I'll be Home for Christmas

There has been a Christmas tree surrounded by a row of faux poinsettias in our lobby since we moved into this building in September. Who knows how long the tree has been standing since before then? So, you could say that I have been anticipating this Christmas for a while now; it's hard to ignore Santa's trappings when I am greeted by them every day, heading out into either sunshine or snowflakes.  OK. So, no snow. yet. But you get the point.

Speaking of the jolly fat man, if Santa can make it all the way around the globe in one night delivering presents, how is it that I must endure a 14 hour plane ride to get only half-way around the globe? I have presents to give, too. Couldn't the big guy loan out some of his elves and reindeer a few days before Christmas to this girl from Jersey?

I wonder if Santa appreciates his time traveling talents? I will have a touch of that Christmas magic with me over the next 24 hours because I will arrive in Newark at the same date and time on the calendar as I departed Beijing. I'll be a little more weary than when I left Beijing, but it's magical nonetheless. Oh, so is the plane food. magical. And the other passengers. especially magical. And the anticipation of Newark. mag.i.cal.

Does it feel like the end of the first semester of college for you, too?

just a spoon full of sugar

Martha always knows how to cheer me up! In between reviewing all of my Mandarin notes and listening to my Mandarin lessons, Martha showed me how to sweeten the deal by making my own candied mandarins! (I couldn't resist!)

Without the properly advised "very sharp paring knife," it took me more than the 45 minutes Martha instructed it would take me to peel four lemons, three oranges and two grapefruits. The prep time also included bicycling to a fruit vendor, waiting for the vendor to reappear (but, where did he go? wasn't he just here a second ago?), then searching for the perfect fruits amongst his bevy of the almost-frozen variety (it's pretty damn cold out). I am certain I paid more for the grapefruits than I should have, but with all the waiting and searching and bicycling and having-to-have-them-ing I was doing instead of studying, those citrus gems were mine nonetheless.

And now, in their boiled down, sugared form, they are my sweet, bright, tart, gummy-like goodness. Covered in chocolate, too.

They also make for a citrusy twist to martinis (I saved the simple syrup that resulted from the recipe just for that purpose).

Little rays of sunshine bursting out of a cloudy day.

boiling away in simple syrup

sugared and waiting to dry

just a little chocolate next...

it's beginning to look a lot like...

I have been a bit cranky lately. Could it be the post-party blues? Could it be today's fourth load of laundry flooding the kitchen floor? Could it be my lack of motivation to finish Friday's lesson plan? Could it be that as much as we sweep and clean, even our dust has dust?! Could it be the upstairs neighbor's nighttime romps - his thud, thud, thudding (c'mon buddy, can't you at least change it up a bit?) and her best When Harry Met Sally diner scene impression - that keep me awake at night?

I know my crank-factor is tuned way up today for reasons beyond dusting, studying and not-so-neighborly low-budget adult film re-enactments...but my soul searching has me stuck in this rut. Just so you know, this is not me complaining about Beijing. I love it here. We've made a nice home for ourselves; we entertain a little here and there; we've made friends; I talk to the doormen when I can; I say ni hao to every high-rise Chinese speaking pooch in our building (I am speaking literally here about dogs. Last week, one stole my glove right off of my hand!).

Could it be because my brain is shutting down? Or maybe it's not my brain, but it's my voice and tongue and mouth that are not following my brain's signals, working in unison to produce the correct sounds. Green light, GO, damnit! This week I hit a road block with my Mandarin - more like I swerved into the other lane unexpectedly, and hit a pot hole. The other day, I had no idea what my teacher was saying for five whole minutes. Five. 5. Five. Whole. Minutes. That's an eternity in another language! I was just in the midst of reciting my mantra to stop myself from tearing up in front of her, while she looked at me with that "I know you know what I am saying" expression, when I regained my Mandarin consciousness and slowly made my way back into the correct lane (just trying to maintain the highway analogy). This was supposed to be a blog post about Christmas and Season's Greetings and Holiday Cheer! 

But instead...Sorry, I've gone all Charlie Brown on you.

Here, let's have a look at this:

OK. Now a feel a bit better.
plus, while writing this I opened the bag of Christmas M&Ms my sister sent us and ate one fifth of the bag.

thirty is the new beijing

You may think that the birthday frivolities ended with my last post.  So, look away if you must, for I am going to gloat. Unabashedly, selfishly, gleefully. I'm going to do my best bragging.  The kind of bragging only a woman who's just celebrated her 30th birthday in Beijing can do.

I'll spare you the soliloquies I've dramatized in my head about turning 30, and say simply, "I'm 30?!" Despite my own shock about the combination of date and year on the calendar, my day could not have passed more memorably, more beautifully or more tastefully. It started at midnight on the anniversary of that infamous day with a signature blue box and ended mere hours ago after a limousine ride returned us to our home sweet Gongti Xilu.

I woke early on my day, keeping my promise to myself to go to my regularly scheduled yoga class. But I could hardly contain my ohms anticipating my birthday surprise: a stay-cation, China style, at Beijing's Shangri-La Hotel - the only Chinese owned luxury hotel in Beijing.

glitter and glitz

The twinkle of the lobby was still gleaming in my eyes when we were settling into our premiere room; a  thorough exploration of the room's vast 50 sqm of luxury revealed its marble bathroom the size of my current living room (with a tv imbedded into the mirror), a view of the cityscape and third-ring-road, a king size bed and its more threads than I can count sheets, and a walk-in closet happily greeting us with its lush bathrobes patiently awaiting our arrival.

Another surprise and another signature blue box! This time a gift from my parents. I put on my baubles, and we headed to a lunch of tai basil beef salads with a view of the garden and pavilion. Even on a cold December day the sun was shining and the skies were blue (blue in Beijing!).


After lunch, another another surprise! An afternoon of pampering at the hotel's Chi Spa. My own room, my own steam shower, my own afternoon of relaxation, of Himalayan Healing bliss. I was like buttah.

Should I go on?

After my embarrassingly spoiling indulgent delight, there were cocktails before dinner. The hotel's happy hour showered us with free flowing glasses of Veuve Clicquot for me and Jack and Coke on the rocks for Z. There were little blue dishes of crunchy puffed corn, brie and cucumber tea sandwiches, little appetizers of the Asian persuasion, smoked tuna and creme fraiche, perfectly stacked bright beautiful rings of roasted vegetables, salmon burger sliders, fresh fruit, cheese and honey, miniature seaweed salad dishes, winter melon and beef...

We still had dinner on the horizon.

A happy coincidence of the celebration was my parents' gift to us for our birthdays - dinner out on the town.  With the help of the world wide web, they chose Blu Lobster without knowing that Z was simultaneously planning my birthday at the restaurant's host hotel.

Dinner was divine. Remember that post about keeping meals simple and forgetting the frou-frou of fusion cusine? Oh, yeah. Neither do I.







Under thousands of crystal lights hovering above our heads, backlit in blue, the duck pate, black olive tapenade and pesto were a nice start to the meal.

























The amuse bouche of potato cappuccino was inventive and light.   The tomato soup that followed (two soups, why not?) was simple and a perfect touch to a winter evening. I "mmmm'd" my way through every bite of my lobster cannelloni, but saved room for the banana and chocolate cheesecake. And the wine...

Should I go on?

A birthday cake from the Shangri-La surprised us in our suite after dinner.

This morning, another signature blue box. This time from the whole gang. I sparkle like the blue lights in the restaurant.

Then a breakfast of more house-made goodies, warm baked breads, fresh squeezed juices, dim sum delights, smoked salmon, kimchi, omelets, crisp bacon...Then, without abiding by the rumored 30 minute wait, a private swim in the infinity pool. A dip in the whirlpool, the sauna, the steam room. And then again. Are you full and relaxed yet?

Did I leave the Shangri-La? It's possible I'm still there.

Not just any birthday in Beijing.

les gourmands

Have you ever done something absurd just because the opportunity presented itself?

This past weekend, in a moment of hunger, inquisitiveness, birthday celebration anticipation and child-like delight, Z and I ordered McDonalds delivered to our apartment. De-livered. What glutinous gluttons!

I am almost embarrassed to tell you about it, but the sheer fact that McDonalds delivery exists at all is reason enough to have tried it and to have lived to tell the tale. Besides, it was Z's birthday, so it was a special occasion of the lazy - we don't feel like leaving the apartment today - and if you could have anything you want delivered to the door right now what would you want - variety. Hot fries, a Big Mac, and Chicken McNuggets it is! Coming right up!

I have eaten fast-food three times since we arrived in Beijing. That amounts to exactly three times more fast-food consumption in the past three months than in all of the past year in the States (not counting that drunken evening that involved over indulging in White Castle's menu of miniature munchies).

Let me tell you: there may be no better fry than the one that is delivered piping hot to your own front door.

On the flip side of that fast food frenzy burger that same day, was this: dinner at a fabulous Chinese restaurant with six new friends. Since I too, am a December baby a mere three days apart from Z, we celebrated together in style at the China Lounge.

The glitz and swank of the China Lounge is highlighted by its high back black-and-white chairs, purple accents, modern colorful art, crystal chandeliers and sparkles of silver. The atmosphere was made all the more special because we were, by far, the loudest, laughing, group of all the quiet restaurant's patrons.

the sparkle

In between stories, and getting-to-know-yous, at a large round table for eight, we shared dish after dish of modern Beijing cuisine: pork spare ribs with a citrus crunch, melt in your mouth mushrooms with a brown sugar glaze, egg and jasmine jiaoza, spicy pickled cucumber, mini pork buns (amazing!), gong bao ji ding, tofu sticks that disguised themselves as fried cheese,  chicken curry, spicy beef... .

mini pork buns

spare ribs

spicy pickled cucumber

melt in your mouth mushrooms. who knew?!

december birthday babies

It was memorable meal with friends, followed by a drink or two at another swanky bar nearby. Our search for a good dirty martini in Beijing may be over for two reasons: (1) George's bar inside Worker's Stadium makes a real* and a really good dirty martini (2) so does my husband, especially when he's got the right barware with which to shake it.

the after party

To wrap up the evening, the after after-party was a quiet celebration between A and Z. I sang my best Mandarin rendition of Happy Birthday, while Z blew out the candles on the brownie cake I made him (compliments again of that handy metal steamer), and we enjoyed our favorite classic drink in our new martini glasses (thanks to our friend who's been enduring our complaints about Beijing's lack of dirty martinis).

beijing brownie birthday cake 

So, cheers, to us! Cheers to birthdays in Beijing! Cheers to new friends, unexpected gifts, and sharing good food together!

Cheers!



*Up until recently, the search for the perfect dirty martini in Beijing brought us only laughter, confusion and muddled olives. Despite being told that what we had before us was indeed, dirty, we have been served lychee martinis (impostors!), "did they chew these olives and spit them into the glass?" and "is this just water?"

Thanks for Giving

So, Thanksgiving in China and in American came and went this year. Although Beijing did her best to make me feel at home, it certainly was not the same.

For one, as tacky and commercial as it has become (or maybe it has been that way always), I missed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I don't think I have ever missed the parade. Ever. I missed Al Roker making corny jokes, high school marching bands, Broadway musical snippets, and Rockettes rocketing. I missed bad lip syncing by pop bands I have never heard of and who's albums I will not purchase (online or otherwise). I missed Thomas the Turkey and all his inflatable giant balloon friends. I missed Santa Claus ringing in my holiday season at the end. I even missed the dog show that follows. 

A big HOWEVER though...however, my mother took pictures of the parade on TV and sent them to me. That was a nice surprise.

                                                      So I suppose I didn't miss all of the parade this year.

I also missed stuffing and the smell of creamed onions waking me up Thanksgiving morning. No matter what else my parents may be in charge of for the day's bounty, creamed onions are always on the docket. No matter if Thanksgiving is at their home or elsewhere, I will forever associate the sweet, pungent, bubbly, baked dish with home during the holiday.

OK. So, obviously I also missed being home with our families. Thanksgiving isn't just about food and parades.

Here are a few things that I didn't miss this Thanksgiving (mostly food related):
1) A T-Gives without pumpkin pie. Z searched the city for homemade pumpkin pie and topped it off with a squirt of canned whipped cream. It was heaven. I am thankful that Chinese pumpkin pie rivals American pumpkin pie any Thanksgiving.

2) A Thanksgiving with new friends. We celebrated by going out for roast duck with new friends. Let's face it. I might be handy with a metal steamer and some brownie mix, but a turkey without an oven just ain't gonna happen up in this place. So, we replaced one fowl with another, enjoyed some bottles of red wine and we were all thankful we had each other with whom to celebrate an old tradition with a new twist.

3) A day with pickles, assorted nuts, olives and celery. It was a small gesture I could make (and find) by putting out the simple spread of snacks we always seem to have at Thanksgiving at home. It was a little homage to my grandma. All those years she filled her crystal olive dish, could she have foreseen me in China, searching the shelves of an expat grocery store for overpriced condiments just to make the day feel a little bit more like home? I was thankful for imported goods especially on Thanksgiving.

4) A day without the stress of travel and traffic. I probably felt a little stress from not feeling stressed about not traveling on the day after the busiest travel day in American. About leaving on time or not leaving on time. About making certain that I packed the car with any covered dishes or pies I was asked to bake. I never thought I would be thankful for not traveling on Thanksgiving from Boston to NJ, or North Jersey to South Jersey, or from China to NJ.

5) A day to talk with family. Even though it's happened dozens of time, each skyped conversation or g-chat to home amazes us. I can see you! oh, wait, Mom, turn on the camera so I can see you. Mom, turn up the volume so I can hear you! We were thankful to hear form our parents and friends. We were thankful to be able to tell them we are thankful for them. 

my xiao dumpling

"Your dumpling looks like Australia."

In one of my last posts I mentioned that the Uncles, Z and I took a cooking lesson from Chunyi's Hutong Cuisine cooking school. We found out about Hutong Cuisine from our ever handy Insider's Guide to Beijing 2010. Learning how to make handmade dumplings and noodles has been on my growing Beijing "to do" list so I was most excited for the day. But, before I could even make my dumplings into the shape of Australia, instead of into a more perfect crescent moon design as instructed, I first had to learn how to purchase all the necessary ingredients. So, the day started out early at a market near the cook's home -- hence Hutong Cuisine. She showed us how to choose the best eggs (the ones that are smooth to the touch, and when shaken don't make a sound), how much pork and beef and what cut to select, and she explained to us why many people purchase large quantities of Chinese spring onions early in the season (because they will last all winter long).

choosing just the right eggs

shu cai

After the market tour, we were invited back to Chunyi's home to continue our lesson. Inside the well loved, well kept and well used hutong kitchen and outer room, we learned about the importance of and differences between dark and light soy sauces, vinegars and cooking wines. Now, when I go into Chinese supermarkets, I am not as lost amongst the many aisles of essential ingredients. I can start building up my love of all things condiments -- Chinese style: soy sauces, vinegars, chilies, preserved vegetables, oyster sauces, mushroom sauces, sesame oil, cooking wines...

Then, with the basics down, and with cleaver, chopsticks, wok and rolling pin in hand (but not at the same time) it was time to chop, roll, flatten, slice, dice, pinch, boil, stir, steam and fry.  

preparing the vegetables

chopping ginger

the dough is rolled out, cut and ready to flatten for dumplings

                       

Australia! 

Once the dumplings were plopped in the steamer, it was time to make the noodles!

I'll show you the trick to noodle making 

in they go!

and seconds later...out they come!

Home Sweet Hutong

The Hutong Cuisine offers many cooking courses and I plan to learn how to stir fry beef, dish out mapo dofu, and how to gongbao a jiding. Though my dumplings could use more practice, I will conquer Beijing one chopstick full at a time.