A couple weeks ago, I had to the chance to go over to the girlfriend's home town in Anhui province to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival (which just so happened to coincide with the National Holiday--go go lunar calendar!). Anhui is a very pretty province--home to many a famous place (including the gorgeous Yellow Mountain I visited back in 2006). However, large parts of Anhui are also pure countryside where a large part of this trip took place. It started off with an 8-hour bus ride from Shanghai to Fuyang, Anhui. There was no way we were getting a train. The tickets had already been sold out two weeks prior. The bus was...well, it was a bus. An overcrowded bus. A there-are-so-many-people-on-this-bus-we're-going-to-put-stools-in-the-aisle-for-people-to-sit-on kind of bus. After arriving in Fuyang and meeting the folks, it was time to begin our celebrations beginning with the making of the jiaozi (dumpling). I could eat Jiaozi every day and not get tired of them.
(Spoilered for length)
First, you fill it with the vegetable/meat....stuff
Then you fold it
And then， bam! Done.
Awesome
Later. we went to a nearby park to join the festivities.
Bought our own lantern to send off into the night sky
Off it goes
A day or so later, it was time to leave Fuyang and head on into the countryside to Dangshan to see Jun's classmate's wedding. The road from Fuyang to Dangshan was one long bumpy, dusty ride. Dangshan isn't Shanghai. Heck, it wasn't even Fuyang---and that's why I liked it.
Surprise spider (now with fly eating action)
A man and his dog
Neighborhood alley
We went to the bride's home first and waited around until it was time to go to the groom's home for eats.
The groom's home was alive with activity. Music, fireworks, the squawking of chickens--you name it
There was even a little marriage goat.
Look at him! Isn't he cute? He even has a little bow!
Haha...wait...where you are taking him? Little goat? Where are you...?
Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no no no.
No. Just kidding. He's fine. He's brought along because the Chinese character for it has some relation to marriage/happiness/or some such. But I'm sure he would have been delicious.
Moving on! Chicken in abisket! Basket! .......Box! (??)
Bride and Groom. I just love stooping over all the time because I'm too tall.
Family portrait
By this point, I was understandably hungry. Lunch time!
Food just kept coming
Oh goodness. This was so delicious. I should have savored every bite because ....
I ate this next.
I cracked it's skull open with my teeth and bit into the brains. They were mushy. They were terrible. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted any. Her answer? Of course not! Nobody eats the duck head because it tastes awful. Thanks for telling me beforehand.
Ah yes. Look at that grin. Look at it. He knows what's coming. Baijiu. A seeming innocuous drink. It certainly doesn't look like anything special. Oh but the smell. They say a man knows when a bottle of baijiu has been opened as far as a mile away. They're wrong. Its at least two. It lets you know that no matter how you end you evening, you will wake the next day with a pounding head, possibly missing your pants and that same exact shit-eating grin on your face.
Look at it. Trying to act all innocent. But you can't fool me anymore. I know you.
Case in point.
As we finally headed back to the bride's home (taking a different route this time, because taking the same route back would be bad luck, apparently) we were sent off with fireworks and music.
Passed this on the way..
When we finally got back, we were greeted, once again, with music and fireworks
This scroll thing was read..
Exchanged rings, took their bows and boom--happily ever after.
And that concludes my story. All in all, a great trip, very educational and...
Oh God.
(Spoilered for length)
First, you fill it with the vegetable/meat....stuff
Then you fold it
And then， bam! Done.
Awesome
Later. we went to a nearby park to join the festivities.
Bought our own lantern to send off into the night sky
Off it goes
A day or so later, it was time to leave Fuyang and head on into the countryside to Dangshan to see Jun's classmate's wedding. The road from Fuyang to Dangshan was one long bumpy, dusty ride. Dangshan isn't Shanghai. Heck, it wasn't even Fuyang---and that's why I liked it.
Surprise spider (now with fly eating action)
A man and his dog
Neighborhood alley
We went to the bride's home first and waited around until it was time to go to the groom's home for eats.
The groom's home was alive with activity. Music, fireworks, the squawking of chickens--you name it
There was even a little marriage goat.
Look at him! Isn't he cute? He even has a little bow!
Haha...wait...where you are taking him? Little goat? Where are you...?
Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no no no.
No. Just kidding. He's fine. He's brought along because the Chinese character for it has some relation to marriage/happiness/or some such. But I'm sure he would have been delicious.
Moving on! Chicken in a
Bride and Groom. I just love stooping over all the time because I'm too tall.
Family portrait
By this point, I was understandably hungry. Lunch time!
Food just kept coming
Oh goodness. This was so delicious. I should have savored every bite because ....
I ate this next.
I cracked it's skull open with my teeth and bit into the brains. They were mushy. They were terrible. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted any. Her answer? Of course not! Nobody eats the duck head because it tastes awful. Thanks for telling me beforehand.
Ah yes. Look at that grin. Look at it. He knows what's coming. Baijiu. A seeming innocuous drink. It certainly doesn't look like anything special. Oh but the smell. They say a man knows when a bottle of baijiu has been opened as far as a mile away. They're wrong. Its at least two. It lets you know that no matter how you end you evening, you will wake the next day with a pounding head, possibly missing your pants and that same exact shit-eating grin on your face.
Look at it. Trying to act all innocent. But you can't fool me anymore. I know you.
Case in point.
As we finally headed back to the bride's home (taking a different route this time, because taking the same route back would be bad luck, apparently) we were sent off with fireworks and music.
Passed this on the way..
When we finally got back, we were greeted, once again, with music and fireworks
This scroll thing was read..
Exchanged rings, took their bows and boom--happily ever after.
And that concludes my story. All in all, a great trip, very educational and...
Oh God.
