Hello from Big Dave in Beijing!

[Martin]

Great update Big Dave.  I am enjoying reading about your trip.  Enjoy your time.

[Arnold]

Nice Coat Trick ? Wonder if she had it planned that way ? Snoggle in all day ... that's let's you forget that Coat real fast ... right ?
 
Wonderful update Big Dave ... more ... more ... please ! Photo's are a must , but can wait for them ... a little while anyway .

[Peter]

Great reading Dave.. I can remember about the slippers :icon_cheesygrin:

[David]

Tonight I took Anna's family out to dinner, including her Aunt and Uncle, who I just met today.  We rented a private room and the type of dinner is called Hot Pot.  Eight different dishes were served on a large table with a huge glass spinning thing that is called a lazy susan in the US.  Dishes included spicey beef, celery and red pepper pork, corn and pine nuts, pigs stomach and feet, a spicey quail egg soup, leeks and sheppards pie, fried rice crackers, corn and pork dumplings served southern style in a soup, and rice.  Green tea and soy bean nuts were served just before dinner.  The whole thing, including renting the private room, was 200 rmb and fed eight people very well.  Food was very delicious but I think the dinner Anna's father cooked yesterday was better!  I think I like the dumplings served best in this southern style with the soup... they are a little bit softer.  Thus far I had eaten them in the northern style served in a wooden steamer basket on cloth and then you dip them in vinegar sauce and perhaps a tiny bit of sesame oil.  I find I am having to watch the spicey food... I am having to visit the wash room a little more than usual while in China.  I think it is just because the food is different than what I am used to at home.
I don't have an upset stomach, but things are just not as solid as usual.
Thus far in Lu an (the proper spelling) I seem to be the only foreigner.  Even at the Easton International Business Hotel where I am staying.  The price of a room is about a quarter of the cost for about the same type of room in Beijing.  Some things of note that I find curious... sink and toilet fixtures, light fixtures are all different here.  Work the same but are not the same as in the US.  Even a 5 star hotel when away from Beijing may not know what an American Express credit card is!  The fast train (which is the newest train) is really amazing... the seats are very similar to those of a large jumbo jet.  The train is really fast and smooth and makes almost no noise.  The speed got up to almost 300 kilometers per hour.  When water is served here it is served hot.  I think it is always heated to also purify it.  Beverages are not served cold in China.  A couple times I found a chilled soda in a small supermarket.  Anna and I tried a special sweet treat called Hawthorne.  It is a small apple like fruit that is skewered on a stick and then glazed with sugar.  It sort of tastes like cranberries.  Tonight Anna's parents gave me four large bricks of Lu an green tea.  I guess Lu an is considered famous for its large buns and green tea.  So I now probably have a two years supply of green tea!  The tea is not brewed in the english style, ground and steeped in a tea post.  The green tea are whole leaves which are placed into the bottom of the glass or tea cup and boiling water is added right into the glass over the leaves.  I might be leaving Lu an tomorrow so I may not be able to post again for a while.  Will post again when I can...

Big Dave

[RobertBfrom aust]

Terrific information Dave , for those who are following you , the 2 of you are having a wonderful time , regards Ying and Robert .

[Ed W]

Ahhhhhh, the laxative effects of hot pot. LOL.

David, I dont remember if you're a tea drinker or not but I brought back some "Pearl White" which is very innexpensive but ohhhhh so good. When we went searching for a good tea for me to bring home, the attendants would whip up any tea we wished to sample. It's kinda neat to watch since she'd rinse the leaves in hot water, pour it out and repeat, then fill and let it stand for a minute. I always enjoy the ammount of care taken with anything edible in China.

So glad to read your adventures. Looking forward to reading more.

[mustfocus]

Hi Ed,

Rinsing the leaves in hot water is actually a good practice for many teas.  The point is to rinse off anything that could affect the taste of the tea as it is usually dried out in the open under the sun...Also kinda helps with the safety of the tea.

One other thing for everyone... Chinese prefer the whole leaf rather than ground up tea.  The quality is better that way.  So something to consider is that when tea is gathered up, they put it through a "shaker" (sort of like those coin sorting machines, but for tea instead of coins).  The bigger pieces stay near the top and the really small things hit the bottom.  The tea that is stored at the top is usually sold as loose leaf and is considered higher quality.  The small stuff (dregs) is usually poured into tea bags and sold off that way... Hence...even though most western teas are sold in tea bags... giving loose leaf tea shows more knowledge than giving someone a box of lipton or red rose.

[David]

Hmmm ?I wonder if a strainer is used when the tea is rinsed the first time?  I am considering bringing home a nice tea serving set.

I have not heard from Anna yet if we are leaving Lu an and travelling back to Hefei.  Apparently her sister's ex-husband is causing her family some trouble.  He has not paid his child support in almost a year and they are taking him to court next week so he has been harassing the family.  We may need to stay here an extra day until things sort out.  Anna is bringing in Lu an large buns (their famous dish) for breakfast this morning!  If we stay another day I will post some more...

Big Dave

[JimB]

David, glad it is going so well.  You can post your pics at photobucket for free.  Enjoy the rest of your time.

Jim

[Irishman]

Dave I'm really enjoying the updates, you have a great writing style.
I don't understand why you cannot upload pictures, are you trying to upload very large size files or are they in a raw format?
As Jim already suggested, photobucket.com is free and will give you links you can use straight away in the forum as an alternative to uploading directly.

[David]

As Jim suggested, I have started a Photobucket account and am now uploading pictures there... I will post the link there when I have something to show.

Anna and I ended up staying for another night here in Lu an to visit with her family.  Anna and her mother got really emotional when they talked on the phone this morning because her family wanted us to stay longer.  Also her sister's ex-husband is really harrassing the family.  Tonight he was hiding in the stairwell and jumped out and grabbed his daughters arm and was yelling at her to not show up in court for their case next week.  The family is trying to get the past years child support money.  Last night, while we were joking around, Anna taught me some colorful language in Mandarin.  She just bursts out laughing everytime she hears me swear in Chinese so it has become somewhat of a private joke.  I wanted to run down the stairs and yell some of the new words I learned at the ex husband. He really is causing some problems and Anna is worried because her father has high blood pressure.  Today we went walking in Lu an and visited a very nice park that was near my hotel.  I am still amazed that I have such a nice hotel room here for only 168 rmb a night... the current exchange rate in Beijing is 6.78 rmb and in Lu an and Hefei it is 6.75 rmb per US dollar, so the room is really inexpensive!  The park was beautiful in winter so I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in full bloom in spring or summer.  At the center of the park was a large memorial and statue for the fallen leaders of the cultural revolution.  There are several stands of really old pine trees that have a very bonsai look to them... several were growing in unusual angles like they have been swept by gale force winds.  Quite beautiful.  Anna's family again went all out and made a huge feast for us all.  Tonight we had spicey chicken legs, spicey beef and egg dumplings, a chinese cabbage dish with dark sauce that actually reminded me of cole slaw, more of her father's home made sausage, dried and sauteed bean curd, a blend of different sea food and glass noodles, and a soup with scallion and pork balls.  All was again served hot pot style with everyone taking what they want and adding to their bowl of sweet sticky rice.  Very delicious!  Anna was searching through all the dishes for the best pieces of food and placing them in my bowl.  She has told me in the past that she and her neice often have a friendly fight for some of the better pieces of meat.  While Anna was seaching through the liquid in the spicey beef dish, she had just brought up a big juicy piece of beef, when suddenly Lucy quicky struck with her chop sticks and grabbed the piece of beef and popped it into her mouth.  It happened so fast it reminded me of a frog zapping a fly with it's tongue.  We all burst out laughing and I almost fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard!  The family really seemed to warm up to me this evening even more.  I think they were a little nervous and reserved the first night.  Also I think they were very happy we extended our visit.  Her sister found out that I really enjoy art and music and she started talking to me about her love of Chinese caligraphy.  I told her about the antique caligraphy sets and pieces I saw for sale at the Lama temple in Beijing.  She brought out several books of photographs of famous Chinese caligraphy artists and ancient caligraphy scrolls..  She ended up giving me three of her caligraphy books as a gift.  I was very moved.  Anna was laughing today when she saw me sign my name on the deposit slip for the extra night at the hotel.  She must have told her family about my signature because they wanted me to sign my name in her neice Lucy's English homework book.  The whole family cracked up!  I do have a signature that a doctor would be proud of!  Hehehe.  Then Lucy asked me to do a signature of her name in English in her book.  Also Anna asked her family for a pair of sissors, needle, and thread so I could sew up a hole I found in my jacket pocket.  The whole family gathered around and were laughing and taking pictures of me sewing my pocket up.  For some reason they really thought it was funny that I could sew.  While I was sewing I had taken off my glasses so I could see up close and Lucy put them on and we took pictures of her wearing my glasses.  I am very touched by how warm and friendly Anna's family has been.  Also while I was walking in the park today several young people came up to me to say hello in English and one young girl was very excited when she saw me and and said "Welcome to Lu an!" I still find it incredible how friendly the Chinese people are.  Tomorrow Anna and I plan to take the fast train back to Hefei so it might be a few days before I can post again.

Big Dave

[RegnisTheGreat]

Go big Dave (or is David50 big Dave?). The sewing is traditionally the woman tasks so that's why its kinda of funny. But seeing you do it will make a good impression that you are a good men (not too wasteful).

[Arnold]

That also goes for Ironing your clothes or trying to Iron her's . Give that a try and see how fast she will stop you doing this ( Woman's ) thing .
The Sewing thing I did already for Qing ( a fallen off Botton ) ... under huge open Eyes watching me of course . So funny , something they never expect from a Man ... like Tear's for that matter . She alway's quoted
" Men don't Cry " well maybe chinese Men don't . I've done my share , leaving her behind at the Airport .

[David]

Yes I know what you mean Arnold... after spending a month with Anna it is going to be very hard leaving her at the airport.  Also knowing that we will not be together again until we finish the visa process.  But at least we know that eventually we shall be together.

Some things of note from being here in China...

After taking many taxi cabs now, I have come to the realization that the Chinese cab driver uses his horn in lew of a turn signal.  Also the honking begins well in advance, with just the potential of something getting in front of the cab, and also continues well after there is no longer anything left to honk at!  Hehehe...

When you make a purchase in a supermarket or small store you must bring your own bag to take home the goods or purchase new bags.  You no longer get free bags due to a new law the Chinese government has passed to try and cut down on the amount of garbage generated.  So existing bags are always saved.

Tonight to celebrate new year's eve, Anna and I took her good friend Annie Le out to dinner.  Annie told us of a nice steak and coffee house that is well known for their fantastic dishes that are served in a combination of western and Chinese style.  Annie was one of Anna's college roomates for four years of her English degree, and is still one of her best friends.  She lives in the same city of Hefei.  She has not spoken a word of English for the 10 years since her graduation but I found that with just a few minor mistakes she spoke very well.  It was very nice to see how excited and happy Anna is when with one of her close friends.  Another thing I have noticed is that when Chinese women are together who are very close they will often hold hands or link arms while sitting or walking and even touch foreheads together while in conversation.  It is actually nice to see such affection expressed.  I think this  would probably be mistaken in the USA.  The restaurant, called The City Garden Coffee House, was a large multilevel place full of atmosphere.  We were seated at a comfortable table in a no smoking room which was nice.  We ordered two of the house specialty dishes...  Chicken with black pepper sause, and steak with black pepper sause.  Dinner also came with a delicious tomato and potatoe soup and dinner rolls, plus a nice bowl of fruit salad.  For desert we had a bowl of pineapple, tangerine, lemon and rice pudding.  Followed by cups of Capicino.  It was nice for a change to get a western after dinner drink.  It was interesting to order a steak in China.  The waiter asks what percentage you wish the meat cooked instead of the normal medium-well etc.  So I tried a 70% and it was pretty much how I like it... pinkish on the inside and cooked on the outside.  All this for three people for 150 rmb.  This meal would have cost about 150 to 180 USD including tip in the USA.  So we had a great time for $25.  I found Annie to be intelligent, cute, warm, fun and full of laughter.  We had hoped that we would be able to get together again after Anna and I return from Shanghai, but I was sad to find out that Annie will be going on a business trip and it looks like our schedules will not match before I have to leave China.  But it was nice to make a new friend and we will plan on visiting her whenever Anna and I return to China in the future.  

I am excited to have found a wireless signal here in Hefei that does not have a security password so for now I have internet access again!  It is now less than an hour to midnight here in China, so Happy New Years to the Brotherhood!  Talk to you again soon!  

Big Dave

[Willy The Londoner]

After taking many taxi cabs now, I have come to the realization that the Chinese cab driver uses his horn in lew of a turn signal.  Also the honking begins well in advance, with just the potential of something getting in front of the cab, and also continues well after there is no longer anything left to honk at!  Hehehe...
Big Dave

My favourite is the long long blast that says 'no i'm not stopping to pick you up.  You should not have been walking in front of me.  And waving your two walking sticks will not make any difference whatsoever'

Willy