(Above says: 'Women'
Below says: "All the male alumns will always love you")
At the beginning of the month, our school (along with schools across the country) celebrated Girl's Day. Don't worry boys, you have your very own day in autumn! Girl's Day is a day where all the boys show their appreciation for girls and all that they bring to the world. Taking into consideration the gender imbalance that exists in China (which is most severe in rural areas and technology-centric universities such as Tsinghua), it was nonetheless baffling to see a group of 20-25 guys serenading 3-4 girls in a circle with dozens of roses and candles underfoot. Banners declaring love (mostly unspecific and a general message to all women), wishes for prosperous love lives and successful relationships were strewn across campus. There was even a small carnivalesque arcade outside my classroom from which you could win cuddly teddy bears, roses or--if you were persistent or lucky enough--a new ipad!
(This banner says, "No matter whose women you end up becoming, you will always be ours." Let it be known that this sounds much more sexist in English than Chinese and we shall temporarily ignore the resultative debate.)
To help get the girls of the program situated and settled into our new university's lifestyle, the boys got together and helped us join the celebration. They brought us bouquets of flowers, a small gift (specifically chosen for each girl) and then topped the festivities off with a dinner out. Considering any special plans for the previous month's Valentines Day were ruined by 11,014 km (6,844 miles) of distance and instead replaced with skype calls and emails, the celebration was welcomed with open arms.
For dinner, we went to a Hong Kong restaurant nearby. Cantonese food is one of the more popular kinds of Chinese food--oh, what an amazingly general category--found in the Western world. Most of the time when Westerners go out to eat Chinese food, there are in fact gobbling up Cantonese food. Dim Sum also originates from this subdivision of Chinese food. It's not as spicy as Western (Szechuan or Yunnan) food and doesn't overuse spices nor utilizes fresh ones neither. The dinner was delicious and wasn't too oily, even for Chinese standards...
Roasted Pork
Green Beans with Minced Chicken and Peppers
Angel Food Cake-Bread with Ice Cream (Dessert is served at the same time as the other entrées and appetizers of the meal)
Green Sprouts
Onion, Brocolli, and Pork Intestine (it has a very chewy consistency)
Shumai -- Shrimp Dumplings
Steamed Cucumbers with Scallions and Ginger
Various Cuts of Meat, Vegetables, and Shrimp in boiling broth
Roasted Turnip Cakes
Sausage, Peppers, and Baby Broccoli over Rice
One of my favorite Asian desserts, Egg Tarts (蛋挞 danta), come from the Southern provinces, namely the Portugese influence on Macau.
(Earlier in the day Melodie, Joeyee, Haojun, Will, Vicky & I went the local Bridge Café and treated ourselves to a Dutch Apple Pie and Walnut Brownie à la mode)
Ironically enough, Girl's Day came the day before UN-instated International Women's Day. As my friend Will remarked, this coincidence naturally lends itself to a few tastefully-snarky remarks. That night, girls in universities across China matured from young naïve girls to strong independent (depending on who you ask) women. It's the unofficial-official night of maturation and womanhood. Although, I am certain that Chinese officials would never do this purposefully, the comedy of unintentional errors tend to make the most satisfying laughs. So take time out of your day to appreciate that special girl who you love--whether it be your mom or best friend (or both). Then, think of the special boys and remember to be thankful. I am.
Live Well. Eat Well. 好活。好吃。
Who says you can't play with your food?
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