Today I had my first Chinese lesson. Although unintentional, I thought it worth mentioning because we were discussing culture and what the students missed most. All of the students said that they miss their own cuisine the most ( which isn`t surprising considering what they are being fed here in Halls) followed by their families and then festivals. I don`t know much about Chinese festivals so maybe someone could blog about them.
Anyway, one of the students was describing how she cooked and
I said, "oh, do you cook it in a wok ?"
to which she replied, "a what ?"
" a wok " I repeated, as you do (wouldn`t you ?). Don`t all Chinese use a wok to cook in ?
"how do you spell it ?" she asked.
"W-O-K" I reiterated. Anyway, she checked it with her raspberry, blueberry, ah I remember, blackberry translator (they all have one).
"ahhhh, you mean gwo" she said,
"do I ?" I answered.
"Yes" she said, "gwo".
Of course, I had to practise with all the other sudents helping me with my pronunciation. Don`t you just love the way English absorbs other words in abundance and makes it sound like it belongs !
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Hi,I am Jinnie~
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see this post~
In China,we have a lot of festivals,such as Duanwu Festival in which we usually eat the special food called Zhongzi and play the traditional sports game called Longzhou.
And another festival i want to introduce to you is the Qixi which means the festival in 7th july.It means the Chinese traditional lovers' Day.And the Qi is the number 7.
it is too late now,and i need to go to sleep.
It`s fun learning more about Chinese culture but more and more I can see how he food is an important part of it. What is the special food "Zhongzi" made from ?
ReplyDelete"Zongzi" are steamed rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that are customarily eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival(Duanwu Jie). It would take quite a few hours to make from start to finish. Prep time alone will take approximately 2 hours,then about 45 minutes of assembly, then 45 minites of steaming for each batch. However, it,s a great family activity.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, i like to eat zongzi very much. When it comes to Duanwu festival, my mother is used to make them. Last year, I have learned how to make them from my mother. Nowadays, we also can put various things into the steamed rice,such as rea peans, meats, muchrooms and so on. I like to eat meat ones. If someday in the future you have the chance to go to China, it is a good idea to taste them. And don't forget to have a taste of the "hot pot", which is so delicious.
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