Maltose cake the sweet present Zac got from his local eatary Qiong Guo Tang is actually maltose cake, which is made form millet and barley, mixed with sesame seeds after fermatation, steaming, kneading and pressure cook.
Originally from Xi'An (there the terracota worriers were found).
First of all, best mo I have ever seen bar one (you have to check out Postie's dad some time). Keep up the good work. I think you should make it a permanent look. Secondly, I know we are guilty of this too, but stop talking about the damn food! It is making me starving and I just had breakfast!
LOL
I think you guys must have found some sweet sweet substances to have written that blog. Either that or eating too much cabbage induced halucinogenic fits. xxx
Dragonfruit You got dragon fruit! i fricken love dragon fruit. u cant get dragon fruit here, not even in the markets :P... mmmm like a big colourful kiwi ;)
Coffee tables and monsoons Hey guys!
It's great reading your blog when imagination comes in to play and I have to picture the couch, coffee table and Zac's wrist in my mind (my computer refuses to show me your pictures!!). So I'm trying to imagine the yellow and red couch as well as Zac's twisted wrist- ouch!
As for the mosoons- you're getting me worried- I'm off to Vietnam on Tuesday to face monsoons- and the floods they've recently had! I wasn't picturing my only pair of shoes that I'm taking over being completely underneath 'handle-bar' level water!! Oh well, I'll get to empathise with you!
Hope you're doing ok, Zac?
Lots of Love to you both,
Rachie
hehehe I love reading your blogs, they always make me laugh so much! Strange about the tonic prices huh? We found the same thing in India too. The tonic people must be making lots of money of foreigners wanting their GandTs!
Great Nice food and tea, as well as "who's that" chinese-english entry.
Good-looking bikes too. Do you have AC at home? There're some hot nights in Beijing, say, 32C at 10 pm.
We're freezing to death here in West Sydney. 1C last night.
Keep the spirit up as we're hailing the Socceroos' 4-0 win over Thailand this morning.
Killer toasters.. Good to hear you guys have a computer, and a working bike. both very important instruments incoming civilised. Or maybe not. One suggestion for the toaster (I think craig maybe more qualified to comment on it though) is to wedge something soft at the top of where the handle track is so that you have a bumper to slow the toasting-rack-ejection-mechanism-dohicky down. Failing that, you could always pull the toaster apart and stretch out the return spring heaps so that it's not a springy on the return and will reduce the launch capabilites of the toaster from International Space Station level down to short range inter-apartment capabilites. My final suggestion would be to place a plastic chopping board over the top of the toaster while cooking, however this may result in your toast being shrink wrapped and/or your kitchen burning down.
oh, Beijing Bicycle Any Chinese guy you thought called Dixon or Yan?
I was pissed during my English learning days. Every teacher wasted at least 10 minutes at the start of their classes to ask around names. So I replied once: "Bond, James Bond". Then, he was pissed.
Good bike, good cake, reasonable apartment, good view, and dodgy grandparents neighbourhood watching committee.
During my renting time in Beijing, the first day Yan arrived and joined me at my apartment, the grandparents neighbourhood watching committee snitched. About 8:30pm, two policemen knocked our door and asked us to follow them to the nearest police station and started to interrogate us until we show our marrige certificate. and then they started to charge us as "illegal renting" because the landlord failed to apply for a safty review for the apartment......the saga went on and on till my landlord arrived at the police station. Because they have "Guanxi" with those bastards cops, we were lucky enough to get house just before the midnight and avoiding 5-month-rent-worth hefty fine.
so much so my birth place.......
hello hello Hi Guys.
Im finally in front of a computer! Brilliant to read all of your adventures. Keep it up, ive been giggling the whole way through. Yes, I am in Alaska, Im based in Glacier Bay National Park, in the south east. It's inbcredibly beautiful and so chilled out. Although, the chinese food would be great. Crap gotta go Ii have been summoned. Ill be here for about another three months. So Ill be in touch.
have a blast, dont let the bikes get you
nat
...deviation from study... Loved the blog guys, lucky I tuned into this one too! Have you found any Durian icecream yet? If you thought the fresh fruit was something, just wait till you get some of that in your tum!
Great to hear you guys are settling in, volley ball isn't the same but we're still having fun, even if it is only 7 degrees when we play!
Take care
dodgy bikes Your bike story reminded me of my troubles when i first bought my bike in Mbale (and mine was new) i think it was the assembly were it all went wrong? I have to say it all sounds very cool, moving to a new suburb can often be a painfull hassle but to Beijing to live wow! good work chaps!
ciao.
Dodgy bikes You guys had me in stitches with your bike descriptions. How lovely for you to have set up house as newlyweds!! (Awwww) have a great time and if you're there in China for long enough I might get to see you! Xx
FSA Guys, great to see some Ferg-Style Anger (FSA) happening there! It was funny, I was reading your description and I just started picturing myself in that situation and started mentally abusing the prick who sold me the dodgy bike, and then you mentioned my anger! Classic! Just don't get stuck in LiJiang, OK?! The place sounds great - glad to hear it's all going well. Reading about China made me feel very nostalgic!
I'll be coming to visit at some point!!
Much love
Ferg
huanying guanlin! Hey Zac and Sof,
Have been loving all your blogs so far, but this one was just too much! I couldn't stop laughing, smiling, feeling like I was there in BJ with yers!! You're missing nothing back here in Oz - just go and enjoy china guys :-) A couple of things:
a) i'm surprised the bikes lasted that long; half hour means a quality bike
b) i'm thrilled the price of beer is still so cheap!! (who needs expensive duck when you've got er guo tou (and i assume yangrou chuanr?)
c) "Fergus style anger".... love it!! it's just not mafan unless you've got Ferg and his tones next to ya :-)
d) Zac you checked out any music yet??
Keep up the updates, i'm loving them! All the best,
Wade
Chas Hey guys, I am so happy that you are back in familiar surroundings. Travel is all the better for arriving home and it sounds like you are enjoying your new home. I am slightly jealous of you being able to set up house as a newly married couple; Ana and I won't get that opportunity until Jan and have no idea which city yet (possibly Canberra, insert vomit noises). Good luck finding work and I am sure you will find fun things to do in order to get your dreams up and running. Ana and I have already pencilled Beijing in for our next holiday. Only have to get jobs and get there. How does just after the Olympics sound? Probably will only be able to come for 3 or 4 weeks what with actually working jobs and all but if you'll have us we'll be there. We are missing you desperately and are so jealous of Celeste who will be seeing you shortly after catching up with us in Brittany (my own haven of familiariaty and love). All my love. Chas. Btw, don't think Steve is the only person around who should be taking advantage of the PDF... Zac.
It's all so beautiful! wow, we have been fascinated by the latest adventure news - loved the bus and horse stories - and the ger looks wonderful. How clever you are. These are memories forever - write a book about it! Love from J J and G.
Dixon
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Maltose cake
the sweet present Zac got from his local eatary Qiong Guo Tang is actually maltose cake, which is made form millet and barley, mixed with sesame seeds after fermatation, steaming, kneading and pressure cook. Originally from Xi'An (there the terracota worriers were found).