Traveler's Mandarin III

Enjoy:

A Very Merry Photodump

More substantive posting later, but right now: It's Christmastime in Changchun!




That Santa is extra-super creepy, by the way.

Traveler's Mandarin II

Part 2 in the series. Hopefully I'll be able to kick these out on a regular basis, but you never really know.

Quick Shots: Photodump Edition

What's on my camera today? Let's see:

-------------------------------------



A friendly soccer match in the field outside my apartment. The school is basically abandoned on Sunday, so these guys decided to start up a game. Judging by their vehicles, at least one of them is a cop.

-------------------------------------

Now let's discuss food, as an awful lot of pictures on my camera are shots of things I've eaten. One of the big differences in food culture between the United States (and Western countries in general) and China is that we're way more squeamish about our food. Even uncooked meat and fish in America is prepared to look as little like the animal as possible. Not so here. Even cooked animals usually have the head still attached - one memorable party started with a whole cooked lamb being wheeled out, a big red bow around her golden brown neck.

Hey, did anyone out there ever wonder what a shrimp looks like before it's cleaned? Behold:



I bet a lot of you didn't even know they had claws, did you? I sure didn't. These guys taste pretty good, but the texture is incredibly disturbing. Especially the claws.

Now for some more common-place dishes:



This is a kind of flatbread that I buy at a local store. It is not unlike pizza crust, but rather than being a single solid piece this item consists of six or seven layers. The outermost layers are crispy while the inner layers are soft. It has a nice zesty flavor - a nice change from the typically sweet Chinese breads. It's also extremely cheap - the pictured wedge only cost me about 30 cents.

Next up are noodles and . . . hey! That guy looks familiar!





It's Mr. Lee takeout! I don't know why I got this to go, but there it is, in all its starchy glory. Note the big chunks of braised beef mixed in with the noodles. The above bowl cost just 10 RMB ($1.50 USD), so it's cheap by any standard. Expect to pay twice that for a meal at McDonalds.

-------------------------------------

Well, I'm out of material. Join me next time when I take requests and write posts of substance.

Behold!

The aforementioned project:



Enjoy. Spread the word!

What To Say When All You Can Say Is Nothing

I've been in a bit of a dry spell these last few days. While I have loads of time on my hands now that classes are over, that absence of classes also means I have nothing to write about.

What this means is that there probably won't be a lot posted here over the next month. Oh, if something really interesting happens I'll write about it, and I'll be keeping my camera with me, just in case. However, you probably shouldn't expect regular posts for a while.

I am working on a few new projects. I have some photojournal ideas bouncing around in my head, plus an educational project that I may unleash if it seems like there's interest. That's what I'll be working on during December. If you drop by from time to time, you might be able to catch a sneak peek of these mysterious new projects. Just don't expect anything regular.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in January.

(P.S. Anything you'd like to see me write about? Send an email or leave a comment. Don't be shy!)