Halloween

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Being a foreigner in Hangzhou elicits a certain amount of staring. People will just look at me for a really long time. Sunday, I got a double dose as I carried a pumpkin down the street.
It’s Halloween, of course and in the world of Chinese Copycat Commerce, the local Carrefour store has a big stack of pumpkins and squash. Not that anyone was buying them, though they were on sale, just in front of a display booth filled with rubber masks, scary hands and warty noses. The display was placed most prominently, right at the bottom of the entrance conveyor. But no one knew what to make of it and mostly they just looked on from a distance, like it was a museum display.
I came to Carrefour to buy mask-making stuff. The women at the office had been asking about Halloween so Sean and I agreed to put on a party. I bought some paper, oil pastels and pens so people could create their own masks, which for several people is like pushing string. Perhaps it’s too individualized. Like people everywhere, the Y+ employees are a little reluctant to create outside the box.
Still, the pumpkin, even at 50 cents a pound, was irresistible. My purchase was just the beginning of the interactive display. Once out on the street, people were all gawking and admiring my 10 lb “nan gua” as I carried it in front of my belly. Big pumpkins seem to be a new addition to China, though people seem to know exactly why a foreigner would be carrying one this time of year. I exchanged a “Happy Halloween” with the one westerner I saw. Then while crossing the park, a guy who looked like every other Chinese guy said with a perfect American accent, “Nice pumpkin.”
Once back in the studio, I set about carving and a few people were getting the hang of the mask deal. Maggie downloaded a picture off the internet and created that. Cindy wrote her name on hers and made a rainbow. A group decorated one for Aida, the office manager. Esther, our best English speaker, wrote ‘PFG’ on the front of it. I asked her what those initials meant. “Pretty fuckin’ good,” she said.
When I’d finished giving my pumpkin it’s Buddha-esque look, Vivian came out to admire it. I handed her the knife and 2 lb squash. A half hour later, she’d created an evil-looking orb with removable eyes and teeth.
By Monday, word was getting around and the mask making picked up momentum. One woman whipped out several including a clown and a freckled kid. Mary dressed in black with a metallic sash. Sean made her an eye patch, I made her a sword. Ian stuck a white rose in his dreadlocks and carried a 12’’ spliff. On the way in, Sean bought candy and a few pairs of bignose glasses.
The decorating party turned into a dance party. Sean and I considered taking the party into the street but the conga line and swing dancing proved too enticing. By 11 though, we’d had enough, after all, it was a school night. We picked up the mess o’ wrappers and blew out the pumpkin. Today it is sitting on the counter, still grinning but void of its inner light. No one seems to have an oven in which to bake it, so no pie. Maybe I’ll take it to our favorite restaurant to see what they can do with it.

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Comments

[LJ]

cooking pumpkin
John, you don't need an oven, you could cut the pumpkin up into pieces and steam it until poking with a fork reveals it is done. Then you could salt and butter it and eat as chunks, or smash/puree and make it into a soup or casserole-type dish (bet you don't have any little marshmallows, hmmm). Way fun! Sounds like a swinging party! best, lj

[Diane]

Having Fun

[Diane]

Having Fun
Oops don't hit "Enter". John, you always know how to have fun! Some of the American culture is really good to share....way to find one of the best. Bet it was hard to explain Mischief Night. Maybe not the fireworks in the mailbox part, but soaping windows? TP-ing? Here it poured rain so I had to eat all the candy myself. Oh well. I will get to make pie, though.