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JISHOU, HUNAN — Here’s something I’ve been meaning to write about for awhile: Chinese fruits. We have the kind of fruits we’re used to in the USA — apples, oranges (locally grown, and in season now -yum!), bananas, watermelons — but also some that you just can’t find in the States. Here are two examples.  A bowl of guiyuan  Guiyuan unpeeled  Zaozi -- aka jujubes Possibly related posts:
JISHOU, HUNAN — Among the joys of teaching are those moments when circumstances dictate chucking normal classroom decorum. This afternoon, we had the sunniest, warmest day in what seems like weeks of cold, wet weather. I had planned to conduct class as usual in our somewhat chilly, spartan classroom, when Clara asked if we could have class outside. Two seconds’ pause … sure, why not? It’s a writing class, and I had a moment of inspiration right then. First, let me fill you in on some background. This class, the freshman G2 writing class, had told me last week of their plans to go in a hike and picnic Sunday, and they asked if I wanted to go. I agreed, and Clara was the student who was supposed to call me with the meeting time and place. Only she didn’t. Somehow, signals got crossed and they thought I had gone to Dehang with another class. (It was actually David, the new foreign teacher, who went.) So, Clara never called. Oh, but she was so apologetic on Sunday evening that it was impossible to be angry with her. Today, when I entered the classroom (two minutes late, and slightly out of breath), the entire class of 34 stood up and loudly said, “John, we’re sorry!” Thus, agreeing to go outside for class was partly a way to show I accepted their apology and that we could let bygones be bygones. Of course, as a nefarious teacher, I had something up my sleeve — a writing exercise I had cooked up in my head on the spot. Possibly related posts:
This time of year, oranges are everywhere – in the supermarket, in the sidewalk fruit stalls, piled high in the back of farmers’ bicycles and carts. Of China’s 22 contiguous provinces, Hunan is the third largest producer of oranges, so it’s no wonder you can’t go anywhere without seeing them. Let me tell about these oranges. Every single one I’ve had so far has been sweet and juicy. The skin is thin and easy to peel off with your fingers, almost as easy as peeling a banana. There are no seeds, at least ones I can find. It sections easily, and there’s very little inner rind to spoil the chewing process. I suppose if I had ever lived in California or Florida, or some other orange-producing part of the world, I suppose I would not marvel so much at the Hunan orange. As it is, I lived in places where oranges had to be trucked in from someplace else. They weren’t always fresh. Their rinds were like leather. And once in a while, an entire bag or oranges would be either sour or dry or both. Oranges are my favorite fruit, so getting a bad orange is heartrending. I love oranges and anything flavored oranges– orange juice, orange marmalade, orange suckers, orange LifeSavers … Possibly related posts:
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JISHOU, HUNAN — Little did I know I would move to an orange lover’s paradise.
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