Chinese banana girl

I found this really good Chinese learning website, and I was listening to some of the podcasts. There was a particularly interesting one on overseas Chinese which mentioned a term I'd never heard before but think is amazing: "egg". Hah, that made me laugh. I guess that's white on the outside, yellow on the inside? As opposed to banana, which is me, mostly. Although I guess I'd describe myself as a Chinese banana - yellow on the outside, white on the inside, but with a Chinese flavour (and of course made in China). I think that pretty much sums it up.

The whole topic of overseas Chinese is a really interesting one, and I couldn't even begin to discuss it. At least not in a blog. I think it's much more organic and would flow more freely in a conversation. My 口语 kouyu (spoken Chinese) teacher said to my class mate and me that she finds it difficult to think of ways to keep the class interested in the lessons. In my head I thought "well that's obvious", but externally I said "well that's to be expected. The levels of spoken Chinese in this class are too low for decent conversations on most topics, and yet we're all old enough that we don't want to be discussing the baby topics that we could converse on using what we've learnt" (that's not really an exact translation of what I said, but you know, it's what I was trying to say, with a bit of me adding a bit of extra ME into the words that I find more difficult/impossible when I'm speaking Chinese).

I think I may have complained on this blog before about my classes here in Shanghai, but for me I believe the biggest problem is that I'm in this extremely odd space where my spoken, listening and reading/writing skills are ALL different. Listening is the best for me, and spoken is a little way behind (I'm paying for all the time I spent responding to my parents in English when they spoke to me in Chinese), and reading/writing further behind that. I didn't get my act together and fix that when I could so now it's pretty much what I've gotten myself lumped with.

I know from speaking to other students that they also find the classes similarly unstimulating. It is very repetitive learning a language, so I understand that it's not going to be a barrel of laughs. But, like learning anything, a lot hinges on your teachers. If they can get you excited about what you're learning, however dull the grammar structure is that you're learning, then I think you've got a good 'un on your hands. My reading teacher is like that. She teaches us some of the most boring stuff, and yet somehow makes it interesting. Just a natural talent for teaching I guess. Combined with an interest in helping students learn.

I think if she taught all my classes, and if I was in the right level for everything, I could really learn a lot here. As it is, I've surprised myself with how far I've come. I guess I didn't think that I was learning a lot, but in a way, I've gained a lot of knowledge that is now in my brain swimming around somewhere. Chinese isn't like a lot of other languages, because it has so many different words, so you just have to memorise things. There's no way out of it.

I think I'll start listening to more of the podcasts (there are a lot) and supplement my class learning.

http://www.chinesepod.com

How does time pass by so quickly?

It just zooms past. Zoom zoom zoom. I feel like my time in Shanghai will be gone before I've even realised that I'm actually here, if that makes any sense at all. I do feel like I'm getting more of a handle on the city. It's getting colder, but I think I need to go and explore the city some more. I did a little bit today as I was meeting a friend and his girlfriend in a heretofore unexplored area of town. It looked not too far away on the map so I figured I'd just walk. I ended up being 30 minutes late (it took me about 45 minutes to walk there, but partly because I kept having to check my not so trusty Lonely Planet map) but it was ok because they were even later (also underestimated how hard to far away it was!). I am excited because I found a whole street full of restaurants, so I need to go back again sometime. The area is also known as Shanghai's "Koreatown" and although I didn't see any Korean places, there are meant to be a lot somewhere around there. Mmm... Korean! Something I rarely eat in Australia because it sucks in Canberra and I never seem to get around to it in Sydney!

It takes me awhile to get used to a city. I'm also not the type of person that likes to run out and explore willy-nilly before I'm acquainted with things a bit better. And I've never liked going for walks without purpose (I used to take walks to the local shops so that I'd have somewhere to end up at!) so I'll have to figure out some walking purposes...

Weekends go by so quickly, and weekdays crawl but the week speeds up and suddenly it's the weekend again. I think working full time will feel like this too. Except of course I'll have less free time to watch DVDs. Gotta make the most of my free time now. Pity I have to study. :o(

A little bit on Shanghainese foods (aka more crab!)

I'm reading on Wikipedia about Shanghainese foods so I figured maybe I'd just write some of my faves down. Partly just for me to have a list (there's so many things I eat that are quite tasty) and partly because it might benefit someone else! :o) In no particularly order:

1. Dazha xie - translation = hairy crab. I had a banquet with these last night at my aunt and uncle's place. If you're a crab fan, they are a must have. The season is October - January I think, with the best ones being around about now! There's also a male and female season, but I never really know which goes when. Look away if you don't want to know more (it is just a little bit gross):
The way of eating these hairy crabs is actually quite interesting, I had to be "taught" how to eat it. You pull off the top shell exposing the eggs underneath (both male and female have this, I'm not QUITE sure why) and then pull of the bottom under the stomach shell so that you can break the back in half and get to the middle bit. You pull off these little grey tentacley things on the back of the crab (no idea what it is, but you can't eat it. might be lungs?) and then I like to yank the legs off to save for later. The "best part" is the eggs (and if it's a male, and please bear with me as it's kind of gross - the sperm or "gao" which I used to think was a kind of glue... now I know better and... it definitely makes me a bit less of a fan of it...) and you dip that in the sauce (black vinegar and chopped up ginger) and delicious! You also can suck what I think might be the brain of the crab (not sure and don't want to ask) from the top shell. Surprisingly tasty? And then the annoying party of pulling out every last bit of meat from the rest of the crab. The main body part has the best meat, so sometimes I don't really bother with the little legs, just the big clippers.

People have different methods of eating the skinny little legs. My cousin just chomped his way through and spat out the shell. I crunch the shell and then peel it off slowly. And my uncle was proud of his chopstick poking out the meat method. I'd do that but I feel that if I poke around with my chopstick I'll probably hit someone in the eye.

2. Pidan shourou zhou - translation = century egg and lean pork congee. I had this last night with my hairy crab and it was a perfect accompaniment. Century egg are these preserved and they're a kind of browny on the outside and greeny on the inside. They actually look like really moldy eggs (and for the uninitiated might taste a bit like that too to be honest) but they really give the congee a great taste. It's usually a little gingery, but the pork adds a nice flavour, and congee is always deliciously slippery, comforting and just glides down your throat easily.

3. Xiaolong bao - translation = those delicious little thin skinned dumplings filled with pork and sometimes topped with crab roe. I thought the translation was little dragon dumpling, but I read on wiki that it's something else? Confused. Anyway, most people have heard of these I think, but they're the little dumplings that Shanghai is famous for and you bite into them (just a little of the skin off the top), blow on the insides to cool it down, suck out the soup and then gobble down the rest. I find them perfect when they've been sitting on the table a few minutes and have had the chance to cool down.

4. Shengjian mantou - translation = fried pork buns. Similar to the xiaolong bao but with thicker skin (a little bigger too I'd say) and fried instead of steamed. You usually see them in those big wok things with a steamer bamboo lid on top. They're sprinkled with shallots and sesame seeds and they're just FAB. I think it's best to eat them in a similar manner to the xiaolong bao, but note that the skin is a bit thicker.

5. Chou doufu - stinky tofu. Not exactly a fave of mine, but I thought I'd mention it just because of the name! It actually DOES smell pretty bad, so you can always smell it before you see it. It's kind of just fried tofu with a slightly odd taste. I can't quite place it, but it's almost like it's off but then it's not really? A little bland for some people's tastes and a little weird for the not so adventurous. It's also a street snack so who knows about cleanliness? It's possible this might have been what gave me food poisoning for a few days...

That's just the beginning of my food thoughts. Might try and post more when I think of it, but here are some food photos in the meantime. Not of any of the above things (couldn't find any pics, will need to do that!) but still stuff I've eaten in Shanghai.

You learn a little, you teach a little

The best part of studying in an international environment (like a language school where people from all over come to learn Chinese) is meeting other people from all over the world. You learn that some things are the same everywhere, but it's all the little differences that are the most intriguing. I also love all the self-realisation/analysis that can occur as you try and explain why something is a certain way or why you do or say a certain thing. That's all a bit abstract, but if you've spoken to other people from another country I'm sure you know what I mean.

Tonight I taught my Japanese friend the meaning of finger quotation marks and I learnt that in Japan that kind of action is the action for a crab. That made me laugh. It's a small thing, but it's little stuff like that - all those moments that make you laugh or cry - they make it all worth it.

I'm exhausted and have a lot of Chinese exercises to do tonight before I go to sleep, but thinking about that makes me smile and gives me just a bit more energy to get through it.

Post-exam celebrations

Post-exams a few of my classmates and I went out and celebrated Japanese style by going to an "all you can eat and drink" Japanese restaurant. All for the low, low price of 150yuan! That's like $35AUD? Expensive by Chinese standards, but great value for money because we ordered and drank up a storm.

Vegetarians, look away now! I even thanked the little raw fishies that gave up their lives to be able to have the privilege of swimming around in my stomach. Yum! oh raw salmon, how i love thee. I tried some beef carpaccio (raw beef - or at least beef that had only been seared for all of 1 second in the pan) which was ok, but not the greatest thing I've ever eaten.

Also - can I just say that Japanese people are crazy drinkers? Koreans too! Or at least the ones in my class are. Lots of urging people to scull down alcohol in large quantities and then subsequent cheering and clapping and stomping on the floor. Lachlan, if you're reading this, you would be proud of me, the old Trin who used to be able to drink large quantities of alcohol and still stand up, has somewhat resurfaced. After a LOT of sake shots, asahi beer, some shochu (and later on two vodka/oranges) I was not only still standing but not even vaguely drunk. I got a bit of the Asian red flush earlier on, but it went away once someone let some cool air into the restaurant. Although I don't know how they doctor the alcohol here so maybe I just wasn't get that much alcohol in the system.

However, like I said the Japanese and Koreans all got a bit crazy. One guy (who reminds me of a manga character) was smiling extra hard. Hilarious as he has a deep, dimpley smile and so a constant smile made him look a little bit psychotic, in a happy way of course. Not in an "I think I want to shove a knife deep into your guts and twist it hard" but in an "I've inhaled large quantities of laughing gas" or an "I've had an extreme face lift and know my face is stuck like this forever" kind of way. And another guy, after hitting on a girl for about 20 minutes (I had a bet with this other guy going that they'd hook up within 20 minutes- which I lost) suddenly leapt up for the bathroom to collapse. It's always so flattering when that happens, for me it feels a bit like "oh so you were only talking to me because in your drunken state you probably saw two or three of me and thought this might be a chance for a threesome/foursome? RIGHT then..."

Afterwards a few of us joined some other non-classmates at a club (although first I tramped for 30 minutes in the rain and got my boots all wet). Shanghai clubs continue to be lame and to not interest me that much. I should just give up on it, it's kind of expensive going out here! I should just accept I'm a bit of a granny (although living with my actual granny I've realised I'm not 100% granny yet as I still like to walk relatively fast and I don't complain nearly as much) and stay home. Like I am tonight. Saturday night and I'm sitting at home writing this post and about to watch Project Catwalk (British Project Runway) season 3. That's actually my idea of a pretty good night! The only thing that could make it better would be someone to make snarky/bitchy comments about the lame outfits with me. And no grandma barging into my room at midnight asking why I'm not asleep yet!