Shandong Province is known for Mutton Soup. It may be surprising to Americans, but mutton soup is a common breakfast item. I was treated to a delicious breakfast of mutton soup and pancakes, a type of bread similar to pita that is grilled on a large skillet.
The ladies in the kitchen at the mutton soup restaurant were delighted to have their photo taken.
Mr. Wood
During my stay in Heze, I was the guest in four homes. This was some of the most significant time that I spent in China. The hospitality was incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing life in these Chinese homes.
Please see the previous four posts that describe these experiences in detail.
Mr. Wood
On Wednesday evening I was invited to dinner at the home of the Zhang family. The Zhang family, the Ma family, the Xia family, and the Wang family all live in the same building and are close friends. They share meals together regularly, socialize together, travel together, and the children are best of friends.
Friends
I dined with the Zhang family and the other three children while the other parents were in the Wang home next door preparing the meal.
The Zhang family presented me a gift
Mr. Zhang is a children’s author. They presented me with a book of Chinese stamps that commemorate the Peony Festival in Heze.
After dinner, the children performed a musical routine they had written and prepared for me. It was about my visit.
Later that evening, we went next door and set up a computer with Skype so that the children will be able communicate with children in Woodbridge.
What great fun we had!
Mr. Wood
On Wednesday, I joined the Yan family and their frineds for lunch.
Her aunt taught me how to make dumplings, a traditional and delicious part of meals in Shandong Province.
Making Dumplings
My First Dumpling
They made sure that I ate my first dumpling. It was delicious, if I say so myself.
After lunch Mrs. Yan presented me with a beautiful, locally handwoven bed cover and a bag of the pastries her company produces.
Then I posed for photos with all of the friends and relatives.
It was a great time!
Mr. Wood
On Wednesday evening, I enjoyed dinner with the Guo family.
This delightful young girl first entertained me with her wonderful piano playing and showed me her room.
It was an honor be guests of the Guo family.
Mr. Wood
It was a delightful surprise to find that I will be sharing many of my meals with students and their families at home.
The Ji twinsare in grade 5. It was in their home that I first experienced the honor of being the guest of a family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ji greeted as we entered their beautiful third floor home. Mr. Ji’s mother lives with them as part of a traditional Chinese family.
Lunch was prepared by Mrs. Ji. The family presented me with gifts made by Grandma Ji. And a colleague of Mr. Ji photographed the event. (One of the photos later appeared in the local newspaper.)
After lunch, I shared photos from Connecticut with the twins.
In Heze Primary School, there is a two hour break at noon and all students and teachers go home for lunch.
Mr. Wood
Well, we went on another bus adventure today to Jinan. We left Beijing around 8 am this morning and traveled for about six hours south to the capital of the Shandong province, Jinan. Along the way we stopped at two “truck stops” to continue to experience daily Chinese life as the way a common person might. Our guide described the stop as a location that a family might stop at as they traveled across the Chinese countryside. The first stop was just for a restroom and food break. It was amazing to find Oreo’s and Ritz crackers next to traditional Chinese snacks. Our lack of understanding also caused a little confusion to one of the fellow travelers in our group. He bought, what he thought was, different hard candies just to find out later that he actually bought different kinds of beef jerky! Oops! The entire group then shared the snacks that they bought with the rest of the group on the bus.
The next stop was more adventurous than the first one. Eating lunch at a travel stop was not the highest thing on my to-do list but it can now be checked off the list. The lunch was provided in a buffet style. Dishes upon dishes were laid out on a long table. The food ranged from white rice and steamed breads to fish heads and soups. There were some other foods that no one in the group could quite identify. We were given metal trays and were able to pick and choose anything we would like to eat. Some of the food was beyond my food tastes but some of the other people in the group found the food to their liking. After lunch many of us were found outside of the travel stop eating ice cream and enjoying the sunshine before we boarded the bus to continue on to Jinan.
Zaijian,
Mr. C.