter; then we had to substitute for the oven. Cooking them in a pan on a stove resulted in pancake-like cookies but was much better than the microwave. The microwave resulted in a single large cookie on the bottom of the plate. |
| Street vendor making sugar animals |
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| Traditional market in the evening |
Tomorrow morning the group of exchange students is leaving via overnight train for Kunming in the province of Yunnan. I have heard that we may be staying in a mountain resort, cabins, and tents (pretty big difference, but I am bringing my own roll of toilet paper so I will be prepared for anything). I have very little idea of what to expect, but Internet access and Western toilets are doubtful so I may not be able to post for the two weeks that we will be away.
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