Monday, August 8, 2011

Mandarin Mondays: 二手市场

I mentioned last week that some of the furniture available at the second hand market (èr shǒu shì chǎng, 二手市场) is better quality than a lot of the cheap new stuff and that we are excited to have purchased some furniture from there to finish furnishing our home.

The second hand market near us is a very unique place. It is almost hard to imagine if you haven't been to something like it. You see, it is like a small villiage inside the market. People sell furniture (jiā jù, 家具), appliances (jiā diàn, 家电), and kicthen (chú fáng, 厨房) items, but they also live there. In the back of a lot of the shops are beds that aren't for sale, because they are used by the sellers. This in effect is their home (jiā, 家).

When you go there, people are cooking (zuò cài, 做菜) their food (shí wù, 食物) over open flame, right in the middle of the isles. Children are running and playing all over, except for the littlest ones, who are either being held or are tied to someone's back.
Visiting a place like this makes us realize all over again how blessed we really are. In this city, most people have a lot of stuff. Most people in our apartment complex actually have a lot more material goods than we do. We recently saw someone moving out of an apartment above us and they literally filled a large (probably equivalent to 12 passenger van in the states) with clothes (yī fú, 衣服). Most people in the city are searching for fulfillment in material things that can never bring true happiness. We are blessed in so many ways that aren't tangible on this earth, and we don't envy those who have more things than us. However, visiting areas where they don't have so many possessions makes you even more thankful for everything we do have.

It also makes it even harder to want to bargain for a better price. Everyone knows that we are very frugal, and no one wants to get ripped off; but at the same time, you know the people they don't have much. At least as a foreigner, you know that you will almost always be paying more than a local person at these types of markets.

After you bargain back and forth, and finally agree on a price, you have to arrange for delivery (chuán sòng, 传送). Usually, someone who delivers will be following you around everywhere and as soon they see you making a purchase (or even get close to purchasing something) they'll be asking if you need delivery. Then you have to negotiate a price for delivery.

The price of delivery may depend on whether it delivered by truck (kǎ chē, 卡车)or by tricycle (sān lún chē, 三轮车). When we got our table, desk, and chairs when we first moved it was delivered by a truck. A young guy who just got his truck and his driver's license delivered it, in fact. That was an experience all in itself. This time a guy with a tricycle cart delivered the two sofas (shā fā, 沙发), and table (zhuō zi, 桌子) we got (for me to use as a desk most of the time). He delivered all of these items in one trip too. Nate jogged along beside him to direct him to the right place.

After we got them inside our house (wǒ men jiā,  我们家) and cleaned them off, we enjoyed our new furniture, feeling very blessed.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Family Fridays: Open House

Living Room
Hi everyone, come on in! We're having an open house today. In celebration of getting the last of our furniture, I got the house (virtually) completely clean and took pictures of it all for you to see.

To your left, you will see the living room. We finally decided to get regular couches after we kept searching for a comfortable, affordable, and not hideous looking foldout couches and finding none.
Aaron playing in the front Window
We got the couches at the second hand furniture market. They are quite comfortable and seem to be in really good condition. All of the covers come off and can be washed separately, which is a really nice feature. The couch is way more comfortable than most beds here, so we'll just get air mattresses or foam mattresses when we have more than one visitor.

Living areas from the front window
The boys love to play in the front window, especially on sunny days. It does make it a little like living in a fishbowl though, when everyone looks in at us through the big windows all of the time.

Here is the view from the window looking back at the living and dining rooms.

Kitchen
Here is the kitchen. I really appreciate that we have two gas burners, a large toaster oven, a fridge that is about two-thirds the size of a standard US fridge, and a double sink. Each of these features is double the capacity of what we had in our last apartment in China. Except for the sink, which is infinitely more (because previously we had no kitchen sink). It makes cooking much more convenient. Also the fact that there are cabinets and they are somewhat attractive is a feature that is very nice and somewhat hard to come by here as well.

Cute Andrew reading in his room

Boys beds
Here is the boys room that we painted "little boy blue." They like it a lot and have lots of fun playing in there.
Boys' toys and computer

Pink sink and me in the mirror
Shower, washing machine, toilet




This is the bathroom. Unique special features in this bathroom are a western toilet, a shower that isn't open to the whole room, a small tub in the shower stall, a place to hook up the washing machine, and an extremely pink sink (but we like it because it does have some storage underneath, which is almost nonexistent here).
Nate working

The last room to show you is our bedroom. Nate has his computer desk in here as well.

Bed and hallway
Well that's it for now! Come back another time, and I'll show you around the the backyard and the gardens in our apartment complex.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

August Unit Study: D is for Dinosaur

The boys love dinosaurs, or as Andrew calls them, "bump, bump," so we decided we'd try to learn more about them for our August unit study. It turns out there are lots of people who love dinosaurs, so there is tons of stuff available online to put together your own unit study.

We like the cute book D is for Dinosaur by Ken Ham, and the video that goes along with it is good as well; albeit the graphics are now a little cheesy. We also like My Creation Bible and Dinosaur, Genesis, and the Gospel and Creation Adventure Team videos that are also put out by Answers in Genesis as well. They have some other great free resources, including answers to common questions and free audio and video talks as well.

This month, I wrote out our memory verse (Job 40:15, 19) and made a calender with a quick facts about a dinosaur for each day. For simplicity, I used info and pictures from Enchanted Learning to put it together quickly. This site has some good resources for teaching about dinosaurs and so does the PBS Dinosaur Train site, but they are from an evolutionary perspective, so the content can take some wading through.

Since the boys went through worksheets and activities so quickly last month, I needed to come up with a way to make them last longer. We bought a book full of clear page protectors, and I put all of the worksheets and small pieces for activities in separate sleeves. This is working very well as they can write on the pages with a dry erase or washable marker, and then I can simply wipe them down and they are ready to be used all over again for the next day. Putting the puzzle pieces and cards in separate page protector has also really helped to keep them organized and not all over the kitchen. This workbook is sort of a mini workbox system. The boys can do all of the worksheets and then move from one activity to another, hopefully getting the first one put away before getting the next out. We probably will need to get a second book for next month though because Andrew wasn't as thrilled with the small worksheets I laminated for him. If his brother had small cards it was fine, but if Aaron has a big workbook, Andrew surely wants one too.

To fill the workbook, I used free printables from all over the internet. Home School Share has a free creation based dinosaur unit study and lapbook printables. 1 Plus 1 Plus 1 Equals One has dinosaur tot pack with lots of free printables. 2 Teaching Mommies has a free preschool pack with lots of dinosaur themed activities for practicing basic preschool skills. Confessions of a Homeschooler has a Pre-K Letter D unit with lots more dinosaur printables. I found so many great resources that one of the hardest parts was choosing which pages to use from each.

I even found some dinosaur themed beginning math activities. Mathwire had a simple dinosaur racing game to print which uses a die to learn about odd versus even numbers. File Folder Fun has a couple of matching dinosaur bones games to practice simple addition and subtraction. Learning Page also has dinosaur worksheets, including a few simple math ones.

We have a few other dinosaur books including one with a dinosaur for each letter of the alphabet that the boys like a lot. And I found a few new silly storybooks about dinosaurs free online. Tyrone the Double Dirty Rotten Cheater, Tyrone and the Swamp Gang, Dinosaurs I Have Known, and I Am Tyrannosaurus are a few that are very fictitious but kind of funny. Again not everything on dinosaurs is written from a completely creation perspective, so parents may need to edit and explain the truth carefully to avoid confusion.

The boys enjoyed coloring a T-rex and a dinosaur pop up card from Paper Toys. If we get time, I'd love to try to make some more of these dinosaur crafts. The boys boys love to glue things. And if I can find something to represent dinosaur bones, maybe we can have an archeological dig. Combining dirt and dinosaurs, the boys would love that!

We'll see what we do this month and save the rest for another time.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

DIY Ice Cream Recipes

Here are some great recipes for delicious homemade ice cream. You don't even need an ice cream freezer. These are rich and delicious recipes. If you are looking for a decadent treat for a special dessert, these are great. These are great accompaniments to some of these other dessert recipes. If you are looking for a lighter dessert, you could try one of these frozen yogurt recipes.

DIY Chocolate Ice Cream

Mmmm chocolate. I love chocolate. I love ice cream. This is a really good, really chocolatey ice cream. If you use the full amount of good cocoa powder it will be a deep rich chocolate. This is great all by itself, with a brownie, or as a base for other types of ice cream.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups whole milk (divided)
  • 5 egg yolks
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk, sugar, and cocoa slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream.

At this point you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can follow the directions here for freezing in your regular freezer. If you wish to add additions, stir them in before the ice cream is too firm.

Monday, August 1, 2011

DIY Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. It is simple and refreshing.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

  • ¾ cup sugar*
  • 2 cups whole milk (divided)**
  • 5 egg yolks**
  • 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream**
  • 1 tsp mint extract
  • ½ chocolate chips or chunks (homemade works great)
Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups, and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk and sugar slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream. Add mint extract, and stir well.

At this point, you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. Or if you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can follow the directions here to freeze in your regular freezer. When the ice cream is mostly frozen, stir in chocolate, and continue freezing until firm.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of ice cream.

* Reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sweetener can dramatically effect the consistency of frozen yogurt or ice cream.

** Personally I love this ratio of sugar, milk, egg yolks, and cream. I think this is very rich recipe the way it is. However, if you want an even richer ice cream, you can use 2 cups cream, 1 cup of whole milk, and increase the egg yolks up to 8. If you are looking for a lighter frozen treat, you could try one of these frozen yogurt recipes.

DIY Moose-tracks Ice Cream

Chocolate, peanut butter, and ice cream mixed together is hard to resist. I made it for my husband's birthday, and it was his and both boys' favorite.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Ice Cream

  • 1 quart vanilla or (1 recipe of Classic Vanilla Ice Cream mostly frozen)
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ½ cup powdered sugar (homemade works fine)
  • ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

Make vanilla ice cream, or soften store bought vanilla. Mix peanut butter with powdered sugar, and roll into half in balls. Freeze until firm. Mix peanut butter balls and chocolate into semi-soft ice cream, and continue to freeze until firm.

DIY Vanilla Ice Cream: Making Ice Cream Without and Ice Cream Maker

Classic and Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
Classic vanilla ice cream is the perfect base or accompaniment for so many desserts. The plain "vanilla" ice cream here is mostly not really vanilla flavored. In fact, some white kinds of ice cream here are labeled as taro (a vegetable pretty close to a potato), and that is how the less expensive ice creams here taste. I like potatoes. I like taro too, sometimes. But not so much in ice cream. So I set out to learn how to make my own. I started browsing recipes online and used David Lebovitz's Vanilla for inspiration. The result is pretty amazing. I might have a hard time going back to store bought vanilla anywhere, even in the US. This is a rich recipe, if you are looking for something on the lighter side try vanilla frozen yogurt. Personally, if I am going to spend the money on the cream and the time to make a real homemade ice cream, I make it really good. For healthier, easier, and cheaper frozen desserts, I go with some kind of frozen yogurt instead of trying to make light ice cream.

Adding egg mixture

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

  • ¾ cup sugar*
  • 2 cups whole milk (divided)**
  • 5 egg yolks**
  • 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream**
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Custard thickening
Get out all of the ingredients, as well as a saucepan, a small bowl, a mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula, measuring cups, and spoons. Begin heating 1 cup of milk and sugar slowly in a saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, and begin adding some of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. When the egg yolk mixture is warm, add it into the milk mixture, and continue heating over low heat, stirring frequently until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula or spoon. Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream into the mixing bowl. Add the custard into the milk and cream. If the custard has any lumps, pour through a strainer when adding it to the milk and cream. Add vanilla, and stir well.

Mixing custard into milk and cream
At this point, you can freeze the ice cream in an ice cream maker if you have one. Or if you don't have an ice cream freezer, simply mix all ingredients in a freezer safe bowl or pan and place in your regular freezer. After about 30–60 minutes, check on the ice cream, and stir vigorously with a spatula or hand mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this process every 30–45 minutes until the ice cream is frozen well. In general, the more you break up the ice crystals, the longer it will take for the ice cream to freeze, but the smoother the end result will be. There is a lot more information on making ice cream and frozen yogurt on David Lebovitz's site.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of ice cream.



* Reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sweetener can dramatically effect the consistency of frozen yogurt or ice cream.
Ready to go into the freezer

** Personally I love this ratio of sugar, milk, egg yolks, and cream. I think this is very rich recipe the way it is. However, if you want an even richer ice cream, you can use 2 cups cream, 1 cup of whole milk, and increase the egg yolks up to 8.

DIY Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Chocolatey Granola Chunks
The cocoa doesn't add nutrition to this otherwise completely healthy recipe, but it does add a lot of fun. If you are trying to transition from high sugar, store bought cereal or are having a hard time convincing kids to eat granola, this is a great this is a great way to start. I just make it once in a while for variety or an extra special breakfast.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Granola

  • ½ cup honey (maple syrup, or pancake syrup can be substituted)
  • 1 cup peanut butter (or regular butter)
  • ¼ to ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 6 cups oatmeal
  • 1 cup or more of additions (such as raisins, dried fruit, nuts, or seeds) (optional)

In a large non-stick or cast iron pot, melt the peanut butter, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, and stir in honey. If you want the entire mixture to be chocolatey, add ½ cup cocoa powder now. If you want a half peanut buttery and half chocolatey mixture, mix half of the peanut butter mixture with 3 cups of oatmeal. Then add ¼ cup cocoa powder to the other half of the peanut butter mixture, and mix in remaining oatmeal. Spread on cookie sheets and bake at 350F for 10–15 minutes. Check granola at this point to see if it has browned lightly. Stir and bake for another 10–15 minutes if necessary.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Granola

Allow the granola to cool before mixing in other additions and transferring to an airtight container for storage. I usually  make the half peanut butter and half chocolate version and don't bother adding extra additions to this tasty recipe.

Mandarin Mondays: 中国制造

China is known for manufacturing and is the largest exporter of products in the world. The "Made in China" (zhōngguó zhìzào, 中国制造) label can be seen in all kinds of products worldwide, ranging from high quality silks and porcelain tea sets, to cheap plastic toys.

Two-month old potty seat
with three large cracks
But we are finding that there is a big difference in quality even between what is made in China and exported and what is made and sold in China. Believe it or not, the high quality merchandise will be found in an American Walmart, and the lower quality items will likely be sold in our local Walmart (Wò ēr mǎ, 沃尔玛). Buyer beware has never been more true, and a higher price is not always a guarantee of quality.


Not fun to sit on
One recent example of this we've found recently has been our toilet seat. About two months after we moved into our apartment, the toilet seat that came with the apartment broke. First just the hinges and then the whole thing shattered into pieces. Obviously, it needed to be replaced quickly so that Aaron could continue to use the potty himself without injury. So Nate went to a local hardware shop and bought a toilet seat. The one he bought wasn't a super cheap model, it cost about $10 US, so he thought it should last a while. One month later it began to have tiny cracks showing up in it, and two months later it really needed to be replaced again.

While somethings are solely manufactured and not sold at all here, it usually possible to find a higher quality product in a big city like Kunming, if you know where to look and what to look for. The second time Nate bought a toilet seat, he took a bus to the north side of town to B&Q (Bǎi ānjū, 百安居), a British retailer very similar to Home Depot. He also carefully examined a whole bunch of different models of seats. The one he ended up purchasing cost less than the first one, but the plastic is much thicker. We have high hopes that this seat will last more than two months. If it doesn't, I guess that is just what we get for having a western toilet in our apartment in China. One benefit of a squatty potty is that you never need a seat.

Now it may not be surprising that import stores have some of the higher quality items here, but some of the local markets carry some amazingly sturdy items as well. Some of the furniture in the second hand markets (èr shǒu shì chǎng, 二手市场), is much better than new furniture, because it is made with real wood. Baskets and pots at local street markets (shì chǎng, 市场) seem much more durable and unique than similar factory made products at Walmart (Wò ēr mǎ, 沃尔玛).

I really like some of the baskets and pots we purchased from a street market (shì chǎng, 市场), and they have stood up to a lot of abuse from the boys.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...