Home Cooking - Again

I have been back in Xiangtan for 2 weeks now and have been feeling like a slacker for not writing anything, but it is Xiangtan and there’s not much happening except go to work, go to dinner, have a nightly phone meeting with USA, and repeat. It’s too hot to spend too much time wandering around. Even the locals are not spending time outside.

So I went to Chengdu.
Actually, Lin Yan helped me by sending a full 2 day agenda and so we set it up.


You know I love that city. It took awhile, but it grew on me, so yes, I love that city.
I texted Lin Yan as I arrived and told her that and she replied “who doesn’t?”

Good comeback.  Besides, there is a new bar around the corner from the apartments and hotel ... and you gotta love the honetsy in this place.  Not sure I am allowed inside!


The flight was interesting in that there were maybe 100 kids aged 10 -12 on the flight going on some sort of school trip. Quite possibly the loudest flight I have ever been on! The Chinese flight attendants were for the first time in my observations – flustered.


But after a couple of days work, Lin Yan and I and two of her Quality Engineers went to dinner in Xi Pu (She-Poo). Xi Pu is to Chengdu like Jonesboro is to Atlanta; you get there with no real demarcation that you left one city and entered another.
We ate Camel.
I was thinking that after that, I could manage the heat better and not need as much liquid until I walked back outside and the heat hit me again. No such luck.

Anyway, the point of this is that the fiancé of one of our engineers, Qiang Xiaobo, joined us. Her name is Xiao Li Li. A really cute girl. Her English is so-so, but if I talked slowly she generally kept up. She just graduated with a journalism degree and is job hunting.
I asked if I would be invited to the wedding, and of course, yes, I will be – if I’m in town. Problematic; but you never know.

We finally made it to the Photo-Op time of dinner and I got one of those big Bear Hug kind of pictures with her pulled in really tight. She laughed; I laughed; and I said I was definitely invited to the wedding because if I wasn’t – I was sending that picture to her mother which resulted in the really big shriek and red blushed face and the sincere request that maybe I don’t do that … so I think I’m invited.


We really enjoyed our night out and Lin Yan can entertain so well, it’s always a pleasure to go see her.


Side note to Tang Yan – your Mother suspects about your boyfriend; so you better confess and tell her! (don’t you know Moms can read right through their kids?)


Elise happened to call while we were in the taxi headed back to town and had a short conversation with Lin Yan. Lin Yan really enjoyed that since not having seen Elise since 2007 and tried to put the hard sell for Elise to come to China.


Anyway, Qiang Xiaobo had asked about my plans for Saturday and I said, “Work in the morning, pearl shopping in afternoon, and … come to your house for dinner.” He replied; “Exactly! We’ll have the driver pick you up at 04:00”. I was actually kidding, but he wasn’t. I asked who was cooking and he said he was. So we made the date. Actually, a home cooked meal versus another restaurant dinner sounded really good to me (the last one was cooked by Lin Yan’s husband). The other engineer, Ma Qingling, was invited with her 3 year old daughter so now I was really intrigued.


The driver arrived as scheduled and we drove to Kong Guan (45 minutes). Its another town that you enter without knowing. Pretty small though. I knew it would be interesting when the driver went down the dirt road, cut through the highway construction site, and snaked his way through a rather “interesting” neighborhood and then we were there.


We actually ate at Ma Qingling’s apartment because Qiang Xiaobo said it had better chairs that would more adequately support my, uh, frame.
Dinner began at 05:30 and lasted until around 07:30. Slow, deliberate, scrumptious. Pork, Beef, Duck, Pig Tail, sliced tomatoes, big hunks of potato in pork, fruit, etc. It turned out that Qiang Xiaobo didn’t really cook – it was his fiancé Xiao Li Li who masterminded the feast. She finally admitted to “making it up as she went along” but she would but never admit her age. I am still thinking around 23. Anyway, a true home cooked meal and as much I gushed over it; I don’t think she really understood just how much that meant to me. I think she was thinking I was just being nice but in reality, it was fantastic. I know she went to much trouble and expense for me; and I really enjoyed every bite and the invitation to family.

After dinner, Ma Qingling’s daughter seemed to warm up to me and was making faces with her tongue, which I found if I mimicked she would make another face and if I mimicked that one, she would make another face, etc. So I think she was warming up a bit to the weird looking American with blue eyes. That’s when I got cocky sitting next to her on the sofa and asked Ma Qingling if she thought her daughter would sit in my lap. She said to give it a try; but just as soon as I touched her arm – the scared face, tears, and scream erupted! Ooops. Maybe not such a good idea. So we managed to get her calmed down and then figured it was time to politely depart.


So after the Good Byes, Me, Qiang Xiaobo, and Xiao Li Li walked down to their apartment. A very small but comfortable place. I noticed the Yu Mao Qiu (badmitton) and Ping Pong Qiu equipment lying in the corner and asked who was better at the badminton. With no hesitation, they both said she was. When asked about the Ping Pong; immediate dissention with each stating very boldly that they were the better player. That’s when Xiao Li Li told Qiang Xiaobo in very straight forward language “I beat you all time!” I’m not sure he liked that. Counseling may in order on this topic before they tie that marriage knot.

So we walked outside to common area in their building and sat out there waiting on the driver to return. Of course we met several of their neighbors who were very interested in me. They may have only been 45 minutes from Chengdu, but they haven’t seen too may westerners especially in their back yard, so we had fun and it was quite interesting.


We said our good nights and I gave Xiao Li Li a small kiss on the cheek and told her that if Qiang Xiaobo didn’t take care of her to call me and I would “straighten him out.” They both laughed at that. A very cute couple! It’s good to see the Chinese man being so attentive to his girl because all too often it seems like a marriage of convenience. This one will be just fine, I think.


So with a full belly, some closer friends, and a new one I headed back to Chengdu and my Sunday morning flight back to Xiangtan and the world of Wind Energy.