![\"The](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/IMG_0355.jpg\")
<\/a> ![\"The](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/IMG_0356.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere<\/p><\/div>\n
Now I have to buy something to cut it up with, cook it, and store it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have any large bowls, large knives, or pots\/pans for prepping\/cooking the food.\u00a0 I head out to Metro for the needed items.\u00a0 I\u2019m shopping cooking utensils, stainless bowls, and kitchen knives.\u00a0 I\u2019ve found most of what I need, and as I leave the housewares dept., one of the employees stops me and pulls the box of knives out of my cart.\u00a0 After she realizes I have no clue what she\u2019s saying, she pulls out her Chinese ID, indicating (I think), that I\u2019ll need to be approved (or maybe not approved) before I can purchase the knives.\u00a0 I show her my passport card. She takes it and disappears for 10 minutes.\u00a0 When she returns, and after much more gesturing, she copies my passport card, and sends me off to do more shopping (without the knives).\u00a0 After getting our weekly allotment of diet coke, I stop by the \u201cknives\u201d area.\u00a0 She hands me the package of knives, and I\u2019m escorted to the check-out area, where, after signing several documents, I pay and head out with everything, including the knives.<\/p>\n
Back home, I haul all my \u201ctoys\u201d to the apartment (I\u2019ve overloaded myself again).\u00a0 One of the gate guards has to help me get to the apartment elevator with everything. \u00a0I unpack, eat some lunch and begin my recovery (nap).\u00a0 Lillie, our ayi, arrives around 2:00 and starts cleaning.\u00a0 She washes all the new knives, pans, and bowls.\u00a0 When she moves out of the kitchen, I move in, and start prepping the corn and beans from my \u201cwet market\u201d trip.\u00a0 I\u2019m determined to have fresh vegetables, tonight!\u00a0 I get a few Chinese food prep tips, and it\u2019s all coming together.<\/p>\n
Tonight was \u201cMeet the Teacher Night\u201d at BISS.\u00a0 Judy meets many parents, and has a new experience.\u00a0 Because of the nature of the MYP IB curriculum, her 7th<\/sup> grade class is more classroom than music.\u00a0 Not only is she welcoming parents into her music classroom on the 2nd<\/sup> floor, she also has to scurry upstairs to the 4th<\/sup> floor, and make a presentation to the 7th<\/sup> grade parents.\u00a0 She has to improvise, not anticipating the \u201cclassroom\u201d part of the evening.\u00a0 When she gets back downstairs, another of her \u201cfavorite\u201d surprises awaits her.\u00a0 While she was upstairs, some wandering students visited her room and played on many of the instruments.\u00a0 Of course, they didn\u2019t put them back properly, and \u201cTHEY\u2019RE ALL OUT OF PLACE\u201d!!!\u00a0 This would be punishable by death if Judy could administer justice.<\/p>\n When she gets home, everything is spic and span, and there are green beans cooking in a pot on the stove.\u00a0 I\u2019ve already cooked the corn and eaten most of it.\u00a0 While Judy eats, we watch a little CNN, and talk about my \u201cwet market\u201d and Metro experiences.\u00a0 The food is great (yes, a little self-congratulatory), and Beijing is becoming more comfortable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve decided today is the day I\u2019m going to experience a \u201cwet\u201d market.\u00a0 It\u2019s the term everyone uses to describe the local outdoor market where any manner of fruits, vegetables, and even some meats are for sale.\u00a0 This is where … Continue reading