Chinese Food 1: scrambled egg with tomato

One of the most important reasons I love China and proud of being a Chinese is because of Chinese food. And I think the thing that suffers me the most when I am studying abroad in this country is about eating. I'm not saying the American food is bad, it is good and healthy but as a person born and grow in China, I just cannot get used to the food here. And personally, I think most of Chinese restaurants located around New England area are kind of "fake", just like the feeling of an American goes to China and eats the burger there. 

Here I want to introduce a very "famous" dish called "scrambled egg with tomato". It is "famous" because I think that is the first dish that most Chinese people since they were a kid learnt how to cook it. It is easy cooking and the procedure is relatively easier compare to many other Chinese food. Below is the recipe (actually it is the way I cook it):

materials: 3 eggs (usually enough for two people to eat it), 2 tomatoes, a scallion, salt, vegetable oil

(the number of the picture does not match the step, and skip the picture 8)

Step 1:

wash and clean the tomatoes, cut them into small pieces

Step 2:

crack eggs into a bowl and beat it up, then put half spoon of salt in to it, and stir it evenly.

Step 3:

Place a wok on a cooker, heat it a little bit, then put some oil in it (about 5 spoons). Add in the eggs you just stirred and stir fry it for about a minutes until it forms yellowish, then cut it into chunks.

Step 4:

Don't turn off the heat, pick the egg out and put them into the bowl you used, then directly put those tomatoes into the wok, stir-fry them for about 2 minutes until you can see the tomato juice.

Step 5:

After you see the juice, put those eggs back into the wok and stir-fry both eggs and tomatoes for about 2 minutes, mix them together.

Step 6: 

After stir-frying, heat it for about 1 minutes and put some scallion into it. 

Finished! Pick it out of the wok and place in a dish! Ready for eat!

Chinese culture: education, part 1

First of all, I have to say that Chinese's education has a long way to go... and that is the reason why I study aboard in this country.

Below is a typical academic schedule of a Chinese student for a day: (before college)

7:30am: you have to enter the main gate of school before that or you will be late, even though the first class starts at 8:00am

7:30-8:00am: This period of time you have to turn in all of your assignments and do the morning exercise. (be honest, I used to arrive  before 7:30 so that would leave me enough time to copy others homework...)

8:00-12:00pm: typically four courses in the morning, and 40 minutes for each. 10 minutes break between classes (I hate that so much!!! beacuse most of the teachers would delay the class if they want)

12:00-1:00pm: Lunch time and break time

1:00-4:00pm: three classes in the afternoon, also 10 minutes break between classes, and then school's over. (If you get lucky, your day will be ended at 4:00pm but sometimes, students would be forced to stay at school and do their unfinished works for that day...)

So, this may seem not that bad but trust me, it is that bad...

This is only part 1 of Chinese education industry and I'll explain more, a lot more in the future posts...

Chinese culture: Karaoke

Karaoke is a term comes from Japan and it is the place where people gather together and sing with the recorded music. We usually call it KTV. After KTV has been invented in Japan, this activity spread out very quickly and China is one of the countries that has been influenced. KTV was becoming popular gradually after it came to China and now, it is the most important place for people holding a party and hanging out together.

The evolution of KTV is significant in the past 10 years. As I mentioned in the first post, KTV now is not merely a place to sing with each other but a crucial part of social interactions. I think it is like the pub culture in the United States. People drink (no matter how old they are), smoke, sing and play game with each other, also do a lot of silly things in that room. Furthermore, it is also the place where one-night-stand frequently happens.

For people who don't know each other, it is the place that can build up relationships in a second. For friends, it is one of the choices to maintain their relationships. Also for some adults, it is the place to do business.

Chinese culture: mystery, something cannot be explained

Sleep paralysis is the situation when a person is awake but losing the ability to move during sleep. In China, we call it "Ghost on the bed" (it is kind of hard to translate, I just translate it directly). First of all, I want to claim that in China, people are using the term "ghost" much more than "demonic".

I know there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon but to me, I would rather treat it as paranormal power because of my personal experiences. I experienced "ghost on the bed" for two times in my entire life and if there is a way to stop it happening again, I would do it whatever it takes. It is just so horrible... To tell the truth, I used to trust science, I believe that everything happens on this planet would have some sort of rational explanations and "ghost on the bed"??? What a BS... until the first time I experienced this phenomenon.

I was in a hotel room and sleeping, it is new hotel but is decorated with ancient stuff like old paintings. When I woke up in the morning, it was such a special feeling because I just couldn't move except my eyeballs. I wish it could be that easier but then I heard of something, and I swear I heard that sound, a female sound saying "Go die!" (Of course it was in Chinese) I tried so hard to move but I just couldn't and I knew it was not in a dream because I could feel things like goosebumps. It lasts for about 10 minutes and it was the most horrible 10 minutes in my life. The second time was better than the first one because I've learnt something after the first one. There is a saying in China that if you are in this phenomenon, just curse.

Chinese culture: Cigarettes

In China, smoking cigarettes is not all about lighting up and smoking but more importantly, it involves a lot of social etiquettes. It is not  a personal activity but a complicated process in any public spaces (just for those who smoke). 

Sharing cigarettes with whether your friends or your peers is the most important etiquette. For example, when four or five people gather together and one of them want to smoke, he or she cannot, or would be impolite if he or she just takes out a cigarette and smoke by him/herself. Instead the person should give each person a cigarette unless someone doesn't want it. Furthermore, if someone is lighting up a cigarette for you, you should tap his/her hand softly two times with one of your fingers to show the respect.

The previous situation is just about smoking with your friends, or someone who has the same social status as you. If you are in a situation with your boss, or someone you try to please, there is a different "rule". First of all, you have to prepare a high-class cigarette, not something cheap. Then you cannot share the cigarette with your boss by throwing or give it to him/her in one hand, like you do to your friends. Instead you should give it to your boss by two hands, hold it steadily like you are holding something heavy. Finally, light it up for your boss, and it doesn't involve "tap" etiquette because he/she has a higher social status than you.

Those are not social rules or norms that everyone has to obey them, but potentially it is a social etiquette to show the respect, and leave others a good impression.

(Sorry I can't find a image associate with this topic....)