Things to Love about China 37 of 100: Mooncakes

Hello all. After a long summer of traveling, partying, and getting married, I have landed safely in China (and have been living two crazy weeks). There are so many experiences that I have not yet been able to capture on camera or in words, but please know that Cathy and I are very joy-filled and satisfied with our new lives.

In the next few months I have a lot to blog about as I explore this strange world called China- but when contemplating where to begin I can think of nothing better than Mooncakes.

I first discovered mooncakes when one of my little Chinese students brought a plastic-wrapped pastry to my desk and said "For you, teacher," she said.

I took the pastry, cautiously, and asked "What is it?"

She smiled and said, "Mooncake".

Often when I encounter new foods in China I pick up my chopsticks and dig-in without asking too many questions, but this Mooncake looked to me like a pandora's box - anything could be inside. I carefully took a nibble and was surprised to find that I did not despise it. It tasted, if nothing else, a little bit like Pecan Pie. Now don't get me wrong, i'd rather eat a pecan pie any day, but this little Mooncake wasn't too bad.

I took a bigger bite and ventured in further. There were seeds and nuts and some cubes of geletin-like substance. It was almost good! I kept chomping when I happened upon a small surprise: a round orange thing about the size of an egg-yolk. I didn't quite know what to do with this globular-treasure. I know that Chinese love to mix up textures as you partake (bubble tea is one example of this), but I wasn't sure about this orange ball stuck in my pecan-pie.

I scraped the orange thing with my teeth. Salty- an interesting flavor to find in a pie. I decided not to finish the ball and ate around it. I proceeded to find first one, then two more of the orange-mysteries and ate around them as well. When I took my last bite, all I had left were three salty spheres (later research would reveal these to be salted duck eggs)

Later, when my student saw me she asked if I had enjoyed the mooncake. I rubbed my tummy and smiled (although I wasn't quite sure if I enjoyed the experience or not). Never-the-less eight new mooncakes had arrived on my desk by the next morning. "For you," she explained.

And now I am a mooncake connoisseur. Those of you Angry-Bird players may have even spent time searching for them in the new Angry-Bird-Seasons update: "Mooncake Festival". Indeed, Mooncakes are the traditional gift given away during the Mid-Autumn festival for lunar-worship coming up next weekend- though, connoisseurs should be warned, the average mooncake packs in 800 - 1200 calories and are not friendly to those looking to drop a few pounds.

More to come!

~Brock

Things to love about China: 36 of 100

The Chinese Zodiac

Brock's New Year

Once upon a time in China there was a race. The Jade Emperor called the twelve animals of the kingdom to him. He had wanted to assign each of the animals a position in the Chinese Zodiac and had decided that the order in which they arrived to meet him would determine their order on the calendar.

The most difficult leg of the journey was the river. The Ox being strong and mighty was able to ford the water and thought he would surely win- but the Rat, the most clever animal, managed to stowaway on his back and jump to the other side just before the Ox was able to win.

The nimble Rabbit was able to cross the river by jumping from stone to stone and when he was about to fall in –bless his luck- he was able to grab hold of a floating log. The Rabbit managed to reach the emperor fourth, right behind the strong Tiger.

The winged-Dragon came in 5^th because he was busy helping all the creatures of the Earth (Which pleased the emperor). The Horse was about to take 6^th place but a sneaky little Snake had been hiding in his hoof. The Horse was scared and the Snake took 6^th instead.

The Goat, Monkey and Rooster were next to arrive. They had worked together and crossed the river on a raft. The Dog arrived 11^th because it was too busy playing and the Pig last because it was too busy eating and sleeping.

And so, for the last five-thousand years, the twelve-year cycle has repeated: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

While most of the world considers January 1^st the beginning of the New Year, it is celebrated in China in late January or early February. For a teacher, however, I am on a different calendar all together- that of the school year and my year is about to come to a close.

This year, my second year of teaching, was a big one. I proposed to my girlfriend, I received a transfer to a new country, I travelled to ten different countries and in a few months I will be legally married in the great province of Ontario.

In August my new year will start. I will have brand new friends. A brand new job. I will be far away from Kazakhstan (and Wisconsin) living in a place where it hasn’t snowed since wooly mammoths roamed the earth. Yet, I have no fears for the future. I have friends where I go and a brand new wife to travel with me and- even more- I am a Rat and I always win the race.

This video is nutso...

Things to love about China: 35 of 100

You are winding your way up a mountainous road in the California dessert. Suddenly one of the cars swerves off of the shoulder. You stop. Other cars stop. You and several strangers run down the hill and see if the driver is still alive. He is, but badly injured. Blood and dirt cover his face and he is only able to get a few words out. “Three-Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars,” he says “Buried in Santa Rosita State Park…under a Big W,”

Then, the injured man kicks the bucket (literally) and you wander back to your cars. You all agree to slowly drive down to the Mexican Border to Santa Rosita. You sit back in the driver’s seat. At first, the line of five cars make their way slowly down the pass, but suddenly someone takes off. The race is on.

This is the plot of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (1963). The concept is simple, but genius. Several groups of pedestrians are racing through the world, seeking fortune. They must use planes, trains, cars, boats, and whatever other means to find it. They are out in the world, interacting with people who don’t know what they know.

The concept has been copied several times: From the American Films “Million Dollar Mystery” (1987) and “Rat Race” (2001) to Bollywood’s “Dhamaal” (2007). There is the short-lived Fox drama “Drive” and the long-running reality show “Amazing Race”. I even plotted out a version of this story when I was a kid… and again in college I wrote a similar story about my dorm friends.

Of all these versions (including my own), it is the “Amazing Race” who really turns this concept into something epic and exciting. I have to admit that I have only recently discovered the show, but it has quickly turned into my favorite reality television series. The series has run eighteen seasons, has seen seventy-six different countries, and won the first seven Emmys in Outstanding Reality Series.

Eleven teams of two people must race in the world’s biggest scavenger hunt. They must compete in challenges, solve puzzles, eat yucky things and the winners receive one million dollars. The race typically visits twelve countries in a season and has visited China in nine of its eighteen seasons, making China the number one raced-through country, other than the States.

And what’s not to love about China? It’s big and grand and there are so many climates, cultures, and cities that you can choose from. You can explore the Great Wall or wash windows in Shanghai. You can eat fish-eyes in Beijing or dodge Kung-Fu fighters in Hong Kong. Take a dive off the world’s highest sky-jump in Macau or light sky-lanterns in Taipei.

This past year, China even launched its own version of the “The Amazing Race” called “The Amazing Race: China Rush” in which teams of expatriates living in China raced around eleven Chinese cities. The show has been renewed for a second season and upon discovering this I thought, “Hey, I’m an expatriate who will be living in China, why don’t I apply?”

Of course this is just a dream, isn’t it? I mean, I have a job, I can’t stop teaching to race around China. But then I think QSI offers a year sabbatical after six years of teaching, which means I only have four years left. I could race around China or, maybe, even around the world. I could win a million dollars!

Or I could not win a million dollars. There are endless possibilities, really. My life is an amazing race. China might be but a pit-stop in that race, or it may be an extended stay, I don’t know yet. What is it that Doc Brown said? “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.”

Things to love about China: 34 of 100

Trains

When trains were invented in the 1800’s, 18mph was an unheard of speed- but steam engines could do it. Americans marveled at the fact that this steel machine could (with the power of boiled water) move faster than a horse.

Even two-hundred years later, trains continue to fascinate us in a way we can’t truly understand. Think of trains in Hollywood films such as: Mission Impossible, Transsiberian, The Darjeeling Limited, Harry Potter, Murder on the Orient Express, Throw Mama Off the Train, The Great Train Robbery, Strangers on a Train- the list goes on.

And what better way to start a story: Someone sits on a train reading a newspaper. It’s like the train itself is a symbol for the plot speeding along and there isn’t anything anyone can do to stop it- the films Unbreakable, Gandhi, and The Tourist spring to mind. There are also those stories where the climax of the story takes place on a train – Broken Arrow, Back to the Future III, and The Wastelands by Stephen King.

In King’s “The Wastelands” the book ends in a cliffhanger where the characters are trapped on a futuristic super-train that can travel faster than the speed of sound (Blaine the train runs mainly on the plains). Now it’s been over twenty years since King’s book was written and, though no train can even come close to making a sonic boom, we have come a long way from 18mph.

China happens to have the world’s fastest passenger trains and, also, the world’s longest high-speed train system. Most high-speed trains in China cruise at about 220mph (twice as fast as high-speed railways in Europe) and the Maglev Line in Shanghai clocks-in at 268mph and that’s one fast train.

*Now, it’s true, that Japan’s JR–Maglev can reach speeds of 361mph, but this is an experimental vehicle that does not yet, carry passengers- so if you want to move faster on land than you ever have before, China is the way to go*

At this point in my classroom one of my student’s would probably say something like “But, Mr. Raabe, trains are outdated. We have planes now. Planes are faster,” – at which point I would respond “Wrong! High-Speed trains are a much better means of travel when you consider: price, security checks, boarding time, layovers, luggage check, inclement weather, space and comfort.

Indeed, studies have concluded that when traveling distances of 150-550 miles, High Speed Trains are the most economical, environmental, comfortable, fastest, and cheapest way to travel and this is especially true for Chinese Trains.

It’s no surprise that China leads the world in transporting passengers per year. It’s also no surprise that for railway usage the United States ranks one of the lowest in transporting passengers (I mean who uses Amtrak). The US takes passengers fewer miles than most European and Asian Nations and it only slightly beats Kazakhstan (a country where I have never actually seen a train).

I can only conclude by these statistics that a majority of the readers of my blog have never, in their lives, been on a train- which is crazy considering this is the same country that is so obsessed with locomotives in literature and film and the song "Locomotion".

The train was invented in Great Britain, glorified in the United States, but now it is China that has perfected the train. You can buy your tickets here: http://www.chinatraintickets.net/

Things to Love about China: 33 of 100

Baoding Balls

My dad was the kind of father who would go off to faraway places and bring back a suitcase load of presents. Looking back in my mind’s eye, it is amazing how many little toys my normally frugal-father would bring back for his friends and family. I realize now that this image of my father probably inspired me to travel the world.

I remember from Russia he brought back several sets of Matryoshka Dolls and a bunch of old soviet pins. From Vietnam he had silverwear made from shrapnel of crashed US aircraft and a Ho Chi Minh T-shirt. The clearest memory of my father’s gifts however is from China: he brought me a panda thimble, a terra-cotta warrior statue, a piece of the great wall, a set of small Chinese Buddhas and a pair of Baoding balls.

I’m not sure what happened to the Baoding balls but I remember they were luminescent, blue, and had pandas on them. It is obvious to me now that I may not, at the time, realized what the purpose of the balls were, but I do remember the chiming noise they made when they moved.

Baoding balls, like massages, are a form of medicine in China. They are used, not only to improve dexterity and strength, but to assist in recovery from injuries. When the Baoding balls were first invented five centuries ago, they were made of solid iron. Today most are hollow and feature a chime inside which creates a singing sound when the balls move.

Baoding, like juggling, is an art form. The object is to rotate the spheres in your hands as fast as possible without them touching. Experts can rotate the balls at phenomenal speeds and some can even rotate three or four in each hand. Olympic body-builders sometimes use large shot-put balls in this manner in order to develop muscles and improve grip.

I don’t know if this is a skill I have the patience to harness but I think I will be buying a few sets of these because, if nothing else, they look nice and sound nice. Now that I am a world traveler, like my father before me, I enjoy bringing home bags of souvenirs to my friends and family, so if you would like a nice shiny set of Baoding balls respond to this post and I’ll try to bring some back for you.

Check out the following videos and see how many you can juggle:

Two

Three

Four

Five

Things to Love about China: 32 of 100

A long time ago the world was a mysterious place. When you travelled to strange lands you would find strange animals, foods, and people that you never knew could possibly exist. Today, in the age of Wikipedia, we think we know everything there is to know. Why leave your home when the world is at your fingertips?

As a traveler I can tell you that the world is still a mysterious place filled with surprises. The internet is a wonderful thing but even when you spend hours blogging about a country that you have never been to, you’ll never quite get the feel of that place until you are there.

China is full of weird and wonderful things and my blog showcases only a few of them. Today, I bring you some weird and wonderful fruits that you probably can’t get in your local grocery store.

Let’s start with Durian, the king of all fruits. This spiky food is the subject of much debate in many Asian countries and has been banned from many public places in the world. Some people say this fruit tastes like heaven, but most people agree that this fruit smells like the rank-demons of hell. This is a very popular fruit in many, many Asian countries, but the smell (to some) is unbearable and has been compared to rotten onions, vomit, gym socks, skunk spray, sewage and surgical swabs. It can be smelled from yards away and for this reason has been banned from airports and subways.


Next up is Dragonfruit. I think I have seen this in the States but the fruit still fascinates me. Technically known as Pitaya this fruit is very mild and fresh tasting. It is best served chilled. The health benefits of dragon fruit are many and include weight reduction, blood-pressure control, and cancer prevention.


We all love watermelons, but they are big, bulky, and they roll. For merchants this means that they don’t ship efficiently and many break during the shipping process. Solution? Square watermelons! This idea may sound like something out of science fiction, but it is incredibly genius and simple. To grow a square watermelon simply place it in a square container while it grows. You can use this same process to grow a square anything! You can even use other shaped-containers to grow a variety of shaped-things. Square watermelons are common in Japan and can be found in China also.


This little pink fruit is related to the lychee but is a little pinker and a little spikier. The rambutan fruit can be found inside its vibrant shell and looks like a ping-pong ball. This fruit tastes sweet (like perfume) and is used to make chilled desserts or in tropical salads.


These are just a few of the wonderful strange fruits of Asia. We live in a strange and tasty world and new things are out there, waiting to be eaten. So do yourself a favor, go down to your local Walmart and try something new this week.

"Buddha's Hand"
(The Octopus Lemon)

Things to love about China: 31 of 100

Aboriginal Tribes in Taiwan

Who owns Taiwan? This subject has been in debate throughout the history of man. It has been colonized by the Dutch, the Chinese, the Spanish, and the Japanese. Control over Taiwan has changed so many times that the first inhabitants died out over ten-thousand years ago. Even today, people aren’t sure who rules the island.

Taiwan’s government is officially known as the “Republic of China” which differs from the “People’s Republic of China” on the mainland. The People’s Republic of China insists that the “Republic of China” does not exist, which is a bit like if the US claimed that the Canadian government did not exist and that the US owned Canada.

When touring Taiwan you have a couple of options: You can visit the west (the cities) or you can visit the east (the aboriginal communities). I could probably write a couple of boring paragraphs about the cities including Taipei and the second tallest building in the world (indeed my first draft of this blog included these things) but let’s move on to the aboriginals, because it’s more interesting.

Taiwan has nineteen aboriginal tribes (or abo-diginals for you Derek Zoolander fans). These make up about 2% of the population with 98% of the population being Han Chinese. It is thought that the southern tribes migrated from Malaysia and Polynesia. No one knows where the northern tribes came from but guesses include Vietnam, Mongolia, and Japan.

Our first stop on this virtual tour is Sun Moon Lake, home of the Thao. The lake is famous for its striking blue water and mountainous backdrop. Many Chinese couples choose to spend their honeymoon here. Lalu Island, in the middle of the lake, is holy ground for the Thao people. The Thao people offer tours of the lake in special canoes made from hollowing out tree trunks. Being Taiwan’s smallest tribe- the Lalu consists of only five-hundred individuals.

Our next stop is WangXiang Village, home to the Bunun Tribe. The village lies right under Yushan, the Island highest mountain and one of the highest in the world. The tribe use to consist of fierce headhunting warriors, which explains why they have survived so many invading governments. Today the tribe hunts and traps food in the mountains. The Bunun people are also known for their stylish vocal music.

Next we head over to Orchid Island, a small volcanic rock that is home to the Tao (or the Yami). The Island is famed for crystal clear water and stunning coral reefs and rock formations. Here the Tao carve giant wooden canoes and practice spearfishing.

These are just a few of the ancient cultures of Taiwan. They have lived through many ruling governments and are still living in their ancient ways. They are the survivors and no matter what government has control of Taiwan they will continue to survive.