Small Victories

Andrew's mom always says "Home is where your things are".  Which is true.  Except our "things" are spread across three states and two countries at this point.  And so my variation is more like "Home is where your kitchen is".  As in workable, cookable, I-know-where-the-pots-are-give-me-some-garlic-to-chop kind of kitchen.  We're getting there, with just a couple of minor bumps along the way. 

Bump #1:  "Pots" in China really just means one - "wok".  Which cooks everything.    

Bump #2:  I now fully realize that I have never fully and truly, stir-fried.  We're talking high-heat, huge flame, "smoking point" and peanut oil kind of stir fry.  Oh - and on our two burner, they-don't-do-ovens-here stove.  

Bump #3:  I mentioned the grocery thing before.  As in, I can recognize about 10% of the available cookable items.

What I've learned so far:

1.  Grandmas are always the best people to ask about food in the grocery.  (Actually, that's a longstanding policy, but works especially well when there are 28 different brands of rice vinegar, and two huge aisles of soy sauce.)(And Andrew does the asking.)   

2.  Our rice cooker here is faster than the one we had in the states.

3.  Who needs an oven anyway?

Food has generally been how I make sense of a place - what's in season, where's it from, who has had their hands on it - Chicago was mostly heirloom tomatoes, Wisconsin was raspberries and the miracle of growing spinach in the winter, California where suddenly "corporate organic" was also local, year-round farmers' markets and Humboldt Fog goat cheese.  China? So far it's been mostly what is it and how do I cook with this stove.  

But it's a good thing.  Yesterday I managed to stir-fry some broccoli with a little garlic.  Today, a little garlic and ginger with some bok choy.  All with rice of course.  Beyond that is all adventure all the time.  Luckily on our trip to Diaobinshan I got to watch our friend's mom do some New Year cooking. And bonus - she taught me to make dumplings (jiao zi).  

Diaobinshan is a four hour train ride + one hour bus ride north of Beijing - a coal mining town. Once we got out of the city, the landscape was all corn and wheat fields with some villages sprinkled here and there.  We met brothers and sisters and nephews and banqueted with colleagues and classmates (which involves several rounds of toasting and downing glasses of baijiu (or often wine for the foreigners).)  For a few, we were the first foreigners they've met. For us, the first Chinese mom and dad, coal miner, chief engineer, high school student, hair stylist, etc. etc.  

We came back to a largely empty Beijing - most people have been out of town for the holiday and are just starting to return.  Except, that is, for all of the people who were setting off fireworks all day and all night yesterday - it was the 5th day of the New Year, and the fireworks are supposed to bring good luck and prosperity.  I'm thinking 16 straight hours of fireworks should be sufficient luck and prosperity for the next year?