March 30th, 2014
While I’m not too familiar with Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, I’m pretty sure he didn't include a line about all the things you’ll eat, not knowing what you’re eating, or the overpowering alcohol you’ll ingest to toasts you don’t fully understand. Today, I feel like that definitely should have been a line in his book. What inspired these feelings? Two dinner parties at local restaurants. It doesn't sound so exciting in itself, but just wait.
The first invitation came from a prestigious Colonel of the Chinese air force. 杨先生, through his connections, arranged for me to teach his son English. This little boy, 王靖尧, has been one of the kids helping me to begin enjoying my daily hours with these small students of English. He is one that definitely spends a lot of his time hitting the books, and I think he’s about 10, but I forget. Still, he’s got this enthusiasm that is simply endearing. Sometimes, when he makes a connection, or is able to form an appropriate sentence, he almost jumps out of his seat and his volume spikes. 很可爱! I’m particularly familiar with this young lad, as we've spent about 5 hours together over the past three days. Due to negations in which I have no part, I’m being funded quite a sum to teach his boy. I’m told that 王先生 is pretty well off due to his role and responsibilities in the air force.
So, today, at the 王 family’s invitation, my hosts and I accompanied them to lunch at a local restaurant. During this meal, I was at least relatively informed as to what I was eating (duck, fish, beef, a root vegetable, candied apple, celery, and maybe one or two dishes I’m forgetting). One particularly notable dish was a dish from王先生’s native 山东 province. While I’m not sure exactly what is typical to it, it consisted of a large thin tortilla like bread (thinner than a crepe, but dry and floured) in which a green onion, dipped in a brown sauce, was placed. Aside from that, it seems that anything off the table was fair game to add to its contents. While I was thinking it, 杨先生 said it: it’s a lot like a Mexican dish he had in America (i.e. burrito).
Now, I was quite aware that the Chinese have a strong tradition of drinking at the dinner table, but I didn't expect such potency! 王先生 pulled out a beautifully crafted bottle filled with “white wine.” I doubt this drink was made of grapes, or would somehow otherwise meet our definition of “wine.” The strongest vodka I have ever tasted was 50% alcohol; this liquor was 53% alcohol! And it was also the beverage of our toasts. The first drink, I learned, is always “bottoms up!” The subsequent drinks are whatever you choose, or so I was told after I “bottoms up”-ed again…except when it’s a full toast, then you “bottoms up” again, so I mixed things up a bit the second round. All in all, I felt I held my own well. And if nothing else, I think it helped to kick my stomachache.
Since I've already gone on so long, I’ll be brief in my second description. Basically, I was invited by a student, from the high school where I’ll be teaching, to a dinner party (which I thought was supposed to just be “tea”) for students practicing English (which there was surprisingly little of…). There we ate multiple dishes which I had no explanation for, unlike the previous outing. I know I ate chicken feet (very bony, not much meat). But everything else? I haven’t the slightest idea. There were slices of a gray gelatinous substance, with what may have been some kind of tentacle suspended in it; a very, very long stringy lime green vegetable, sliced I believe; a potato dish (potato has been unexpectedly common here); some sprouts and red pepper mixed with some spongy substance, cut julienne; a soup with what may have been ribbons of chicken stomach/intestine; among other dishes.
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