Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Guava, Dates and something else…

Since Jim and I had that sugar cane, I’ve decided to be a little more daring with the food from the street vendors. There are many people out on the sidewalk selling fresh fruits and veggies. Last night they were selling steamed corn on the cob. I thought about trying it, but it was hot outside and it just didn’t sound good to hold onto hot corn. So, I went into the grocery store with Raj and he helped me pick out a guava. He said it is fun to get the fruit because it reminds him of his childhood. I ate the guava last night. It was very good. Very similar to a pear.

Tonight on our way back from dinner I mentioned to Raj how odd it seems that there are so many vendors that sell limes. He said those are not limes, but something that is a cross between a lime and an orange. I really like things with lime in them (margarita’s, lime rice, etc.) He said they are very good. So I bought one for 1 RMB (about 12 cents). It was delicious!!! It actually tastes like a tangerine.

Raj bought some fresh dates. He got a bagful of them. They are shaped about the size of a pecan (in its shell) and they have a small pit in the middle of them. They are also very good. I got one and tried it and liked it so well that I took a handful more from him. Very cool!

Tonight we went to the same restaurant that we went to one day last week. We had shrimp, lamb, dumplings, a veggie dish with mushrooms and greens. I’m getting pretty good at eating shrimp the Chinese way. You just bite the middle and spit out the head and the tail. And you just eat the shell – the shell is not very tough and it is fried and cruncy. Lots of neat spices with it too. It is fun!

The mushrooms and greens were delicious! The mushrooms are tiny yellow mushrooms. Very tender and yummy. The food is so good and even the veggies are prepared with so much flavor. And such a variety of greens – one of my friends said there aren’t English words for many of the veggies. I wish I knew more about how they cook the dishes.

I need to start doing some packing around here. I bought some rice dishes and need to get them securely packed for the trip home. I hope they make it in one piece!

Jim called and said that his computer has bit the dust. Dang! Poor guy – he needs his computer to feel like he is a part of his real life! Maybe it is just tired and it needs a rest.

That is about it. I’m going to try to get some pictures out on my blog tonight.

Love to all!!!
Mum/Shawn