Chinglish #4

In a western restaurant here in our town, Logan found this sign in the restroom.  I really don't know if this counts as chinglish, but the characters read:  Please do not defecate.  I just think its funny.

--da

Why can't we just have, like, a salad or something?

There are two sisters who live here in JH who I have become more than acquaintances w/ over the past few weeks.  They own and run a milk tea/smoothie shop.  Yesterday they asked me what I did every day, since right now we are still on school holiday.  I started off w/, "Well, usually I go and buy food....".  They interrupted me before I could continue, saying, "Why?  You don't cook!"  I politely reminded them that I had told them before that I don't cook Chinese food; if we want that, we go out.  And that I can cook a decent range of western food at home.  So the younger sister handed me a note pad and pen and said, "Write down a recipe, for something easy...like...a salad!"  My stomach churned and my head began to spin and ache immediately.  She didn't know what she was asking me to do.  Although I could say probably every word, I have no idea how to write most of the characters, except for the easy ones...like 个 (ge), which is a measure word.  Thankfully, Logan walked by on his way home, and they took this as a sign that I should be going too.  I told them I would type it up and bring it by today.

Of course, today, I sat down at my computer and wondered how in the world would I write a recipe for a salad.  Not to mention that there is no true lettuce here.  An abundance of different types of cabbage, and some spinach too, but no lettuce like we know it in the states.  In fact, I made sandwiches a few days ago and didn't buy "lettuce" b/c I always end up w/ something slightly bitter.  I have been told what I can use, but what exactly this leafy plant looks like escapes me every time I go to the market.  (And regardless of what it looks like, most everything is called baicai, which we translate into cabbage.)
 
Anyways, this is what I came up with.  I'm not entirely sure if it is all correct, chances are that there are mistakes.  I'm not for sure on the word used for chop or tear, and I converted the dressing measurements to mL and grams, although I'm not for sure if the words my dictionary gave me are the right ones for those measurements.  I am not for sure if it honestly matters, though.  Every time I have seen a Chinese person cook, they just "eyeball" it.  Oh well.....

沙拉 Salad

一些 菠菜 spinach

1 个 白菜 cabbage  (不苦)(not bitter)

2 个 番茄 tomato

1 个 胡萝卜 carrot

1 个 黄瓜 cucumber

½ 个 洋葱 onion (紫色的)(purple)

½ 个 美国 菜花 broccoli

1 个 红青椒 red bell pepper   (不辣)(not hot)

撕毁菠菜和白菜。Tear the spinach and cabbage.

剁其他的材料。Chop the other ingredients.

拌。Mix.

把酱放在上面。Put the sauce (dressing) on top.

酱 Dressing

120 毫升 油 oil

120 毫升 醋 vinegar

1 个 瓣大蒜 garlic （剁）

8 公分（克） 白糖 sugar

10 公分（克） 盐 salt

拌。Mix.

--da

MH Mona Lisa

Check this out.....a rather popular cross stitching supply shop.  These shops are in almost every town I've ever traveled through here.  I don't know why they chose this as the name or why I find it so humorous, but I'm going to chronicle every one I see from now on.

--da

A Quick Trip to MH

Earlier this week, Logan and I took a trip out to MH, a town about an hour's bus ride away from us.  We planned on meeting w/ a guy Logan had met here in our city, who is now doing a practicum/internship outside of MH.  His college major.....horticulture, right up Logan's alley.  We enjoyed shaokao (see previous post for explanation on what it is) w/ him and another guy who lives in the area where he is working now.  But before that we did some general walking around and exploring.  Naturally, the camera died before we went to eat dinner....enjoy these from around MH.

This is a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of the city.  This temple was rather odd in that it was somewhat difficult to get to...located basically in a field w/ only a dirt road leading in and out.  Maybe they got tired of nosy tourists......

MH also boasts a small mosque.  We didn't know it was there until we walked right up to it.  Most everything is either concrete or concrete (not a typo there), so the building wasn't that magnificent....but they did have some color painted at the top.

Speaking of holiness...this is a company that washes and sterilizes dishes for restaurants.  A set of one ceramic bowl, small plate, spoon, cup, and sometimes a glass are washed, sterilized, and then wrapped w/ something thicker than Saran wrap before being delivered to the restaurants.  It might sound silly to you, but it really does help w/ germ and bacteria control.

Here's Logan on the same dirt road where we took the picture of the Buddhist temple.  The main part of MH is behind him in the picture.  On the right you can see mainly fields of cabbage/lettuce/spinach....and there are a lot more varieties here than in America!

Before meeting up w/ our friend, we stumbled upon this group of men (there was one woman) playing some kind of top game.  A large, wooden top was connected to a stick w/ a length of string which you swung into the middle of the arena....maybe trying to hit (and crack?) the top that was spinning in the middle.  We really weren't too clear on the rules, the objective, and whether there would be a clear winner.  Trying to take pictures of it did remind me of trying to take pictures of the discus event at a track meet...you almost always get the person throwing w/ their back to the camera or their arm in their face.  The men were nice though, and so that was a plus.  Maybe Logan has found a new hobby...haha.

--da

Fail...maybe....

About a month ago, Logan joined a gym here in JH that is quite close to our house.  It is small, but clean, and offers exactly what he wants...a treadmill.  He signed up and has been faithfully going 3 to 4 times a week and running.  

Maybe 2 weeks ago, we were walking home from the bookstore that is right next door to his gym.  One of the guys (SL) who works there was just getting off work (around 9 pm) and invited us to go eat 烧烤 (shaokao), which is just grilled vegetables, grilled meat on a stick, grilled fish, etc.  It is really usually quite good.  Anyways, we were headed home, so we asked if we could join him another time.  

Two days ago, Logan was running at the gym, and he said to SL that he still wanted to join him for shaokao one night.  SL replied, "Okay, tomorrow night at 9:30 wait for me and we'll go."  

So yesterday evening, Logan and I went out at 930 (almost my bedtime!) to meet SL at the gym.  His co-workers told us that he had left around 900, so we waited a few minutes and then called him...I thought he had probably forgotten..no big deal.  However, when Logan called, he told us to meet him at the supermarket, that he was already out eating, but we could come too.  He found us...took us to where he was w/ some other people....helped Logan order some food....sat w/ us and chatted for about 10 minutes while our food was being cooked....and then rejoined the people he had been sitting with.  He never came back over to our table.  Which was fine..but strange.  When we had finished, we got up to leave and he said that next time he would invite us (i.e. pay for our meal...and maybe sit w/ us??).  

Anyways, just a normal relational experience in China.  

--da

Al Mohler's Library

I want a library like this!
--da


Al Mohler - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

the sweetest burden

His cross is the sweetest burden that ever I bare; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sails to a ship, to carry me forward to my harbour.

Samuel Rutherford in The Loveliness of Christ

On the eve of my 24th birthday.....

I found a gray hair! I guess it is all downhill from here.

--da

Bluegrass + China = Redgrass

The New Year

To all our faithful readers out there we wish you a happy new year and remind you that just as the Lord's mercies are new every morning so are they with the coming of each year. We look forward to seeing what the Lord does with not only our lives the next year, but also yours. Please keep us in the know.

Daryl-Ann and I are in the process of rethinking how best to use this blog. Much of new newness of living in China has worn off and it is becoming more and more difficult to think of cultural things to write about. The same can be said about taking pictures. Whereas before we wanted to capture every distinct thing we saw, now, many of the distinct things that we found interesting we are now accustomed to. Again, making it difficult to think of things to post about. So if there is anything you would like to see happen on our blog, let us know.

email: logan.heinrich@pobox.com