Afternoon observations
I made a few observations as I wandered home from work tonight…
The Weather is Improving
In response to my bitching and moaning about the weather, the locals told me it would improve after Spring Festival. I didn’t really believe them but it was certainly the prevailing view. Spring Festival falls on a different date every year and this year it was particularly early. How could they make such a definite prediction about the weather? Not even Rob Gell is that good.
Turns out they were right. And it makes sense. Chinese New Year is based on the lunar and solar calendars so technically it rings true that the weather would improve with the new year. We have had a few clear days recently and on Saturday we even had some blue sky and sunshine. The fact that I chose to walk home from work this evening suggests that the weather is on the up. I don’t think I’ve walked home since before Christmas.
School’s in
I had to make my way through a couple of bus-loads of primary school kids as I headed home. They were old enough to know not to point but there were certainly a few nudges and ‘Laowei!’s.
My friend Anna has allowed her 15 year old daughter to stay at home for the first week of school. High school students spend the first week of the new year undergoing ‘military training’. From what I gather it’s not to bolster numbers in the armed forces but more to teach the kids discipline and respect. They spend five days learning how to march in time and run around a track. Anna (and her daughter) seemed to enjoy the concept of ‘chucking a sickie’.
Spring Festival is over
In mid-December workers swathed the streets in strands of fairy lights and red lanterns. All the main roads were lined with these decorations and they looked really pretty lit at night-time. With the Lantern Festival marking the end of Spring Festival last night, today the fairy lights and lanterns were being pulled down. So efficient.
Stinky Tofu Stinks
Street vendors line the streets in the mornings and evenings to take advantage of the peak hour foot traffic. Deep fried bread is a local favourite, as are noodles and grilled potatoes (chopped and mixed with spring onions, chilli, and a spoonful of MSG). I enjoy trying most things but one I just can’t bring myself to sample is Stinky Tofu. This is a literal translation of the Chinese name for a deep fried tofu snack. It smells like a decomposing carcass and it can be smelled about a block away. Apparently it is delicious but it really stinks.
The Weather is Improving
In response to my bitching and moaning about the weather, the locals told me it would improve after Spring Festival. I didn’t really believe them but it was certainly the prevailing view. Spring Festival falls on a different date every year and this year it was particularly early. How could they make such a definite prediction about the weather? Not even Rob Gell is that good.
Turns out they were right. And it makes sense. Chinese New Year is based on the lunar and solar calendars so technically it rings true that the weather would improve with the new year. We have had a few clear days recently and on Saturday we even had some blue sky and sunshine. The fact that I chose to walk home from work this evening suggests that the weather is on the up. I don’t think I’ve walked home since before Christmas.
School’s in
I had to make my way through a couple of bus-loads of primary school kids as I headed home. They were old enough to know not to point but there were certainly a few nudges and ‘Laowei!’s.
My friend Anna has allowed her 15 year old daughter to stay at home for the first week of school. High school students spend the first week of the new year undergoing ‘military training’. From what I gather it’s not to bolster numbers in the armed forces but more to teach the kids discipline and respect. They spend five days learning how to march in time and run around a track. Anna (and her daughter) seemed to enjoy the concept of ‘chucking a sickie’.
Spring Festival is over
In mid-December workers swathed the streets in strands of fairy lights and red lanterns. All the main roads were lined with these decorations and they looked really pretty lit at night-time. With the Lantern Festival marking the end of Spring Festival last night, today the fairy lights and lanterns were being pulled down. So efficient.
Stinky Tofu Stinks
Street vendors line the streets in the mornings and evenings to take advantage of the peak hour foot traffic. Deep fried bread is a local favourite, as are noodles and grilled potatoes (chopped and mixed with spring onions, chilli, and a spoonful of MSG). I enjoy trying most things but one I just can’t bring myself to sample is Stinky Tofu. This is a literal translation of the Chinese name for a deep fried tofu snack. It smells like a decomposing carcass and it can be smelled about a block away. Apparently it is delicious but it really stinks.
posted by bvc @ 11:02 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home