China:
Wednesday, March 12th, was Arbor Day in China.
China started celebrating this in 1981. It was part of a resolution that stated
every able body person should plant 3-5 trees.
Book:
As many of you know, Amy Tan is one of the Authors that I
admire. This week, I read The Valley of Amazement. Amy Tan is best known
for writing the Joy Luck Club. She mostly writes fiction that is based on
China, Chinese Americans, and America’s relationship with China. This book is a
work of historical fictions that starts prior to 1897 and runs well almost into
the mid 20th century.
The premise is about a woman, Violet, who was half American
and half Chinese who grew up in a Shanghai courtesan house ran by her mother.
Her mother is betrayed by one of her business associates which throws her life
into upheaval. By 25, Violet has been a courtesan, wife, mother, and widow. When
Violet is a child, I could not help by think she was a spoiled brat that needed
to learn respect, but after the unfortunate turn that teaches her humility, you
cannot help but feel sorry for multiple situations she finds herself in.
At the same time, Amy Tan takes us through a historical
account of what was going on in China in the early 20th century.
Food:
For Lunch, I had a fried rice TV dinner. For Dinner I ate at
a local Chinese Restaurant. I hadn’t eaten at a Chinese restaurant, except PF
Chang’s since moving back to Michigan.
At first glance, this restaurant looked like a place you
find on almost any corner. It was small, in the same strip as a grocery store.
The main entrées were displayed over the front counter, and there were sparse decorations.
While
I was waiting for my food I noticed that they had won an award back in 2006
stating that they had the best Chinese food for that region back in 2006. Why
they still displayed such an old award, I am not sure.
What was interesting about the place was that you could see
right into the kitchen. The kitchen was much cleaner then the dining room, and
while I waited for my food I got to watch several of the dishes being made.
The cooks had great big woks which were over gas stoves with
high flames. Directly behind the stoves was a sink. Whenever the cooks changed
to a new entrée, they would fill the wok with water, directly on the stove and
simply splash the water out into the sink until the cookware was clean. It was
interesting, I am sure they do this at other places, but there are almost always
curtains between the dining room and kitchen, and so I had never seen what the
actual cooking procedure was at a Chinese restaurant.
Resources:
Tan, Amy. The Valley of Amazement. Published: 2013.
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