Since high school, the indie rock giants Built to Spill have been on constant rotation in my playlist. One song in particular struck me as fitting as pieces of my life come into greater focus...
"The Plan keeps coming up again. The plan won't accomplish anything that's not implemented." -Doug Martch, Built to Spill
You can have a plan, but it won't accomplish anything unless you do it. Do it. So, as more opportunities arise for me here in China I have chosen to stick around to accomplish them. My original plan in coming to Asia was to hone my writing skills and pursue a career in international journalism. Writing for the Zhongshan Daily has been a great experience, one that I hope to continue, and it has opened more opportunities for me to enjoy my working time here.
A group of ex-pats - mostly Germans - are longing for an avenue to connect the ex-pat community and keep them informed of things to do and social gatherings. The result? I will be writing an ex-pat newsletter as well as an English guide to Zhongshan for the ex-pats of the present and future. It will be sort of like an interactive Lonely Planet and will include: emergency contact info, a list of doctors and health professionals who can offer advice in clear English terms, restaruant guide, maps, etc. A single location for these important things is lacking, so I will help to bring it all together.
Along with this, the college has agreed to reduce my hours, increase my salary and allow me to have more control over my course load. So, when I return to Zhongshan college next fall I will hopefully be teaching some oral English as well as English Composition and an American film class. I think this will be pretty awesome, so I am happy and confident in my decision.
Before year two - something completely different!! I WILL be returning to the United States for a month this summer. My flight will arrive in MSP on July 11 and I will depart again for Hong Kong on August 9. I can't wait to see you all and be back with the people I love and miss in the city that I love and miss!!!!
much love. peace. paul.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Canton Cuisine
Published May 22, 2005
Zhongshan Ribao
“The Cantonese people will eat: anything that moves except a car, anything that swims except a boat and anything that flies except a plane.” This quote from my students offers a humorously accurate take on Cantonese cuisine. While the Chinese palate may extend farther into the animal kingdom than most Westerners would care to go, the variety of dishes is refreshingly different.
Each Chinese province or city is famous for some variety of food. Beijing is famous for its duck wraps, or ‘Peking duck.’ The food in Sichuan Province, such as ‘hot pot,’ is notoriously spicy due to the hot peppers and aniseed capers commonly found in dishes.
Zhongshan’s specialty is fried pigeon. In the United States, pigeons are often found in public parks, being fattened up with breadcrumbs by park visitors. I’m becoming curious about the pigeon’s migration habits…
Other local favorites are barbequed snakes, cat soup and dog meat steaks. This sounded pretty strange to me at first, but these are just cultural differences. Despite not having come across any vacant leashes in the central Shiqi district, the village of Xiaolan is rumored to have some fantastic Labrador.
Aside from the different nature of Chinese dishes, the true difference is in the preparation. In Chinese cooking, the heads, bones, skin and fins are presented in an artistic fashion to accompany the dish. This represents the wholeness of the animal and the spirit of we who eat it.
When I asked a Chinese colleague of mine why her favorite part of the fish was the tail, she said it was because it requires the most work. Her satisfaction derives not only from the food but from also from the accomplishment. I replied, “I want to eat my food, not disassemble it like a shrimp jigsaw puzzle.”
This ‘peel your own’ concept was difficult for me. Western food removes the consumer from the much of the preparation process. At first, my stomach was queasy to see exactly what I was eating. After a few months, I’ve learned how to surgically dissect a shrimp with my fingernails and my stomach has learned to how handle it.
With this ‘eat all’ food philosophy, it seems to me that the Chinese cooks are far less wasteful than Western cooks. Common orders that include chicken are given hips and joints with plenty of meat on them. In Western cooking the bones are rarely, if ever, included. (Steaks, ribs and fried chicken come to mind as exceptions to this rule.)
Dinner table etiquette in the United States is quite formal. Rules like: no elbows on the table, chew with your mouth closed and fold your napkin in your lap have been instilled in me since I graduated from of the high chair.
The excess bones in Chinese cooking have to go somewhere, so why hide them? Here, the sign of a good restaurant is the presence of bones and debris on the floor. The more mess, the better the business.
Each style has its merits. In Zhongshan, western restaurants serving imported food are available for a needed break. Pigeon and green tea is delicious, but pizza and beer will remain my comfort food.
##### END #####
*This article is the intellectual property of Paul Wegerson and may not be reproduced or syndicated without express written consent of Paul Wegerson or Zhongshan Ribao. Think fo yoself foo!
Zhongshan Ribao
“The Cantonese people will eat: anything that moves except a car, anything that swims except a boat and anything that flies except a plane.” This quote from my students offers a humorously accurate take on Cantonese cuisine. While the Chinese palate may extend farther into the animal kingdom than most Westerners would care to go, the variety of dishes is refreshingly different.
Each Chinese province or city is famous for some variety of food. Beijing is famous for its duck wraps, or ‘Peking duck.’ The food in Sichuan Province, such as ‘hot pot,’ is notoriously spicy due to the hot peppers and aniseed capers commonly found in dishes.
Zhongshan’s specialty is fried pigeon. In the United States, pigeons are often found in public parks, being fattened up with breadcrumbs by park visitors. I’m becoming curious about the pigeon’s migration habits…
Other local favorites are barbequed snakes, cat soup and dog meat steaks. This sounded pretty strange to me at first, but these are just cultural differences. Despite not having come across any vacant leashes in the central Shiqi district, the village of Xiaolan is rumored to have some fantastic Labrador.
Aside from the different nature of Chinese dishes, the true difference is in the preparation. In Chinese cooking, the heads, bones, skin and fins are presented in an artistic fashion to accompany the dish. This represents the wholeness of the animal and the spirit of we who eat it.
When I asked a Chinese colleague of mine why her favorite part of the fish was the tail, she said it was because it requires the most work. Her satisfaction derives not only from the food but from also from the accomplishment. I replied, “I want to eat my food, not disassemble it like a shrimp jigsaw puzzle.”
This ‘peel your own’ concept was difficult for me. Western food removes the consumer from the much of the preparation process. At first, my stomach was queasy to see exactly what I was eating. After a few months, I’ve learned how to surgically dissect a shrimp with my fingernails and my stomach has learned to how handle it.
With this ‘eat all’ food philosophy, it seems to me that the Chinese cooks are far less wasteful than Western cooks. Common orders that include chicken are given hips and joints with plenty of meat on them. In Western cooking the bones are rarely, if ever, included. (Steaks, ribs and fried chicken come to mind as exceptions to this rule.)
Dinner table etiquette in the United States is quite formal. Rules like: no elbows on the table, chew with your mouth closed and fold your napkin in your lap have been instilled in me since I graduated from of the high chair.
The excess bones in Chinese cooking have to go somewhere, so why hide them? Here, the sign of a good restaurant is the presence of bones and debris on the floor. The more mess, the better the business.
Each style has its merits. In Zhongshan, western restaurants serving imported food are available for a needed break. Pigeon and green tea is delicious, but pizza and beer will remain my comfort food.
##### END #####
*This article is the intellectual property of Paul Wegerson and may not be reproduced or syndicated without express written consent of Paul Wegerson or Zhongshan Ribao. Think fo yoself foo!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Great China Road Trip
As more Chinese buy personal cars, it becomes eaiser for this emerging class to travel during the May 1 Labor Day holiday. While they are learning to drive, they are beginning to enjoy the age old tradition of the family road trip.
I was invited by my good friend Harry to accompany his family on the 2.5 hour drive from Zhongshan to Shenzhen. Reminicent of all the great road trips I've taken though the US, I accepted the offer without hesitation. Harry has only been driving for 4 months and this trip tested his stamina as well as his confidence behind the wheel. Lucky for him, he had an experienced co-pilot.
This Delta area is so highly developed with joint venture companies and hundreds of factories, that it felt like one huge city. Sprawling cities bleed together in this area and I was at a loss to find where one city ended and the next began. So, there was little variety in our games of 'I Spy.' "Hmm. I spy something big," I said. "A factory?" Harry asked. "Yup. Next one, I spy something bright," I said. "A hotel next to a factory?" Harry said. "Yup. I spy something ...." Interesting, but it got old fast.
Usually, the most important part of the trip is the soundtrack. Harry put on some Chinese songs and one English CD - complete with Celine Dion, Pink and Avril Lavigne - which he said was for me. I would have preferred The Shins or the Grateful Dead, but "Sk8er Boy" and "My Heart Will Go On" seemed to soothe Harry's driving nerves so I demured.
Due to the swelling number of cars and the slow creation of infastructure the traffic was heavy and ruthless. As we rounded the Pearl River Delta in Harry's Nissan we passed toll booth after toll booth and accident after accident. On China's highways, just like its city streets, the lane lines serve only as suggestions. Without checking their blind spots, drivers coast from side to side and jostle for pole position. It was like a slapstick scene where 5 people try to walk though a door at the same time, but get stuck in the process.
With few snags we made it to Shenzhen, the L.A. of China, and to Harry's sister's apartment. It felt good to be on the 'open road,' even if we weren't alone.
Take care ya'll. peace. paul.
I was invited by my good friend Harry to accompany his family on the 2.5 hour drive from Zhongshan to Shenzhen. Reminicent of all the great road trips I've taken though the US, I accepted the offer without hesitation. Harry has only been driving for 4 months and this trip tested his stamina as well as his confidence behind the wheel. Lucky for him, he had an experienced co-pilot.
This Delta area is so highly developed with joint venture companies and hundreds of factories, that it felt like one huge city. Sprawling cities bleed together in this area and I was at a loss to find where one city ended and the next began. So, there was little variety in our games of 'I Spy.' "Hmm. I spy something big," I said. "A factory?" Harry asked. "Yup. Next one, I spy something bright," I said. "A hotel next to a factory?" Harry said. "Yup. I spy something ...." Interesting, but it got old fast.
Usually, the most important part of the trip is the soundtrack. Harry put on some Chinese songs and one English CD - complete with Celine Dion, Pink and Avril Lavigne - which he said was for me. I would have preferred The Shins or the Grateful Dead, but "Sk8er Boy" and "My Heart Will Go On" seemed to soothe Harry's driving nerves so I demured.
Due to the swelling number of cars and the slow creation of infastructure the traffic was heavy and ruthless. As we rounded the Pearl River Delta in Harry's Nissan we passed toll booth after toll booth and accident after accident. On China's highways, just like its city streets, the lane lines serve only as suggestions. Without checking their blind spots, drivers coast from side to side and jostle for pole position. It was like a slapstick scene where 5 people try to walk though a door at the same time, but get stuck in the process.
With few snags we made it to Shenzhen, the L.A. of China, and to Harry's sister's apartment. It felt good to be on the 'open road,' even if we weren't alone.
Take care ya'll. peace. paul.
Handlebars to Hubcaps
By Paul Wegerson
Zhongshan Ribao English Edition
Growing up, I was a huge fan of the basic video game Frogger. In this game, the player is a frog that is trying to cross a busy street without getting squished by a bus, bike or steamroller.
In China, I’m brought back to my Frogger days each time I try to cross the road. With the increase of cars on the roads, the stakes are greater than only having to get up and hit the reset button. Once called the ‘Bicycle Kingdom,’ people are trading handlebars for hubcaps, and the personal car is driving China into the 21st century.
My mother, the saint that she is, always told me to look both ways before crossing the street. Taking her advice vigilantly, my neck is more sore than that of a chair umpire at Wimbledon as I scan traffic and Frogger my way through the bikes, motorbikes, cars, trucks and buses that race down China’s roads.
Due to traffic around the Da Fu Yuan it’s no surprise that even the typically calm green pedestrian light shows a character sprinting across the street.
Standing on the yellow median as buses stream by, I’ll often wait for a group before striding on. Typically a brave pedestrian, I’ve been known to shelf my pride and hide behind a 6 year old or a 66 year old who is a more experienced jaywalker than myself. It’s as if they say, “Hey sonny! Can I help you cross the street?” What a role reversal!
While 60 percent of China’s personal cars are registered in Guangdong province, Zhongshan has remained free of many of the negative externalities of this surge. The horn-free zone in the downtown Shiqi District (时期) has reduced noise pollution, and minor traffic jams only occur for a brief half-hour at the end of the workday. In contrast, major cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen are being crippled by stagnant traffic and smoked out by air pollution.
Zhongshan’s high standard of living is putting more people in the driver’s seat. Just outside of downtown there are many car dealerships selling a range of foreign cars like Italy’s Fiat and the French Peugeot. The emerging wealthy class can purchase German luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
With much competition from foreign joint ventures, the Chinese domestic auto industry is finding a domestic niche. Over the past few years, prices for Wuling, Changan and other major manufacturers have dropped. This allows more of China’s growing middle class to buy a family car. Connections with the financing industry have even allowed these new drivers to buy on credit.
Although there are more commuters and leisure drivers, the city remains manageable enough to trek on bicycle or foot. I’ve considered splurging on a bike, but with expert handling and a variety of colors, a solid pair of New Balance shoes will remain the only rubber between the road and me. When I want a sunroof in the summer, I can always switch to Birkenstock sandals. ###
This article is property of Paul Wegerson 韦保罗 and the Zhongshan Daily. Protected by CreatveCommons.org, this article may not be reproduced or republished without the express written consent of the author. Do your own work!
Zhongshan Ribao English Edition
Growing up, I was a huge fan of the basic video game Frogger. In this game, the player is a frog that is trying to cross a busy street without getting squished by a bus, bike or steamroller.
In China, I’m brought back to my Frogger days each time I try to cross the road. With the increase of cars on the roads, the stakes are greater than only having to get up and hit the reset button. Once called the ‘Bicycle Kingdom,’ people are trading handlebars for hubcaps, and the personal car is driving China into the 21st century.
My mother, the saint that she is, always told me to look both ways before crossing the street. Taking her advice vigilantly, my neck is more sore than that of a chair umpire at Wimbledon as I scan traffic and Frogger my way through the bikes, motorbikes, cars, trucks and buses that race down China’s roads.
Due to traffic around the Da Fu Yuan it’s no surprise that even the typically calm green pedestrian light shows a character sprinting across the street.
Standing on the yellow median as buses stream by, I’ll often wait for a group before striding on. Typically a brave pedestrian, I’ve been known to shelf my pride and hide behind a 6 year old or a 66 year old who is a more experienced jaywalker than myself. It’s as if they say, “Hey sonny! Can I help you cross the street?” What a role reversal!
While 60 percent of China’s personal cars are registered in Guangdong province, Zhongshan has remained free of many of the negative externalities of this surge. The horn-free zone in the downtown Shiqi District (时期) has reduced noise pollution, and minor traffic jams only occur for a brief half-hour at the end of the workday. In contrast, major cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen are being crippled by stagnant traffic and smoked out by air pollution.
Zhongshan’s high standard of living is putting more people in the driver’s seat. Just outside of downtown there are many car dealerships selling a range of foreign cars like Italy’s Fiat and the French Peugeot. The emerging wealthy class can purchase German luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
With much competition from foreign joint ventures, the Chinese domestic auto industry is finding a domestic niche. Over the past few years, prices for Wuling, Changan and other major manufacturers have dropped. This allows more of China’s growing middle class to buy a family car. Connections with the financing industry have even allowed these new drivers to buy on credit.
Although there are more commuters and leisure drivers, the city remains manageable enough to trek on bicycle or foot. I’ve considered splurging on a bike, but with expert handling and a variety of colors, a solid pair of New Balance shoes will remain the only rubber between the road and me. When I want a sunroof in the summer, I can always switch to Birkenstock sandals. ###
This article is property of Paul Wegerson 韦保罗 and the Zhongshan Daily. Protected by CreatveCommons.org, this article may not be reproduced or republished without the express written consent of the author. Do your own work!
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