Onward we march…
Kate (whose mother-in-law also sounds like a piece of work) asks:
Also, are you planning on visiting China with M and L anytime soon? Besides Chinese school and tutoring, is there anything else you’re doing to expose your kids to Chinese culture?
YES! We are planning a trip! We don’t have an exact date, but sometime in 14-20 months from now, Mr. A will be transitioning from his current job to another one. In between the two jobs, we are planning to spend about 6 weeks in China and 2 weeks in Taiwan (Wheeeee!!!). I don’t know for sure where we will be going, but I spend a lot of my spare time dreaming up itineraries. We will probably spend a week or so near L’s hometown, visit Mr. A’s extended family and also visit Beijing and HK Disneyworld (I know, I know!!). Beyond that all we know is we will be backpacking with a 5 year old and 8 year old in tow.
As for the other question, I don’t spend a ton of time angsting over Chinese culture these days. That isn’t to say I don’t think it is important, I do. But I feel like we are integrating as much as we are willing to right now. Chinese schools (3!) and private Chinese lessons are pretty much kicking my ass. We do some other token nods at Chinese culture like a small family Moon Festival tradition, Chinese New Year stuff and taking off our shoes in the house. ( I know that sounds lame, but it is true.)
If you ask Mr. A, the most important thing we have done this year is that I learned to cook some very authentic and delicious Chinese meals with the help of Fuscia Dunlop’s cookbooks. I do believe I can quote him as saying “WOW, when I married a white girl, I never thought I would get to eat food this good at home!” Even my father-in-law — a man of very few words– said “Oh. This tofu. It is GOOD.” We eat a lot more Chinese now that I can cook it at home.
I am pretty comfortable with raising my kids as Chinese Americans. I hope they will be familiar with Chinese-Chinese stuff and culture, but I don’t delude myself into thinking I can teach it to them. I can, however, keep them well-fed and stuffed to the gills with Dan Dan Mian.
________________________________________________
BJ says:
I like hearing what people ate for dinner. I also like hearing how much money they spent that day, and what they wore, and what their children wore.
Tonight, we had a rather crappy dinner because we were in Chinese club from4:00-5:30. I had intentions of cooking split pea soup w/ ham, but I couldn’t get motivated enough to cook it this afternoon. I got sucked into re-watching Mad Men on my Tivo. Instead, we ate Trader Joe’s frozen teriyaki chicken, rice, peas and applesauce. Not a stellar meal for a happy housewife to put on the table.
Money spent today: Hmm. I don’t think I actually had to pay for anything today. At the dentist, I did find out I have to get two fillings that will cost me $250 and that really bummed me out.
Clothing: Today, I wore my mom-iform consisting of dark jeans and a black t-shirt. That is what I wear about 3-4 days a week. I also wore a charcoal gray hoodie sweater when I was chilly. M wore a super cute skirt/shirt combination in a muted teal and black or gray that was handed down from the ever so stylish Chicagomama’s older daughter. It was a very modern looking outfit. L also wore hand-me-downs from one of Chicagomama’s younger daughters. She wore a red velveteen dress with a traditional Chinese collar with frog buttons and black leggings.
__________________________________________________
Fixermamma asks:
Favorite tv shows you are watching these days?
Mad Men, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Top Chef, and my most-favorite: Real World Road Rules Challenge. I have also recently enjoyed the Alaska Experience, True Blood, and Flipping Out. I am waiting with sad longing for Big Love.
I don’t know what that mix of shows says about me, but I am guessing it isn’t anything good!
I am wracking my brain to come up with a good question for you. Not much luck so far. I too enjoy hearing about your day to day life. It’s like peeking in the windows of an alternate reality.
Yeah, sometimes it’s enough to BE the family than to try to be like an imagined ideal. Taking shoes off inside is a great cultural detail! When I spent some time in a middle eastern culture, taking the shoes off was a distinctive practice. Taken together with other such details, they add up and turn into a cultural identity. After a while, even though I was not *from* there, I was able to act in sync with, and feel comfortable with, at least some of the cultural norms.
I only saw Top Chef a couple of times when I was visiting relatives last year, but I enjoyed it a lot. I think the food aspect intrigues me, the personalities somewhat. The Alaska Experience sounds cool.
Tell us more about your blog stalking! Also, I would like to remind you that you are not a housewife. You are a kept woman.
I meant the more general internet stalking. Although you could tell us about blog stalking, too.
i’d love to hear more about the recipes you’ve mastered. So much of Chinese cooking seems daunting to me–because of unfamiliar ingredients, the amount of time/detail, or my fear that will will come out tasting like Betty-Crocker-does-Chinese.
I’d love to hear what your go-to recipes are, as well as some show stoppers. Thanks!
So funny that you mentioned taking your shoes off in the house, I know most Chinese do; however, we have been doing that for years–it is SO unsanitary to leave them on! It was in the late 1980′s I saw a show revealing all of the chemicals, grime, bacteria, and feces people carry in their home and to their carpets on their shoes, changed me to a sock wearer forever! The only place we wear shoes is a hotel due to all of the shoe wearers bringing in the outside goo!
Can you recommend any particular cookbooks for someone without much experience making Chinese food? Would a Fuscia Dunlop book be okay or do I need something simpler?
Interestingly, taking off shoes is a recent development in Chinese culture (like within the past 50 or so years) and was actually influenced by the Japanese.
We’ve always taken our shoes off. Then again, I spent quite a bit of my childhood in Japan and Hawaii.
I just participated in a study through a grad student of the University of Maryland that focuses on Caucasian parents who adopted trans-racially. Fascinating questions – got me thinking more and more about how to incorporate Chinese and Chinese-American culture into our family. I really need help learning to cook Chinese food. How did you learn? Was it just trial and error? Great cookbooks? Your in-laws? A class?