mmm-yoso!!!

QingDao: The original family home and banquet #3

After stuffing myself on the fantastic mantou at the Pig's Feet Banquet, I climbed back on board the mini bus with the Missus's family. The Missus whispered to me.... "we're going home". Meaning a visit to the original family home, the building where my MIL was born, and where the Missus was raised.

 The house, or I should say building is located on a side street in the older part of QingDao. In its heyday, it was the tallest building on the street at three stories, and the Missus's family occupied the entire compound. Then came the Chinese Revolution, and with the victory of PLA the concept of private ownership of land evaporated. But that is a story for another day. Eventually, the family was given back a portion (the second floor) of the home, where the Missus's Fourth Aunt now lives.

The Missus was quick to point out various landmarks to me. Like where the family used to hang sausages to dry in the winter. A number of times I heard Her say, "it all used to seem so big......"

As with multi-generational homes, there are many stories, and the Missus told me a couple about.... well, chickens. The family once raised chickens in this spot.

Of course, there was a purpose to raising said fowl..... it was to end up on the dinner table. One day, a chicken was selected to meet its maker, and the Missus's Grandfather set out to dispatch the bird. The details are lost to the sands of time, but the gist of it was that Grandpa's blow to decapitate the chicken was not true, and said bird only suffered a "flesh wound" to the neck. This bird was obviously no "dumb duck" and and made the only move it could have...... you get the picture, right?

This is usually where I lose the Missus to the giggles...... something about Her Grandfather chasing the bleeding chicken around the courtyard. And then there's the one about the large, beautiful chicken Sixth Uncle bought the family when he was still courting the Missus's Sixth Aunt. Somehow the chicken ended up eating a bar of soap and dying...... "chicken noodle soap anyone?"

China is growing in leaps and bounds, and prime neighborhoods like this aren't spared. The whole block is set to be razed in the near future. So I'm glad the Missus and my MIL had a chance to visit their "home" for one last time.

After taking photos of each family member stepping out the doorway, we walked up the street and boarded the minibus which dropped us off in the central shopping district where Sixth Uncle helped us to find gifts for our friends back home. This was followed with a walk to our next banquet, which happened to be in the hotel right next to where we were staying..... the Oceanwide Elite Hotel.

As folks trickled in, I managed to take some photos; like this one of the Missus and cousin Long Hui checking out the view:

 

While waiting for us to get our act together and get our gifts, the girl cousins each chose a piece of costume jewelry. When everyone was together, we started taking photos, and this is one of my favorites.

On very rare occasions I take a photo that will transcend any written description, this is one of them.

It was a nice setting......

Ready for another banquet?

Just hang on for a minute......... before eating there was a sort of ceremony that needed to take place. You see the Missus's Grandparents had six daughters, and there are twelve symbols in the Chinese Zodiac. When the family had found out that everyone would be gathering together they wanted to do something special. The Missus's Sixth Uncle is the artistic one in the family, and his daughter, the youngest cousin, has been the recipient of those artistic genes, becoming an art teacher. Together they took the lead in designing beautiful commemorative tokens, twelve in all.

Through a formula that took in year of birth, generation, a limit of two per daughter's family, a recipient of each one was determined. And guess what? I was the only one born in the Year of the Tiger. Beautiful, isn't it? And very special since this my Ben Ming Nian (Zodiac Year of Birth 本命年)

Ready for the food?

The Missus enjoyed the green peppers with preserved duck eggs.

I realized that I just can't get enough jellied pork.

Right before taking this photo, I noticed a little hand dart out and grab one......

They learn about good food early on in this family......

Cousin Long Hui's son just couldn't get enough of the QingDao Guotie.....

Like I said.... I can't get enough of Jellied Pork.....

Sorry about the bad photo.... this was sea cucumber in broth.....

This was one of our favorites, a melt in your mouth, mildly cumin-ny flavored lamb, over a mildly spicy silken tofu.

This is another favorite of ours. Can you guess what it is?

Those were shredded mushrooms, which were deep-fried. Earthy and savory, they were delicious! 

No meal would be complete without a whole fish.

And a noodle soup tops things off (except for the fruit plate, of course):

I'm stuffed just looking at the photos......

Meanwhile, the Missus and Long Hui were planning our next meal. Since Long Hui's son enjoyed the Guotie so much, we decided to pay a visit to Pi Chai Yuan before our next banquet. Suddenly energized, they also decided to go shopping after dinner! I was bushed, and decided to head back to the room and hibernate. I did manage to take a photo of the Oceanwide Elite Hotel.

 
Leave it to this family to start planning the next meal before the last one was finished! Stay tuned.....

In case you want to check out my previous ChingDao posts:

Post 1 - Lunch and Dinner at Fifth Aunt's

Post 2 - Morning in QingDao, Tianhou Temple, and Zhongshan Park

Post 3 - Our first visit to Pi Chai Yuan, and Banquet #1

Post 4 - St. Michael's Catholic Church and Banquet #2 

QingDao: St. Michael's Catholic Church and Banquet #2

On our second morning in QingDao we took a morning stroll up Zhejiang Lu. You can't really miss the twin spires and crosses of St. Michael's Catholic Church.

The Cathedral has quite a history, and you can read in this Wikipedia post. Over the last century, QingDao has been under the control of Germany (1898 - 1914), Japan (1914 - 1922), the Republic of China (1922 - 1938), back to Japan (1938 - 1945), the KMT (1945 - 1949) which allowed QingDao to serve as the headquarters of the Western Pacific Fleet. On June 2, 1949 the Red Army marched into QingDao. 

The Cathedral itself was completed in 1934 by the Divine World Missionaries. The Mission Hall, built in 1902, and still standing, actually preceded the Cathedral.

Boy, the stories that hall could tell. During the Cultural Revolution, the Church was defaced, and the crosses, a landmark in a QingDao before all of the high-rises, were removed. You can read an eyewitness account here. According to Lonely Planet's China Guide, the crosses were saved by local Catholics and buried. In 2005 workmen found the crosses while repairing water pipes nearby.

 
Going past the Cathedral, we walked over to the hotel where The Missus's Second Aunt and two of Her cousins were staying. Waiting for us was a minibus, the destination? A visit to the Missus's Grandparent's grave site to pay respects. The Missus's Grandmother had a huge part in raising the Missus and Her older cousins, so this was an especially emotional moment for them. Their Grandmother was the Matriarch, of a Matriarchal family. The Missus Grandparent's had six daughters, those daughters had six daughters and one son...... so it's the women who shine brightest in this family....

One quick note about the drive to the cemetery and back. No sooner had the bus left the hotel, then the snacks were broken out, tomatoes (treated as a fruit in China), cucumbers, dried dates, you name it! God forbid anyone go hungry between breakfast and the banquet lunch that awaited us.

The Missus's Great Grandfather's family was from Liuting, the area near QingDao airport. According to the Missus's Aunts, this area has been known for pig trotter's, i.e. pig's feet, since the Qing Dynasty. So I guess that it was appropriate that we stopped for lunch in the area. According to the Missus's, Her Sixth Aunt took several trips to the area to search out the best pig's feet banquet. And the winner was........

Liuting Fu Sheng Hotel. According to this "wiki", Fu Sheng pig trotter's are made from a secret recipe passed down for over 100 years. Sixth Aunt sure knows how to pick'em!

I had mentioned how nice it was to have the family together to the Missus. The Missus had responded with, "we're not complete yet, Yu Yu is not here yet. When she arrives, we'll be complete." It just so happens that Liuting is where the airport is located, and Yu Yu, Fifth Aunt's daughter had just arrived from Shanghai and met us here. Now the circle was completed.

And yes, there was nice gelatinous pig's feet, which I enjoyed......

But if that wasn't your thing.......  maybe pig's tail would do the trick. A bit more chewy and crunchy, but perhaps with a bit more "wildness". The Missus preferred tail to trotters.....

And if this wasn't enough, there was crisp, and well flavored fried pork skin......

The fried skin, a sliver or two of scallion, a bit of the plum sauce, all wrapped in a paper thin crepe-like pancake...... As you can tell, this ain't "the other white meat".

And all is right in the world. And yet, beyond this pigfest, was something surprising. An item we both really enjoyed..... it was the giant Mantou (steamed bread), which looked strangely like a derriere.

The bread was slightly but not unpleasantly chewy, moist, with a good springiness and graced the table with a wonderful aroma. There was a slight sweetness that I noticed while chewing. I remember telling the Missus that this put mantou into a totally different light, and I'm going to have problems finding anything this good back home.

I didn't know until this hit the table that Tofu Lees, what I grew up calling "Okara" is big in Shandong cuisine, where it is called "Xiao Doufu".

 
And of course, it seemed that no meal in QingDao is complete without.....clams of course.

Other then the Ga La (clams)......

And the Jellyfish.

Most of the dishes focused on "mountain" ingredients. Including a savory and earthy mushroom soup.

One thing I noticed quite early on in our trip was the amount of raw vegetables that were being eaten. I'd always been told that Chinese didn't eat raw vegetables... one of the reasons being, that eating too many raw vegetables "cool" down and weaken your digestive system, etc, etc, etc.... The Missus told me that folks seem to be eating much more raw vegetables these days.

 



Cousin Yang Yi, Third Aunt's daughter, the one whose wedding celebration we had come for, got my attention. She pointed to the table....... she had noticed that I missed taking a photo of one of the dishes!

I loved this family........

While lunch was winding down, Yu Yu guided me down the steps and into the shop in the lobby of the hotel so I could check out the mantou, and other stuff......

Soon enough we were off to our next destination.... and then dinner, which was to be another banquet!

QingDao: Our first visit to Pi Chai Yuan and Banquet #1

After our visit to Zhongshan Park, we caught a bus back to Downtown QingDao. The Missus's Fifth Aunt had recommended  we check out Pi Chai Yuan, a revamped food street located in downtown. 

 Basically an alleyway that cuts across a block on Zhongshan Lu, with another perpendicular alleyway bisecting  it. Pi Chai Yuan hosts a number of small eateries.

Here you can find shops selling QingDao specialties like QingDao Guotie(pot sitckers), Lu Bao, and stands like this one selling......

One of the Missus's (and Her Mom's) favorite things...... Haw (Chinese Hawthorne 山楂) Jelly....

A taste of the Missus's childhood.... we came back on later visits to buy the "homemade" and a good half-dozen of those in packages suitable for bringing back to the states. The funny thing was, there seemed to be a cut-off age-wise as to who enjoys this and who doesn't. The Missus's younger cousins really don't like the stuff...... but those around the Missus' age love it.

The Guotie shop was doing some major business...... we'd be hitting that place on a future visit for sure.

While the Missus was buying up all the Haw in sight, I wandered into one of the courtyards, and watched this show for a spell....

And while there were many temptations, we knew there was a banquet on the horizon (actually four banquets in three days!), and had already decided to return when we could, we were looking for something filling yet light. So this shop seemed to fill the bill.

 

This little shop specialized in Won Ton Soup, with prices ranging from 5RMB for Veggie, Pork, or Three Treasures Won Ton Soup (that's about 75 cents), 6 RMB for Shrimp Won Ton Soup, and a whopping 7 RMB (about a  buck) for Squid Qon Ton Soup!

As with all of these places..... you pay first!

While waiting the Missus ran out and got some Yang Rou Chuan (2 RMB each), since She saw the look in my eye when I passed the stand.....

Sorry to say, that even though these were well spiced, they lacked salt, weren't very gamey, and were quite tough.

Our Won Ton Soup however, was pretty easy to take.

The broth is mild and light, but there were a dozen won tons in each of our bowls.....

More than enough to fill us up.

All told, our lunch came out to 14 RMB, about two bucks......

As we walked out back to the street.......

We made plans to return, which we managed to do twice more during our stay in QingDao.

Soon enough, it was back to the street, and on yet another bus.... this time to meet the Missus's youngest cousin in QingDao's "new city", full of wide streets, huge hotels and resorts, business buildings, and skyscrapers....

And of course.... constant construction.

The Missus and Her cousin were headed to... where else, the mall, of course! After a shopping excursion, the three of us headed back to our hotel room, and after a short break, walked the couple of kilometers to the Hotel where the Missus's Second Aunt, and two cousins were staying. After a brief reunion at the hotel, we headed off to the banquet location, across the street.

Just a brief word on crossing the street in China, 1) Pedestrian's do not have the right of way, 2) Vehicles do not yield when making a right turn, 3) Now I know why Chinese like poker so much..... crossing the street, or driving itself seems to be a battle........ whomever has the most nerve will win. 4) In the US, we try to minimize risk.... in China they seem to play the odds! Like Fifth Uncle said, "you look six ways, and listen eight". Apparently, Second Aunt was a bit worried that I may have problems crossing the street..... so walking of the curb, she grabbed my arm to make sure I made it ok! You gotta love family......

 
I smiled as I walked to the banquet room in the rear of the restaurant. No matter which country you live in....... you'll know this was a Chinese Restaurant.

As folks poured in the atmosphere got quite festive..... photos, laughter, conversation. We were seated in the traditional manner..... the older generation on one table, the younger on the other. The Missus is the oldest of cousins, though the next is only a month younger. I liked cousin "LH" from the first time I met her.... she has a carefree spirit, a great sense of humor, with a touch of outrageousness that is contagious. LH told the Missus that she enjoyed taking photos with me since, I'm "very slimming".... Whenever she saw me taking photos of her, she would wave me over, telling me, "yes or no, yes or no...." Meaning she had first right of refusal on any photo I took..... I'd let her look at the photo, and if she approved ("yes") I'd move on... if not ("no"), the photo was deleted.

Now on to the food. First off, I only got shots of fourteen courses.... later on, I'd have help, everyone would make sure that I got my photos of the food! LH, "I dare not touch the food until 柯克 (my name in Chinese according to youngest cousin) takes his photo!" he-he-he......

You have to understand that we had four banquets in three days! If I went over every dish.... well, if you thought my three part post on Urasawa was long! I'll just go over the dishes we found the most delicious and/or interesting. Other then that, it's mostly photos.

 
Check out the papaya stuffed with almond jelly in the background.....

The braised bean curd was quite flavorful.

Who doesn't love deep fried pork chops.....

Check out the minced meat to be folded into the pancakes......

It was a delicious combination of sweet soy flavored pork belly mixed with this......

In Chinese this is called "Hai Chang" (海肠), literally "sea intestine" according to this site, it's also called "sea earthworm". My friends in Hawaii used to call it a "living poop shoot", a pest who messed up crab nets, here it's what's for dinner. It did add a nice slightly crunchy counter-point to the tender braised pork. As to taste, I'm not sure I could make out anything beyond the sweet-salty-porky flavor.

These "lamb pockets" were also delicious.......

Youngest cousin clapped her hands in joy when the Durian Pastry arrived.

Everyone got an individual dish with a quail egg and sea cucumber. This was the only steamed rice I had in QingDao, Beijing, or Jinan.

 
Surprisingly, I didn't miss rice at all.....

Man, this was some meal! But beyond the food, I was so delighted in the smooth and effortless way in which I was invited into this family...... The Missus had always said that folks "up North" are "straight-forward, but also friendly, generous, and fun." And She couldn't have been more correct. We rolled on out, and even though folks wanted to us to catch a cab, we decided to bus it back to the hotel, and in what would become a tradition, take a after dinner stroll to help us digest, both the meal and the moments we shared during the day.

Morning in QingDao, breakfast, Tianhou Temple, Lu Xun Park, and Zhongshan Park

We awoke at about 5am on our first full day in QingDao, nothing strange about that at all, since we often get up really early in the morning, after all sometimes you find some very interesting things early in the morning. We got dressed and took a walk across the street and down the iconic Zhan Qiao Pier and onto Huilan Pavilion.

 
Next time you break out those bottles of Tsingtao and have a cold one, take a look at the label, that's Huilan Pavilion staring back at ya'. 

One very interesting change that the Missus noticed right away were how many folks had dogs as pets. This very energetic pup, not only sported a bright yellow t-shirt and looked exactly like her master. But also gets our award for spirit. This poodle was off sniffing some of the carts near the street, when the woman called her. Ears pricking up, the pup immediately took off at top speed to her master, jumping down from a good height, almost doing a face first front gainer upon landing.

She barely broke stride, and it was good thing that her master decided that she'd be better off on a leash.

There was one negative detail we noticed regarding dogs in QingDao; no one seems to pick up after them! Which led the Missus's Fifth Uncle to revise the instructions on walking and crossing streets in China; "everywhere else, you need to look six ways, and listen eight..... but In QingDao, you need to look seven! Make sure to look straight down to make sure you don't step in dog poop!"

Poodles and Schnauzers seem to be favorites. This one couldn't wait for his morning walk on the beach.

Views from Huilan Pavilion.

We had lucked out..... this morning was the clearest of our visit.

This little island is called Little QingDao (Xiaoqingdao), the Germans built a lighthouse on it in the 1900's.

Heading back to the hotel we decided to grab some breakfast. The Missus's Aunts, always on top of things, made sure that we knew about, and had access to the hotel's breakfast buffet.

There was quite a selection. The Missus really loved the fact they had one of Her favorites, millet porridge. And I was happy they had Suan Nai (yogurt)!

Quite a spread, huh? We exercised some restraint, and kept to the veggies, pickles, yogurt, and fruit. Still, it was more than enough for us.

Soon after breakfast we met the Missus's Mother and Fifth Aunt at the train station a few blocks away. One of the Missus's cousins was arriving via the overnight train from Beijing. Having gotten into the spirit of things, the Missus and I had put the bouquet that was presented on our arrival in water the night before. Bearing the bouquet, I walked over to the Missus's Cousin, whom I had never met, and greeted her with one of the few Mandarin words I knew.... "Ni Hao", and handed her the bouquet. I'm guessing these type of antics are pretty common in this family, as she blinked twice, and told me in English, "hello my brother, it is so nice to finally meet you....."

After all pleasantries, the Missus and I headed off to our morning destination.... Zhongshan Park. Even though everyone we spoke to recommended catching the bus or a cab, the Missus decided we should walk. When asking for directions along the way, people kept telling the Missus, "it is very far away...." To be fair, it was really maybe 3-4 kilometers..... Plus we got to find places like this along the way.

This is QingDao Tianhou Temple (Temple of the Queen of Heaven), built in 1467, it predates the establishment of QingDao as a city by four hundred years.

One of the most interesting displays is the one that details the history or currency in China.

 

Walking up Laiyang Lu, I quickly noticed the European Architecture. And in keeping with the spirit of things, the some of the business signs were in three languages, Chinese, English, and German.

Up the hill, and down a short street we entered into QingDao Lu Xun Park.

The views along the paths that meander along the paths are quite beautiful.

In the background of this photo is the beach where one summer the Missus's Father decided that She needed to learn how to swim. So almost everyday, they'd walk and make their way to Number One Bathing Beach.

During our walk the Missus laughed and pointed up to this hotel..... named the QingDao San Diego Hotel!

Eventually we made our way to Zuoshan Lu....... and after asking for directions, we entered Zhongshan Park. And I felt blessed to see the Cherry Blossoms.....

And though it was a bit late for the blooming of the blossoms...... every few minutes a breeze would blow through the park, and the flowers would take flight, and for a few moments it seemed like it was snowing.......

Of course, this is a prime site for wedding photos.....

 

The Missus full of memories, told me that when She was young, it was the entrance of the park that struck Her.... it was "a grand entrance". Unfortunately, we had entered through the back.... so She just had to find the "grand entrance".  And of course we found it..... though the Missus told me it just didn't seem quite as "grand".....

 
Looking at the faces of all the young children visiting the park on excursion......

And seeing the look of wonder on a few faces......

When the wind blew through the trees sending the blossoms airborne.... to them it was grand, and perhaps maybe twenty years from now, it will be their "grand entrance."

Sorry, not much food in this post..... but believe me there's much more in he next one.... much, much more food!

QingDao: Lunch and Dinner at Fifth Aunt's

"So where are you headed to in China", an acquaintance asked me a few months before our trip. I quickly named the destinations I was sure of. When I uttered "QingDao", she stopped me, and went, "wait, wait.... QingDao? Oh, man, you're going to love the seafood.... you're going to looooove the seafood!"

Mr Li dropped us off at the train station in Beijing. My MIL had taken one of the Missus's Aunt's advice and gotten us first class train tickets, which had actual seat assignments.... a great idea, because I noticed jockeying for seats in the other coaches. Also, folks seemed to be trying to sneak into the first class coach and poach a seat if possible. This doesn't include the people sitting on pieces of cardboard on the floor outside the restroom at the end of the first class coach. And just one piece of advice about the restroom....... make sure to go early in the trip, about an hour into the trip, and well..... let's not go there. Pity the folks who sit on the floor outside the restroom, because there are wet footprints..... uh, forget it, let's not go there either.

The six hour ride goes through most of the large cities enroute to QingDao, including Jinan and Dezhou, home to Dezhou Pa Ji (Dezhou Chicken), a famous braised chicken that the Missus loved so much, She wrote Her one and only post about it. Anyway, here are some carts in Dezhou station.

Amost exactly six hours later we arrived at busy QingDao Railway Station.

Looks very European, doesn't it? Which makes perfect sense... you see QingDao has a very unique history. In 1898, China ceded what was then a small fishing village to Germany. This village eventually became a strategic port.....QingDao. The train station was built in 1899. What's really impressive is that the station nearly sits on the shores of QingDao Bay....exit the train station, and you can see the ocean. We were met at the station by the Missus's Fifth and Sixth Aunts..... who laughingly presented me with a bouquet of flowers! I knew instantly that this was a family who shared a great sense of humor......

After a few photos, we maneuvered our way around the moving vehicles on the busy street street, terrified MIL in tow, and somehow made it intact to the Missus's Third Uncle, and the car that took us but a few blocks to the place we'd be staying..... the Zhanqiao Prince Hotel. My goodness, the Missus's Aunts had generously put us up at a beautiful hotel.....

The very Old World European looking Prince Hotel was built in 1911....... here's a photo I took of it at night.

Beautiful, isn't it? You almost expect a Maybach to drive up and unload fellows in tophats sporting canes. We also had a wonderful view of QingDao Bay and Huilan Pavillion.

After a brief freshening up we headed off to the Missus's Fifth Aunt's for lunch, something I was looking forward to. In the Missus's family, everyone acknowledges that Her Fifth Aunt is the best cook. On more then one occasion, when I've asked my MIL about a certain recipe or dish, an immediate call would go out to the Missus's Fifth Aunt, and an answer would be forthcoming. Of course the recipes from relatives were sometimes quite interesting. As we caught a cab to the Missus's Aunt, She was conversing with the cab driver when She started laughing...... you see, the Missus suddenly realized Her "Qingdao Hua" (青岛话), the unique accent of QingDao had surfaced! QingDao has it's own unique accent, different from the rest of Shandong. The Missus had left Her Beijing accent behind......

We arrived at fifth Aunt's home of over thirty years.... and of course greeting us, along with much smiles, conversation, and laughter, was quite a spread.

 
This was to be an especially memorable meal. Though the food looks very "homestyle", I was to experience some new and wonderful dishes along the way.

First up was a revelation..... the Missus's Fifth Aunt still makes her own Chinese Sausage by hand!

So much great pork flavor..... the essence of five-spice was amazing. Of course, once I mentioned the wonderful five spice flavor, a jar of it made it's way home with me. The perfect ratio of fat....the sausage is air-dried, and I couldn't get enough of it. I believe she is the only one in the family who still makes this the time honored way; and she even offered to teach me! I didn't think I was up to the task.... but perhaps the next time.

More Lup Cheong and smoked pork.

A excellent fried fish, which tasted like it was first marinated in five-spice, wine, and other seasonings and then fried. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside.... and had me wishing fo rice.

Strangely enough, about the only time I craved for rice in QingDao, Beijing, or Jinan.

Succelent shrimp... and don't waste them heads!

The starch here is provided by mantou and Baozi!

The local clams, which we saw everywhere, and had many times. Very flavorful.....

Cucumbers stir fried with shrimp that I believe the Missus's Fifth Aunt dries herself.

Delicious.....

Zongzi and Eggs that are steamed with the Zongzi:

And then another remarkable dish.... which made the Missus go: "oh my god, how I miss this...." before inhaling a good amount of it.

Looks sort of like eggs with leek, or perhaps scallion? Not quite right..... it is a classic preparation of scrambled eggs with Xiang Chun Ya, the young and tender shoots of the Chinese Toon or Chinese Mahogany Tree. The fragrance is unique, and the flavor is like a more herbaceous, mild garlic - leek..... that's about as far as I can go because there's nothing quite like it. It was a taste of the Missus's childhood, and something She greatly missed. And it is indeed very, very, tasty....... 

Lunch was finished off in the family tradition, with a rich, but light noodle soup. According to family tradition, the first meal when visiting should always conclude with noodle soup.

After lunch the Missus and I took a much needed stroll around the neighborhood (a later post), and on the way to the street the Missus pointed out the Xiang Chun Ya tree:

And indeed there were some folks picking off the young and tender shoots......

I'm actually looking for some seeds......

We met up with the Missus's Fourth Aunt, who took us...well me to get fitted for a suit... we decided that it would be easier to just get a suit made in QingDao, and took a walk around the neighborhood. When we returned, Fifth Aunt was at work making Jiaozi.

And Fifth Uncle, home from coaching ping-pong, waved me over and with a smile gave me a sneak peek at our other "dinner guests":

In the bowl were very, very, live and energetic Mantis Shrimp! I'd read about, and seen mantis shrimp on various shows, but had never had them.  Let me tell you now, they are delicious..... The texture of the flesh is like lobster, but the flavor much sweeter and complex. Fifth Uncle, always the patient teacher, instructed me in the way of eating these. First, the flesh cannot be removed easily. So what you do is face the bottom of the shrimp toward you. Gripping the shrimp with your thumbs on the thorax and the other four fingers on the top shell, you gently flex up and down the segments until you hear a gentle "crack". You can then remove the top shell.... and gnaw the meat off the bottom shell, it feels primevil, but the flavor is fantastic.

You remove one of the claws and use it to pick out the even sweeter meat in the tail portion..... Of course, since I needed much instruction, Fifth Uncle filled my plate with Mantis Shrimp he had already peeled..... Man did I love this family!

And two dozen Jiaozi..... I mean I also ate two dozen delicious Jiaozi which topped off the meal for me.

This was a most memorable meal, and in my mind as good as any banquet we attended. There was one thing even more remarkable; all of this came out of a tidy and clean, but quite humble little kitchen; no drawers full of special gizmos or gear, nor shelves full of special spices and ingredients. It really does get to the point of it all..... cooking comes from the heart. And Fifth Aunt's got a lot of that.......