The REAL Face of Chinese New Year

When we returned home from Xi'an to Jinan two days after Chinese New Year, we found a ghost town. Our once busy marketplace was closed up for the New Year. There were some people out on the streets walking dogs or children, but for the most part, the streets were deserted and quiet.

Our neighborhood food market was also locked up tight with no signs of opening. (In fact, it didn't open back up until a full week after the holiday.) Since we had just come home to a nearly empty refrigerator after a six-day vacation, this was a little alarming. Fortunately, we had many food staples in our cabinets, and Stayc's lead teacher had given us a large batch of homemade dumplings for the New Year that were safely tucked away in our freezer. Still, a family needs some fresh food!

The only shop open was a fruit store. They were selling packaged fruit ready to be gifted.

We scoured the stores and markets within a two-mile radius of our apartment and found none open, but more than the usual amount of fruit and alcohol vendors on every corner.* Both items, it would seem, are common New Year's gifts. Vegetables, however, were in short supply, and by short supply, I mean non-existent. We finally found a small green-grocer open, and we greedily loaded up on fresh vegetables. It was an answer to my silent prayer.

For a full week after New Year's Day, there were fireworks every night. The kids were excited the first couple of nights, but they quickly lost interest after about the fourth night. There are only so many fireworks a person can take, especially when they start right about the time you are trying to go to sleep.

Thankfully, there was a lull in the fireworks during the second week after New Year's, but on the last day of the official holiday, the Lantern Festival, the firecrackers went off all day long and the fireworks all evening and into the night.

We had great plans to take the kids out on the night of the Lantern Festival to see all the children running around with their lanterns and to carry some of their own. Great plans, I tell you. However, even the best plans can go amiss. Alas, we all contracted the worst stomach virus we have ever experienced as a family on the weekend of the Lantern Festival. Stayc and I were the last to get it, and on the day of the Festival, we lay in bed all day long trying not to throw up while the kids (thankfully) played peacefully in their room. While we tried to get some much needed sleep, there was a war zone of fireworks going on in the streets below. It was, without a doubt, our worst day yet in China.

If I have to hear one more firework, I might just cry. Two full weeks of celebration is TOO long.

* The large supermarkets like Tesco and RT-Mart were open, but with slim fresh food offerings. In fact, so picked-over and unsavory were the vegetables at Tesco that I couldn't bring myself to buy any.

DuBravac Top Four ~ Xi'an

This is the closest we got to a family picture in Xi'an. Sad but true.

I always enjoy putting together our Top Four posts. We talk about our experiences and travels at the dinner table and rehash our trip. Then I allow the kids time during homeschool to formally record their opinions (i.e., they get a writing assignment the week after we return from our trip). Most of the time, the kids opine as expected, but every once in a while they surprise me with an unexpected preference or commentary.  This time I will quote the kids' homeschool journals verbatim . . . it's funnier that way.

Favorite Place

Stayc: The Muslim Quarter
Christina: The Terra Cotta Warriors (even though it was a freezing day, this was really an impressive site to behold).
Lutece: I thought the Drum Tower was awesome because of the extraordinary performance and that you got to go upstairs.
Phoenix: The city wall because of the towers.

Least Favorite Place

Stayc: The North Train station bus terminal [because it didn't exist!]
Christina: Big Wild Goose Pagoda (It wasn't that it was bad; it was just very crowded, and not extremely impressive. For something quite ancient, it felt too new and polished, and crowded . . . did I mention the crowds?)
Lutece: I didn't like Big Goose Pagoda because we couldn't climb it and I got put in time-out [Ah yes, she ran off into the crowds without telling us. Bad choice.]
Phoenix: The Longmen Caves because you couldn't get inside of the caves.

Favorite Experience

Stayc: Riding bikes on the City Wall
Christina: The City Wall (All of us loved riding bikes around the city wall. This was our best day.)
Lutece: The City Walls! DEFENENTLY! They were so awesome, and I really liked how they showed miniature towers!
Phoenix: Having a bubble bath because it was fun [It WAS fun. I, myself, had a hot bubble bath at least three out of our five nights in Xi'an. Oh, to soak in a bath!]

Favorite Food

Stayc: The spicy fried rice and kebabs in the Muslim Quarter
Christina: Lamb kebabs from one particular street vendor. So juicy and seasoned just right.
Lutece: The candy or the soup. Probably. (By the candy I mean the chewy strawberry candy.) [I never mentioned the "candy" in our food post, but it will get its own post soon.]
Phoenix: Burger King because I got Sprite and a Whopper. That was the hamburger's name.

Least Favorite Food

Stayc: Glutinous rice treats [This particular vendor was recommended on a foodie website and so we bought these red bean curd-filled glutinous rice treats on our last visit to the Muslim Quarter. They were rolled in nuts and then drizzled with a red-bean syrup. I thought they were alright, but Stayc hated the coffee-like taste of the syrup. They don't look very appetizing, do they?]
Christina: McDonald's, hand's down.
Lutece: The last Burger King we went to or McDonald's. That is because of the extra stuff (lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup). [Lutece does not like anything extra on her burgers. A burger and a bun, that's it.]
Phoenix: The first place we went to because the satays were gristle and the rice was too spicy [at least he was specific].

We paid so many entrance fees during our time in Xi'an! Definitely a record for us.

What Would You Do Differently?

Stayc: Bundle up more on our day at the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Christina: I would not book such early morning flights. We left Jinan at 7:50 a.m. (of course, they were the best priced tickets), which meant we had to be out of our apartment by 5:45 a.m. looking for a taxi. We waited on the street for 30 minutes in the freezing cold before we could get a taxi to the airport.* No fun.
Lutece: I would replace Longmen caves with a mountain. [Duly noted.]
Phoenix: I would bring iPods to Longmen [As I mentioned, the kids were unimpressed by Longmen Caves. Stayc and I expressly did NOT bring iPods because a) the kids had already had way too much screen time that week, b) they needed some time to read instead, c) we were visiting 1,500-year old ancient Buddhist ruins for goodness sake!]

Other Comments

Stayc: We love Christina. She planned a great trip. [Why thank you very much! I feel so appreciated.]
Christina: This was a great trip. We really loved Xi'an.
Lutece: Next time, if there is a next time, we should locate a grocery store before we come. Also, the hotel was awesome! Great location, Mom! (Location, location!)
Phoenix: I think that Citadines [Hotel] is really good because the elevator and the 8th floor were really fun to be in/on.

Until next time, Xi'an!

* We asked numerous Chinese friends and neighbors how to get a taxi that early in the morning, assuming we could call for one and arrange a ride ahead of time. We received the same answer over and over again: you don't call ahead; you just have to hail one from the street. Judging from the other 10 people we saw with suitcases also trying to hail a cab at 6:00 a.m., this seems to be the case.

A Culinary Compromise

When I was researching Xi'an for our trip, I was delighted to find that in addition to being famous for its historical treasures, it is also well-known among Chinese foodies for its unique fusion cuisine. Ever since a trip to France with our good friends the Petersens* (12 years ago!), we don't just wing it with food. We seek out good restaurants and local delicacies (of the affordable variety) wherever we travel. This one detail has elevated our travels to a whole new level.

  

The trouble is . . . well, the trouble is . . . let's face it, the trouble is the children. More precisely, the children's underdeveloped taste buds. So we have learned, of necessity, to compromise when it comes to food. However, the general spiciness of Xi'an's cuisine turned this once tacit compromise into an overt agreement.

It became clear after our very first meal in the Muslim Quarter (see above) that the kids were not going to be eating the same food as Stayc and I. The deliciously spicy fried rice and lamb kebabs were not to their liking, and after a few bites (and a lot of water), they let us finish off the dishes.
 

As a concession, we allowed them to choose our dinner venue, and Pizza Hut won out. Thus a precedent was set: Stayc and I chose one meal each day, and the kids chose the other. In this way, everyone stayed happy and well-fed.
 

On Friday, after a chilly meeting with the Terra Cotta Warriors, we ordered sandwiches at a Subway restaurant on site. Phoenix ate his entire sandwich and even some of Stayc's. That counted as the kids' choice. For dinner, we made our second foray into the Muslim Quarter and tried out some of the street food offerings. 

While Stayc and Lutece haggled over the price of some mini Terra Cotta Warriors, I eyeballed the drool-worthy fried pies (for lack of a better word) next door. You select your filling from the various options (see above . . . I chose the green onion/pork filling), they spread it on what amounts to a pancake-sized wonton wrapper, cover it with another wrapper, and then fry it up.

It was greasy, but oh-so-tasty.

The good part about making a meal out of street food is that everyone can find something they like. Quail egg kebabs are a perpetual favorite with the kids. They can even order for themselves by now, and Lutece always asks for hers without sauce.

While Stayc and I nibbled on our fried wontons, the kids tested out some of the Chinese-style pastries, which didn't look very good to me. After just a few bites, the kids had had their fill. It seems I was right.

 

The freshly squeezed pomegranate juice was one of my favorite street-food offerings. I bought it no less than three times. We also tried the freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Not surprisingly, it tasted like sweet grass, but good sweet grass.

 

One of the things I loved about the eateries in the Muslim Quarter was that even at the sit-down venues, the food was generally prepared on the street out in the open. I like to see exactly what goes into a dish and how it is made.

Saturday morning we walked back over to the Muslim Quarter (can you believe it?) to scout out one of the well-known dishes unique to Xi'an. It is a sort of bread and lamb soup with glass noodles and shallots. 

The crumbled bread never gets soggy, but rather stays nice and chewy in the delicious broth. Pickled garlic and sriracha sauce (or something very like it) act as condiments. We found it to be delicious and perfectly warming for a cold morning. Since it was not spicy at all, I made both the kids try a couple of spoonfuls. Phoenix was not convinced, but Lutece requested it later in the week, and she and I shared another bowl two days later.

Since Stayc and I chose brunch, the kids were in charge of lunch, and after working up a good appetite biking the city walls, we landed at McDonald's. We have now officially patronized McDonald's more times in China than in the US.
 

The kids are eating fresh strawberries coated in caramelized sugar. This is a common treat all throughout China, mainly using Hawthorne (crab) apples. The kids like the ones made with small orange slices, but the strawberry ones have been very popular this past month. I'm not sure where the strawberries are coming from, but this seems to be the season for them in China.

Then it was back to the Muslim Quarter for dinner. This was New Year's Eve and most of the venues were closed or in the process of closing. We grabbed some lamb kebabs (mmmmmm), a chicken sandwich for Phoenix, and various sweet snacks for all of us.

Our last stop before heading back to the hotel was one of the various vendors selling small glutinous rice cakes. They pack powdered sticky rice into wooden discs, place a lid on top, and then steam the rice until it's cooked. Then they roll it in ground nuts or sugar, smear your choice of toppings on it, and spear it with two small kebab sticks (see below for more pictures). It grew on us.

It was the kids' turn for lunch the next day: Burger King. I have to admit, though, that we all enjoyed this meal. I would have much preferred an In-N-Out burger, but the Burger King hamburgers were so superior to McDonalds, that we were all delighted. I don't think we've ever been to Burger King before, but it certainly sated our American cravings better than any of the other US chains we find here in China.

In Luoyang, Stayc and I finally ate at one of the many pop-up restaurants we often see along the streets and alleys of China. The food vendor sets up a series of small, low tables and tiny stools for patrons. They serve only one dish, in this case, fried noodles with sprouts and chicken, and it is made to order.

The food is always served on plates or in bowls covered with a plastic bag. I guess it keeps clean up to a minimum and ensures the customer has a clean plate.

Monday night was our last meal in Xi'an and of course, OF COURSE, we went back to the Muslim Quarter for an evening full of favorites. We left ourselves plenty of time to peruse the streets, and everyone chose one or two favorites. We didn't worry about eating a family meal; we focused on making sure everyone got what they wanted. I had spent five days observing all the meat kebab vendors and their offerings (and tasting a few as well), and I knew which one looked the best.

We finished off the evening (and the trip) with some glutinous rice treats.

Weird, but good, which is, as it turns out, a good way to describe much of our experience with Chinese food :).

* I planned the sightseeing for our trip; Bruce Petersen, gourmand that he is, researched restaurants, eateries, and local food. It was a revelation to Stayc and me that travel could be so much better with stomachs full of delicious local cuisine. It changed the way we travel.

A Day Trip to Luoyang

 

When we first arrived in Jinan, I searched through our China guidebook looking for cities and sites that a) looked interesting and b) were relatively close to us. Longmen Grottoes in Henan Province caught my eye and I determined it would be the first big trip we took way back in October.

As you may have guessed (due to a complete lack of photos of said grottoes), we never went to Longmen Caves, but not for lack of trying. Due to the enormous size of China, when I stipulated "relatively close to us," this included locations as far away as an overnight train ride. Luoyang (where the caves are located) turned out to be a 12-hour train ride, and after two weeks of trying, we could not for the life of us get tickets for the soft sleeper cars (as opposed to the hard ones). We ended up traveling to Beijing instead, but Longmen was still on my mind.

So when I learned that there exists a high speed train that runs between Xi'an and Luoyang, I thought, "This is our chance!"and we purchased train tickets for the last full day of our trip to Xi'an. On Monday, our train left Xi'an at 8:00 a.m. sharp (actually, since this is China, it left at 7:55 a.m.). I can't adequately express my pleasure in the high-speed trains of China. Fast, punctual, clean, and smooth . . . they are a delightful way to get from point A to point B.

An hour and a half train ride and a 10-minute bus ride later, we arrived at Longmen Grottoes on a chilly day in which "light snow" was forecast. We had about three hours at the site before we needed to head back to the train station for our ride home, which, as it turned out, was a perfect amount of time.

The limestone cliffs that run along the Yi river at Longmen were carved out and filled with Buddhist sculpture beginning in 493 A.D. and added on for over 500 years. There are thousands of niches in the cliffs along both sides of the river, but the west side is definitely the most impressive.

Sadly, however, the Longmen Caves have suffered extreme vandalism and looting over the years. It began during the anti-Buddhist movement in the 9th century, continued with relic-hunting westerners in the 19th and 20th centuries, and culminated during the Cultural Revolution with the Red Guards.

Row upon row of tiny Buddha visages brutally hacked of, leaving the site permanently damaged.

It's hard to make up for centuries of destruction, but I suppose you have to start somewhere.

After climbing multiple staircases up and down the cliffs, we finally reached the long staircase that leads to the largest and most impressive carvings.

Fortunately, these figures remain intact, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps they were too high to reach during the original vandalism of the site? Perhaps the vandals were too awed by their size and artistry?

Whatever the reason, I'm grateful they were left in their original glory. These carvings are huge and imposing. Pretty amazing stuff.

I have to admit that the kids were fairly unfazed by the carvings and, frankly, the site in general. They enjoyed walking around and climbing the staircases up and down the cliffs, but the sculptures didn't impress them at all. Instead, they kept up a running conversation of an imaginary nature for the entire two hours that we spent hiking around the site. At least it allowed Stayc and me to enjoy the carvings in relative peace.

The east side of the river had many fewer grottoes, but a good view of the many hundreds (thousands?) of niches dotting the west bank.

Stayc and I were glad for the opportunity to see Longmen Caves, but we were also grateful that we did it on the fast train from Xi'an instead of on the slow overnight train from Jinan (the original plan). It was definitely worth a day trip, but not much more than that, for our little family, at least. This trip worked out exactly as it should have.

The Newest Cousin

My brother Scott and his wife Irena welcomed their son Oliver into the world on Sunday. He is Lutece's and Phoenix's very first cousin on the Hendricks side of the family. Even though we've only met him through pictures, we are in love with him already.

Irena, Oliver, and Scott

He was two weeks overdue and finally arrived via C-section after four days of unsuccessful labor in the hospital. He didn't make it easy for his mom.

He weighed eight pounds, was 20 inches long, and seems like he was born raring to go. This picture was taken in the operating room just minutes after he was born. He strikes me as so healthy and alert.

Both Lutece and Phoenix have been really excited by the arrival of their newest cousin (can you believe they've gotten TWO new cousins since we've been in China?!), although Lutece's enthusiasm is two-fold:

"Now I am the OLDEST cousin on the Hendricks side!!"

When we respond that she already has been for the last nine years, she explains that it doesn't count unless there's an actual cousin to be older than. Fair enough.

Welcome to the world little Oliver! We love you so much!

Photos taken by Scott (and anesthesiologist :).