The Archives

• Gerald, cooking, home cooking, huzhou

  Extra Sharp

  11.16.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  I can hardly believe that this wasn’t my idea:

  But the idea man behind buttering two pieces of bread and melting some cheese between them (Edam and cheddar, if you’re curious, Gerald) deserves credit, as well as a spot on the Plate of Wander cast of characters.
  Meet George.

  He doesn’t smile in photographs.
  I think the last time [...]

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• Gerald, entrees, housecleaning, huzhou, less food-related, mysterious ingredients, travel

  The Place Where the Sidewalk Ends

  04.15.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  I don’t hide my emotions very well. One night in Beijing, I was out to dinner with my usual group of friends plus two other classmates, one of whom I did not like. He happened to be sitting next to me. I carried the whole thing off brilliantly, maintaining decorum and civility. I’m an [...]

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• Gerald, animals, entrees, fish, mysterious ingredients, out and about, travel

  Infinity and Beyond

  03.23.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

  The town of Yangshuo is where tourists go to get away from the tourists in Guilin. But the village of Xingping is where travelers go to get away from the tourists in Yangshuo, so Gerald and I opted to go to Xingping.

  Xingping is most famous for this:

  That is the back of the twenty yuan [...]

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• Gerald, Uncategorized, animals, entrees, out and about, travel

  When Life Gives You Limestone…

  03.21.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  There was a golf course next to the famous Three Pagodas in Dali.

  How can I respect that?

  So I’m going to skip over Dali, where Gerald and I spent two nights after staying in Lijiang. Dali was nice, but not as spectacular as Lijiang and it has a golf course. It’s not remarkable enough for its [...]

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• Gerald, Parks, entrees, out and about, restaurants, travel

  Luke, Ich Bin Dein Vater

  03.11.09 | Permalink | 5 Comments

  I’ve mentioned before that Gerald and I consider ourselves travelers, not tourists, but sometimes we stop taking ourselves so seriously and make concessions. Well, it was that time again, that time when we open our wallets and pray that those red hundreds we throw to the wind will yield something Worth Seeing.

  Since we chose to [...]

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• Charlie, Gerald, Parks, animals, entrees, holidays, out and about, travel

  To Get to the Other Side

  03.09.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  “Ever since he was young, he’s been a night owl.”

  My mom has made this remark so frequently about my brother, Isaac, that it’s turned into a family platitude. If she says anything to Isaac that is remotely related to bedtime or getting up in the morning, he will jump in with, “Well, I’ve been a [...]

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• Charlie, Gerald, animals, cooking, entrees, fish, holidays, home cooking, out and about, travel

  Oh Niu You Didn’t

  03.04.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  Way back in November, I philosophized deeply about celebrating American holidays in China, the main thesis being:

  “That’s right—I don’t HAVE to celebrate your holiday. I do it because I want to.”
  Turns out this also applies to celebrating Chinese holidays in China. The Chinese Lunar New Year is, as most know, The Holiday in this Land [...]

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• Charlie, Gerald, entrees, home cooking, out and about, restaurants, travel

  Say Cheese!

  03.02.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  I’ve never looked good in hats.

  When I was a kid, my father told me that he thought the above sentence would be a great way to start a book. For some reason, it stuck with me and I think of it when I get writer’s block.

  And at the moment, I’m battling a case of [...]

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• Charlie, Gerald, Parks, entrees, out and about, restaurants, teaching, temples, travel

  Dai Another Day

  02.25.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

  This week I’ve been teaching my classes how to start talking to a stranger. I write on the board the definition of an icebreaker: a remark you use to start a conversation with someone you don’t know. I stress that this is the first thing you say, like “Can you believe this weather we’re having? [...]

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• Gerald, Parks, animals, chicken, entrees, musings, out and about, restaurants, travel

  Deja Vu on LSD

  02.21.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

  When a city has a close proximity to the Silk Road, Tibet, Laos, Myanmar/Burma and the rest of Southeast Asia, a history that dates back to 279 BCE and later includes a visit from Marco Polo, has been a major market, communication, military, and transport center, and has a (comparatively) large Chinese Minority presence, I [...]

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