Oh poop

Yup, this is a post about feces. So if matters of excrement make you squirm, you may want to wait a few days for a new post from me. Otherwise, we are going to dive right in, metaphorically speaking. I have no desire to actually swim in any dookie.

One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Shanghai was the abundance of bare baby buns. Why were these exposed fannies so prevalent? Because many parents do not use diapers here. Instead, children wear pants with a slit over the bum, allowing them to go to the bathroom when needed. Sometimes this will occur over a trash can but more often, it happens right on the sidewalk.

Exhibit A

(photo source)

Now, I know what you are thinking. Ew. Gross. We would never do that in the US. Although I have not seen any split pants while out and about in the good old USA, I've spent enough nights in college towns to know that public urination (and even defecation) are not uniquely Chinese. I've also been rather mystified on numerous occasions as to why American parents think a restaurant table is an appropriate changing spot for their little ones. I didn't order a side of baby poop stench, thank you very much. So while Americans may not leave their tiny tushies permanently on display, I can't really argue that American practices are anymore superior.

And in case you were wondering, the reason for the slit pants isn't entirely economical, though eliminating diaper spending certainly doesn't hurt. Many Chinese just prefer the split pants. I'm told it eliminates diaper rash and that it even helps to accelerate potty training. And any method that hastens the process by which humans start to use toilets is okay with me, because really, who wants to think about poo that much anyway?

Pride

Last night, my mind was blown when we stumbled upon the following sight at a bar not too far from our apartment.

That's right, we found a Penn State bar in Shanghai! We chatted with the owner who happens to have graduated in 2008, meaning he was at PSU when Matthew and I were as well. He assured us that he would broadcast all of the games this fall, so chances are you will find us a Piro quite often, cheering on our beloved Nittany Lions.

Chinglish

Our bank is very user friendly for non-Chinese speakers such as your truly. But sometimes, their English signage makes as little sense as the Mandarin to me.

 

Gym Class

Despite some questionable gym habits, many of the Chinese I have encountered seem to have an appreciation for exercise. And just like in the US, there appears to be some sort of mandatory exercise class during the school day. Every morning around eight o'clock, I hear the same chipper music blasting from the school that our apartment overlooks. And if I look out the window, the video below is what I see. These kids are seriously booking it. (Sorry for the poor quality, cell phone video from 27 floor high isn't the best)

Street Sweep

And this is how they sweep the streets in China. With naturally made brooms... 

 

Longhua Temple

During Qingming, Matthew and I ventured to Longhua Temple for an afternoon. Longhua Temple is a Buddhist Temple dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha.

The temple was crowded with people for the tomb sweeping festival, lighting incense and burning offerings to their ancestors.

Longhua Temple

No. 2853 Longhua Road

Xuhui District

Shanghai, China

Longjing Village

During our trip to Hangzhou, we arranged a tour to learn more about the tea processing in the area. Since moving to China, we have begun to drink a lot more tea, but honestly, knew very little about it. We were fortunate enough to connect with an American tour guide named Danielle. The only thing more impressive than her fluent Mandarin was her knowledge of tea.

The area surrounding Hangzhou produces some of the best tea in China, making it the ideal spot to learn a little more about the process. Just outside Hangzhou is where Longjing or Dragon Well tea is grown. Longjing tea is a variety of green tea, believed to be the best in China, which also makes it the most expensive.

Most varieties of Longjing  are still plucked and processed entirely by hand.

 

 After the tea is plucked, it must rest in a bamboo basket for 8-10 hours to allow for at least 30% of the water content to evaporate.

A tea master will then use an electric steel pan to heat the tea. This roasting is done entirely by hand using a set of eight specific hand movements: grasp, toss, shake, pile, throw, buckle, press, and grind. Experienced tea masters know well how and when to use the certain movements according to the temperature, color and moisture content of tea leaves.

Once the tea has been roasted, it is placed back into the bamboo baskets to cool. This entire process is then repeated. The resulting tea leaves should be flat and have pointed edges.

Tea plucked before the Qingming festival is called Mingqian. This tea is generally sweeter and lighter in flavor than teas plucked later, and therefore fetches higher prices in the marketplace.

After touring the tea village, we stopped by the tea museum for a tea tasting, where we sampled Longjing which had been plucked just days prior.

And of course, we went home with some tea. How could we resist after seeing the preparation which went into each leaf?