Not Warm in Wuxi

It's going to be cold in The Middle Kingdom today, at least here in Wuxi. And my coat won't be ready until Thursday. But, it has a specialty lining and two extra pockets so I think It'll be worth the wait. In the meantime... I am cold.

I was going to show you some photos of the tailor and some warm spring-time shots from Surfside. But Blogger is having a problem doing that this morning. You'll have to settle for all text. Wherever you are, I hope you're warm.

This Day In Food

I love to cook, and I love to eat. But, more than either of those, I love to snack. It's not a good habit, but there are worse.

So it will come as no surprise that one of my objectives for this sojourn in China is to try as many snacks as I can.

Already I have a few things I like. There are these salty and sweet crackers which are good. And there are at least a hundred variations on that theme. One of the most interesting things I've found is those little white round things. What those are, they are plain old marshmallows, squished down a little bit, with just a dab of jelly inside. It doesn't sound that good but, man are they little gems! You can see that I have several varieties of the crackers. And those things in the round yellow packages are supposed to be covered with white chocolate. But, if that's chocolate then I'm the queen of something. I am not sure what's in the red package. That'll be another adventure in food, an adventure for another day.

This Day With The Saints

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite saints, Stanislaus Kostka. And, thinking about his life and death is enough for one day. But, I sometimes like to see who the other saints are. So, I clicked on the Saint Of The Day page and found that we have a whole boat load for today. I only followed the link on one, though. Homobonus. Obviously, the only reason I did this is because his name begins with the letters H - O - M - and another O which conveniently spells homo. He was not a real homo, not like me. But, he was a good man and a tailor. Very interesting as I will be at the tailor this afternoon getting measured for a coat. So, as you remember Stanislaus Kostka today, remember Saint Homobonus too. I rather like him.

The fellow at the right, looking all spiritual, is Stanislaus. The other thing is from the site on Homobonus.

Homobonus... It sounds like the special gift, toaster oven or crock pot, that you get whenever you convert one of the straights. No, seriously, go read the little blurb on him. He was one of the great ones I think. I want to be a little bit like him.

My View

It was such a clear day on Monday that I thought I'd show you all what I see from my living room. I literally went to the porch, opened the window, and shot. Very lazy, but it gives you the idea.

This Day In Food

Yesterday I found that I was almost out of food. I had some of those clementine-like things, and two plums, half a package of almonds, and some stuff I didn't want to eat. I really am committed to getting my fruit and vegetables at local markets. But, I was in the mood for meat. I thought that if I went to one of the mega-stores that specialize in serving expats I'd have better luck finding western kinds of meat. Of course, I shouldn't have thought that much. It's a waste of effort, and here in China it's not that useful. Still, I decided to try Wal-Mart because someone told me that they had the best meats. All I can say is, it 'aint Zabar's. Even so. I first looked at all the fish, living and dead. Then I looked at the turtles and frogs, all very much alive. Squid, dead. Eels, alive. I endeared myself to the staff there by picking up a live fish from the floor and putting it back in the water. How very silly of me. They did let me wash my hands, though. I am, frankly, surprised that they even thought of that. So, then was the red meat. Unpackaged. Just there in bins. I found two bins that had meat which looked decent. One pile of meat had a bone and one didn't. I picked meat with a bone so that I can make broth later. And, when I say that I picked a piece of meat, I mean that I picked it up with my bare hands. I handed it to the butcher thinking that she would put it in a bag for me. Again, I shouldn't have put that much effort into my thinking. Before I could say YIKES! she took a cleaver to my meat and chpped it into about six pieces. She chopped right through the bone! Then she put it in a bag. I also managed to snag a package of English Peas, many of which fell out in my backpack. Yeah, you have to haul your groceries home in your own bags. Very sound environmental policy, actually. But, occasionally annoying. And I got a couple of big carrots. Last night I chopped up my carrots and put them in with the peas. When I got home this afternoon all I had to do was fire up the little camp stove which doubles as my luxury cooking suite, put in the meat, my vegetables, and a cubed apple for some sweetness. After it had cooked for awhile I added some soy sauce and orange juice for flavor. It would have been better with an onion and maybe some grass. But, you cook with what you've got, right? I have a policy of not buying more than I can carry. That cramps my style sometimes as I really do require quite a lot. I saw lots more exciting things at Wal-Mart. And I bought a bag of tiny little dried shrimp for the cat. That's right. I kind of have a cat. Just a pretty little orange lady who knows I'm a softie. She loves the shrimp. And the tuna. And the milk. And the tiny birds. And the duck necks. OK. I've spoiled her. But, she's so pretty. And she purrs. How can I resist such charms? The end of this rambling tale is that I had myself a lovely roast this evening. Not my best, maybe. But, very edible and tasty. Now that I've actually cooked I feel moved in. This is home now.

My Big Day At Nan Chang Temple Market

Last week I had an extra day off and spent it at Nan Chang Temple Market. It's more of a fun market than anything. There's the usual stuff you might expect to see near a temple: Incense, candles, incense and candle holders, Buddha in various poses, drums, singing bowls. And, did I say incense? Make that even more incense. There are other consumer goods too: Tea sets, pottery, plants, household goods, fish, turtles, bunnies, etc... You get the idea. There's even an antiques section where you're expected to pay antiques prices for relatively new items which are dirty and have been nicked and dinged up a bit. I was astonished at the things the sellers tried to pass off as antiques. The antique Swatch Watch was my personal favorite.

This is the entrance to the temple area. We arrived around 9 am. You can see that it's a beautiful day, clear sky. This ancient Buddhist temple was built several years ago and is still under construction.

Here are a few more shots from around the temple:



I usually don't take photos of people without asking, especially here in China where there are some taboos on it. But, I couldn't resist this Communist worker in his red workman's shirt. He seems a symbol of the revolution. For better or worse, that.


She has better English skills than some Americans I know. She and her husband run a stand selling tofu and things in a cup. Very tasty.

Where do you suppose I spotted this green-eyed beauty? In the bird market. Yes, there is such a thing. It's a section of the market that sells only birds, all kinds of birds, small birds, big birds, talking birds, cheeping birds, birds for eating, birds for pets. If it flies or lays eggs, you can get it here. This pretty cat looks like he's had a few too!

Of course, the bird market is not too far from the fish market...

It's not the kind of fish market you were thinking of, is it? There was an entire block covered with dishpan after dishpan full of various kinds of fish. I can't imagine why the Chinese people need so many fish. There were more fish in that one small market than you could sell in all of Texas. It was a little mind blowing.

Man smoking. He followed me around until I took his picture, after that I didn't see him again. In most places it would creep me out to have people follow me around. In China, it's different. They just want to get a good look at me, maybe say "Haaaa-lo."

Smiling man.

Funny man.

Curious man.

Curious man 2. Now he want's his friends to come over and look at me. He enjoyed showing everyone his "discovery" of this Meigwo.

OK. I admit it. This is another shot I took without permission. But, I was so moved by the tenderness between this mother and child that I couldn't resist.

A fellow shopper. He wanted to speak English with me but the only word he knew was "Haaa-lo," which made it difficult. We had a nice laugh together.

There is a remote possibility that I did not have explicit permission to take this photo either. But, when I asked he said "No," and he was most emphatic about it. Fortunately, I'd already taken the snap.

This certainly inspires confidence.

She just wanted her picture taken.

Sometimes I just like the way something looks.

He wants to have his picture taken, but he's a little cautious. Looking into the lens helps make sure there's nothing to fear.

Now I have taken several pictures of him, he has taken pictures of me, and someone else is taking pictures of both of us. I laughed with this man so hard my belly hurt. And, he had the greatest energy, so open. I think it might be the first time he's had his picture taken but he investigated, overcame his fear, and then even shot a few pictures of his own. When I showed him the pictures on the camera view screen he thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. I liked this guy a lot. I don't know what is going on with my hair!

New friend.

Very weird guy.

Neo-revolutionary co-ed.


Mr. Slick.

And that concludes our tour around the Nan Chang Temple Market. There is some historical information on a sign at the market but I foolishly assumed I'd be able to get the same information on the internet. Alas, I was mistaken. So, I'll try to add some more information about the temple and its market later. In the meantime, just enjoy the photos.

My Big Day At Church

So I tried to go to church on Sunday. Actually, I did go to church, just not the one I initially set out for.

I'd planned to go to Saint Joseph's Catholic Church at 89 Mingzhu. (Photo at right) Through the magic of the world wide web I learned that it's the largest Roman Catholic parish in Jiangsu province, so I figured they wouldn't notice if one little Anglican slipped in through a side door. The Wuxi Life web site reported that services start at 10:15, and they meet for fellowship at 10 o'clock. Obviously, I wanted to arrive at exactly 10:14 to ensure a good seat and avoid the "fellowship."

At 8:45 I called Johnson, my driver. Johnson is beginning to bore me, but that's beside the point. Johnson was already downtown and he asked me if he could send a friend. I said sure. So, about five minutes later the friend arrives in a clean Volkswagen which seems to be the car of choice for private drivers.

I showed him the address.

He shrugged.

We stopped and spoke with the semi-bi-lingual woman who works here at Venice Gardens and I believed that was the end of it. "We're off..." I thought happily, and I just enjoyed the scenery for the next twenty minutes. That's when we stopped. Once again the driver was asking directions. Once again, we took off. And we went through several more cycles of this.

Finally, at about 10 o'clock I spotted the Wuxi International Church, decidedly Protestant, but founded by Anglicans. And mere Protestantism shouldn't be an impediment to the Holy Spirit, should it? So, I said, "Screw it, just let me out here. Quing ting." Of course, he didn't understand the Screw it part. But, he did stop. And then, after all that, 50 RMBs worth of cruising around Wuxi, and not taking me to the desired destination, he had the gall to point out that the International Church was not the address I'd given him. He was irate.

I enjoyed church. First I went to what I believe was a Sunday School class. It was being fiercly taught by a Chinese woman who wrote a lot of things on a white board and then spoke passionately about them. I didn't understand a word of it but I believe it was probably a very good class.

After that I wandered over toward the singing which was in the nave of the building at the left. It's a simple building with cement floors and brick walls. We sang one verse in English, and the next in Chinese. I guess that's why they call it the "International" Church. If you speak some other language, though, you're out of luck. Thanks to my years with the Baptists I knew the words to all the songs. There was I Need Thee Every Hour, and some 7-11 songs. You all know what a 7-11 song is, don't you? It's a song that has about seven words and you sing them eleven times. That kind.

Next was some praying and the sermon. Unlike in western churches I felt no real need to listen. For one thing half of it was in Chinese. For another thing, there was so much else going on. People drifted in and out, read, talked, ate. It was as if The Peace and The Sermon had merged into a gentle medly of potentialities. So, I sat and thought for awhile. Then I prayed for awhile. But after that I'd been there for over an hour which I feel was very generous of me.

I left through a side door and discovered that yet another activity was the tiny little market, like at the Buddhist temple only much, much, smaller. There were Christian door hangings. Chinese people like to hang things on their doors. In fact, I've recently learned that my neighbors are concerned about my naked door. So, I imagine I'll soon be in posession of some door decorations. I don't want to be the only one in the neighborhood, after all. And they were also selling "Scripture Calendars" for 2010. And, of course, Bibles. Nice people who smiled and spoke Chinese to me. I don't think that many Americans go there.

So, that was my big day at church. After I left I went across the street to McDonalds for a Sprite -- because you can't get real Diet Coke in China -- and to spend an hour looking out the big plate glass window. It overlooks one of the busiest intersections in Wuxi, the crossroads of Wuxi. Then I had a roll at a bakery and shopped around the shops. I found some things I want to do next week when I have more time. And I walked all the way across the bridge where barges were barrling through the canal in all directions.

Later in the week I'll post some snaps from my day at the Temple Market.