I had my first opportunity to cook dinner in Beijing last night. I was happy to use my new chef's knife, and it did not disappoint. Anyways, lets get to the good stuff.
The main dish:
Brown 6 seasoned chicken drum sticks in sesame oil
Add 3 cloves of garlic to the browning process
Remove garlic and chicken and set on plate
Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of vinegar (dark somewhat cidery vinegar in this case)
Add 1/2 cup of water (stock would be great here)
Add chicken and garlic
Simmer for 15 minutes, or until you approximate 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through
Add 3/4 cup celery chopped
Add 1 large tomato seeded and rough chopped
Simmer for 10 minutes
Side dish:
Boil several potatoes in salted water
Remove potatoes after 15 minutes or when you think they are 1/2 cooked
Rough chop potatoes
Place potatoes on a metal tray and add olive oil
Spice with fresh ground black pepper and rosemary
Roast in preheated (375 Fahrenheit) oven for 20 minutes
Comments:
The main dish was solid and will probably show up in the future. The chicken was tender, and the sauce was flavorful. All parties were satisfied. A key to success was the use of whole cloves of garlic which avoided browning and allowed for easy removal and addition.
7 out of 10 frisbees
The side dish was nothing to write home about. Suspected foul-ups include boiling the potatoes too long and roasting them not long enough. A third party contends that the heat distributes unevenly in the oven, but I believe the soggy inner texture and lack of crunch on the outside was due to poor timing. What saved this from a two frisbee ranking was the addition of sauce from the main dish.
3 out of 10 frisbees
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
An old story courtesy of Roldy of Kunming:
Roldy told me that there when he was a child he and his friends would always try to catch dragonflies. There were three ways to catch dragonflies:
1) Chase after them with nets.
2) Capture a female, tie a string to its tail, stake down the string, catch the males when they come to mate.
3) Capture a male, put mud on it, capture the males when they try to mate with the male (mud confuses them).
He said that often there would be 20 or so Chinese boys with nets chasing after one dragonfly! A scene I can only imagine.
Roldy told me that there when he was a child he and his friends would always try to catch dragonflies. There were three ways to catch dragonflies:
1) Chase after them with nets.
2) Capture a female, tie a string to its tail, stake down the string, catch the males when they come to mate.
3) Capture a male, put mud on it, capture the males when they try to mate with the male (mud confuses them).
He said that often there would be 20 or so Chinese boys with nets chasing after one dragonfly! A scene I can only imagine.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Another busy week in Chengdu, so not too much blogging action.
Two short updates:
Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to go to Korea to play in the tournament Jeju, because it would cost at least 700$. This makes me very sad. At first we though we were going to get group tickets for 200$, so you can imagine my surprise at the price change. I'll have to visit Ben another time!
Yesterday I was looking out of my apartment window at a major intersection and I saw a police car with lights flashing trying to make a left turn. You might think that this would be no problem, but the Chinese drivers seemed to think otherwise. Not only did they not let the police car turn, but even as he eased into traffic, the entire traffic flow shifted so that they could keep going. Eventually the police car was surrounded by cars on both sides, although he did make it through in the end.
Two short updates:
Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to go to Korea to play in the tournament Jeju, because it would cost at least 700$. This makes me very sad. At first we though we were going to get group tickets for 200$, so you can imagine my surprise at the price change. I'll have to visit Ben another time!
Yesterday I was looking out of my apartment window at a major intersection and I saw a police car with lights flashing trying to make a left turn. You might think that this would be no problem, but the Chinese drivers seemed to think otherwise. Not only did they not let the police car turn, but even as he eased into traffic, the entire traffic flow shifted so that they could keep going. Eventually the police car was surrounded by cars on both sides, although he did make it through in the end.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Been quite a busy week here in Chengdu. Fortunately, the weather has been great, with temperatures reaching 75. The Chinese people are still wearing multiple layers of sweaters. Perhaps they will catch on at some point. Yuanqiang claims that wearing warmer clothes now will "season" people so that the summer doesn't seem as hot. Who knows whether this is true or not. Maybe they should wear shorts in the fall to prepare for winter (I didn't notice that when I got here). Anyways, I'm looking forward to continued good weather and another weekend with two games of ultimate!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Yesterday we had another successful round of Chengdu ultimate pick up. It has caught on pretty well; the first participants couldn't wait until next week to get back out on the field. Hopefully we can finagle a couple of the rugby players for next time. Although people are often surprised at how much running is involved, they don't seem to mind getting tired out if they can catch a few frisbees. More random updates as they come.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The first attempt to play ultimate frisbee in Chengdu was a rousing success. Not only were passes completed and goals scored, but the overall level of play was inspiring. First time players were catching consistently and being patient with the frisbee. Wily veterans were making solid cuts and showing mild restraint with their throws. Most importantly, everybody was involved and had a great time.
Highlights:
Chenyaolong complaining that his arm was tired and he needed to take a five minute rest after ten minutes of warm-up throwing.
Playing six on six!
Only having to pay for half a field at the end.
Getting good representation from both foreigners and locals.
Drinking beer with new found friends and playing frisbee golf on the streets of Chengdu after dinner.
Highlights:
Chenyaolong complaining that his arm was tired and he needed to take a five minute rest after ten minutes of warm-up throwing.
Playing six on six!
Only having to pay for half a field at the end.
Getting good representation from both foreigners and locals.
Drinking beer with new found friends and playing frisbee golf on the streets of Chengdu after dinner.
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