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A slice from China
I hope you enjoy this slice, we recorded it long before all the COVID-19 stuff blew up and as far as I know, Aislinn is still safe and healthy. I spent a couple of years in south China and I know we could make a bunch of shows on each province since there is amazing variety across this huge country.
timestamped notes
2:25 ~ baozi( 包子) and zhou( 粥) are common breakfast items
Without a steaming set up, you can still make zhou (or congee) by following any number of recipes according to your taste.
4:45 ~ ayi square dancing
15:38 ~ beijing kaoya ( 北京烤鸭 ) Beijing duck (Peking duck) is world-famous and is popular year-round. Eaten a variety of ways, this tender meat is enough to make my mouth water.
16:36 ~ chou doufu ( 臭豆腐 ) stinky tofu is as divisive as pineapple on pizza but for the yaysayers is a favorite street food. In China and Taiwan, you will know a stinky tofu stand long before you see it.
17:50 ~ shaoxiancao ( 燒仙草 )- Grass jelly desert is very welcome, especially in the south of China, when this healthy and refreshing drink can be enjoyed.
19:00 ~ dongzi ( 粽子 ) are also made with tonnes of different variations but have a common origin story as Aislinn mentions.
21:40 ~ jiayou ( 加油) commonly chanted from sports stands and in personal encouragement, it reminds me of Mimi explaining to us what shaking the hips means
22:14 ~ tuhao( 土豪 ) for the western world, the closest analogue I can think of is the Beverly Hills Hillbillies
thoughts on China
It’s easy to cherrypick the differences between this Asian giant and western habits. For example, the size of our emotional and physical bubbles (see the Norway episode). On the other hand, the high respect for parents and elders in the community reminds me of Zohier’s comments on Algeria. If COVID-19 has taught us anything though, it’s that we truly live in a very interconnected world and the more we talk with one another the more similarities we will find.
