I Cooked Some Tofu Today

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I Cooked Some Tofu Today

 Asia » China » Fujian » Xiamen By mrobertson
April 30th 2007 I have many mosquito bites, and just got another. I will probably get malaria soon.
I have little to say, as it took me hours to upload all those pictures on this scanty internet connection. The enthusiasm from the beginning has long since waned.

A few days ago, I saw two blood-covered men on the street, standing near large pools of blood and a big bloody knife. Either a pig started running away as they were slaughtering it, or there was some kerfuffle.

Yesterday two taxi drivers engaged in fisticuffs in the middle of the street.

It is getting very hot here, and humid, but not terribly so.

I went bowling. It was 10-pin. It was bowling.

I ate some very delicious, fresh seafood. Clams in oyster sauce, octopus with peppers, and some small crayfish-like thing, that was difficult to eat, but tasted very good.

I think that is enough for now. I will watch Doctor Who and get to sleep. He is tangling with the Daleks again. It is not a surprising turn of events.

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Photos

Apartment 1
This is in semi-downtown Xiamen, about 10 minutes from the train station. It was already furnished, including some strange stuffed animals and pictures on the walls. The dog looks like ET up close, but has so far provided me no alien technology or powers. There is still time.

TV and Table
I can think of a few things that would have been more useful than a makeup mirror.

Kitchen
The burners are really hot. Double rings of flame, perfect for stir frying. Unfortunately there is little room for food preparation

Bathroom
The shower is right in the middle of the bathroom, so all the water just goes into a drain in the floor. The hot water has to be heated up about 30 minutes before use.

Apartment 2
Another view. It is on the 8th floor.

Househould Items
I got all of this for about the equivalent of $23 canadian. A quilt, pillow, sheet, kettle, etc. It's nice to be able to purchase it cheaply, but it also sucks when you consider the conditions it was made under, and the reasons it's so cheap. A little guilt with every purchase. Oh, and this came from Walmart... double the guilt.

View 1
A view from the cell. House. Many buildings in downtown Xiamen are bedecked with fancy moving neon lights. They are not pictured.

View 2
It is not a good picture. Most of them are not good pictures. But in this one you can see cars and some people.

View 3
Daytime. On the far left, there is a decommissioned military motorcycle. It is often parked there.

View 4
In that little underground passage beside the human box, there is a market. Many dead animals, vegetables, and people bargaining. I did not take a picture in the market. It is a very lazy picture. I could take a picture of my door and explain the things inside.

Product 1
Vegetable Dumplings. They are edible, but not great. The man on the package appears to have a dumpling head, and is possibly Italian.

Product 2
Chili Pepper Peanuts. I haven't eaten them yet.

Product 3
Barbecue Bun. Tasty.

Product 4
Tang Yuan. Delicious doughy ball things that are boiled and create a light soup. Good breakfast. Often filled with black sesame, sweet bean, or peanut butter.

Dumpling, Baby Bok Choy, Snow Peas
Very simple, but the vegetables were nice and fresh.

Soup
Simple soup. Cabbage, mushrooms, and questionable "beef balls", with some thin and insubstantial noodles. Weak soy broth.

Tang Yuan
Really tasty, as previously mentioned. I will look for them in Canada. I'm sure I can find them.

Yogurt
This yogurt has a thin consistency, it is even thinner than a Yop. Very nice taste. This one is pineapple.

Spicy Noodles
Good taste, bad for health. I try to keep their consumption to a minimum.

Spicy Pork with Cabbage
Maybe an accidental bit of Korean influence in this. The pork was marinated in a very hot chili sauce. Cooking it was painful, literally. The smoke was like napalm, burning my lungs, and I coughed the entire time and for 10 minutes after. Surprisingly, the final product was not overly spicy. The cabbage was fried with some oil, garlic, and sesame oil.

Sesame Snack
I'm not really sure what this is. It's sesame flavoured, and held together by a sweet sticky substance, almost like a rice krispy square. But it's not very crunchy, it's more mushy. It tastes good.

Comments

[Amos]

Crazy Canadian
Hey Matt. Sorry took me so long to get around to leaving some comments. Your blog is humorous and enjoyable to read. It always brightens my day to find that you have seen some possible stabbing and made it through. I hope the trip is going well. I have to go now, for I am bleeding from working on a friends car. P.S. I want a mini-watermelon!