Excuse me. . .I have a frog in my throat

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April 12, 2010

Oh my gosh. . .it’s Monday evening and I am feeling so, so, so much better. The day didn’t start out that way. I felt like death when I woke up this morning. I was really dizzy and shaking all over. But Danbo and I had some important reports to prepare so I got myself up, showered and dressed. I went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for some coffee. After a couple of cups, I started to feel a little more human. Danbo met me for breakfast and confessed that she was getting sick too. Her symptoms are about a day behind mine, so I hope she starts feeling better tomorrow. She was running a fever and looking pretty weak this afternoon.

We got our work done and were also able to do some troubleshooting with some data that had just come back. Then Michael (the lab supervisor/director) decided we should get some lunch and then go back to the hotel to rest. He took us to the restaurant that serves the “Wendy Noodles”. . .which I ordered, of course. They also ordered a new dish, Spicy Frog Legs. I have eaten many strange animals over the years, so I decided to try it out. They had that greasy, smooth-but-stretchy consistency that the meat on buffalo wings have, but tasted more like fish than fowl. It was okay, but there were so many tiny bones that it made eating them a bit of a challenge. Plus I kept thinking about live frogs the entire time I was chewing (sorry Annie). It was a little off-putting.

Oh. . .and I’ve also included a picture of Flower Tea. This is very popular in China. It tastes different than the Jasmine Tea pictured in an earlier blog. It is very mild and soothing in flavor. The tea itself is yellow (as one might predict from the yellow blossoms floating in the tea pot).

After lunch we got dropped off at the hotel and I’ve been napping on and off. I’m glad I’m feeling better because tomorrow evening I get to go see a Chinese Opera. I saw one once in a movie ‘Farewell My Concubine’ (Ba Wang Bie Ji - in Chinese). Ever since then, I’ve wanted to see one performed live. Hopefully they will allow pictures during the performance. The costumes are magnificent and ornate. Chinese Operas are basically plays that tell stories of battles, love won and lost, friendship, etc. from ancient times. The music may sound a little foreign to Western ears at first, but after a while you get completely caught up in the story being played out before you.

Alright. . .I’m signing off now. Take care all!

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Photos

Spicy Frog Legs
I wonder what kind of beer goes best with Spicy Frogs Legs. . .hmmmm. . .

Flower Tea
Evidently there are many varieties of teas made with flowers in China.

Comments

[Camha Nguyen]

Glad you feel better
I am glad that you feel better. Have fun at the opera. love, camha