Eating in Jingdezhen

We are here in Jingdezhen, China after having traveled from Lexington to Cincinnati to San Francisco to Hong Kong to Shanghai to Jingdezhen.  Whew, a long trip.  Thankfully it wasn't all at once!  This morning we went in search of breakfast and found a street near the food market with stalls selling all kinds of steamed dumplings.  We ate a few from this one and then a few from that one.  They were beyond wonderful.  Tender dough pockets filled with various fillings - some meat some vegetable.  Savory.  Spicy.  Mmmmmmm!    The bamboo steamer baskets are stacked high over woks of boiling water keeping them all piping hot.  

After stuffing ourselves on the dim sum we wandered through the food market.  It was bustling. They were selling anything imaginable that could be cooked.  Piles of incredible produce; tanks of fish, turtles, eels, and frogs; a huge variety of peppers and other spices; meat of all varieties; cages of ducks, chickens, pigeons; eggs of many colors and sizes.  

I guess the culinary tour of China has officially begun.  With a vengeance.

I voted with pride!

Because we will be returning from China on election day (we will be watching returns in a hotel in San Francisco) we went yesterday and voted absentee at the Clark County courthouse. We had to hurry because they were scheduled to close at 4:00. We made it in by the deadline, completed the paperwork and the very kind worker from the Clerk's office led us to a small room where the voting machines were set up.

She had to do some set up on the machine to make sure our vote was attributed to our precinct. While she was getting things set up I noticed that this was the same room that stored the marriage records for the county. The marriage records are recorded in books that are labeled with dates back to 1793. Standing there looking at these records we also noted that the older ones are also labeled "white" and "colored". This is a part of history that I obviously don't like, but it is what it is.

When I stepped into the voting booth I pushed the button to select a straight democratic ticket. Before I pushed the "Vote" button I stood there for a moment and checked to make sure that I was good with all of the choices. My eyes fell on Barack Obama's name and tears welled up in my eyes. The significance of voting for this man who I feel is (without any doubt whatsoever) America's best hope for the future while standing in a room where marriage records were divided into "white" and "colored" was overwhelming. I stood there savoring the moment, collected myself and pushed "Vote". A very proud moment in my life.

McCain - yikes!

Books for Kids

I posted this video to the meta blog this morning, but it is worth posting here because it relates not just to transformation of content, but also to ubiquitous access to words and sounds for everyone. Say what you will about Brewster Kahle's Internet Archive (and I have heard criticisms leveled about some quality and preservation issues) anyone would have to admit that he is doing it! Go Brewster.

I don't really know the practicality of the book machine being taken to developing nations to make books for kids, but I know many kids (and librarians) in Ecuador who would be so excited by the concept. Many kids there simply do not have books. Kids in the small pueblos have no hope of getting access to books. There are some workbooks in the schools, but to peruse the shelf to actually select something you want to read...unheard of.

Next summer we are planning a trip to a small jungle village that is near and dear to our hearts to make the final connections of laptops/solar panels for the schoolkids. If these kids could have access to the International Children's Digital Library - now that will be huge.

Ladylocks

Last weekend at the family feast day one of the relatives brought a big tray of some tiny cream horn like things called Ladylocks. They were so good and I thought they would be a good thing to make for parties or potlucks - whatever. I was surfing for recipes on the internet and thought I would look for the recipe for ladylocks. I founds numerous versions – some with a cooked filling and some with an uncooked filling. I found one recipe that made 500 (!!!!) of them. It turns out one of the primary ingredient for these delicacies is Crisco....that right, Crisco!!!!! This recipe for 500 of the little tidbits calls for 20 cups of Crisco! Once I got over the shock I looked at the whole page and the ad that came up at the bottom said “How I lost 90 pounds” I laughed out loud. I thought to myself - “you didn’t do it by eating ladylocks!” Maybe the message is that anyone that makes 500 ladylocks and eats them will have at least 90 pounds to lose. Yikes. I am including the link to the recipe (for fewer than 500) if you want to make them. Don't offer me any if you do.
Ladylocks recipe

double standards

John, John, John (shaking head)....

I try not to let this blog be a political blog (OK, I don't try very hard), but I can't let the appointment of Sarah Palin as John McCain's VP pick go by without a comment. Sheesh, John, what were you thinking???? I can't believe anyone would actually be sucked into this ploy...but I listen to the coverage of the Republican circus going on in Minneapolis and sure enough people are "energized" and "excited" by this choice. OMG, I can't believe it.

I read a post on another blog entitled Barefoot and Pregnant in the West Wing that sums up my sentiments. This whole fiasco of a choice has allowed my favorite candidate, Senator Obama, to take the high road. Yay for him. At the same time his staffers and campaign workers must have been high fiving it when the choice was announced.

I think that we can't afford to make many assumptions though about the American electorate. Remember, dear readers, who got elected to the highest office....twice.