Johnna and I took turns posting today, so you'll have to look for differences in our perspectives. I haven't read her post yet.
Sorry visual learners...no pics at the moment. I'm posting from a coffee shop internet station with no USB port. There should be some later.
Our hotel is great. The room is small by American standards, but it has everything we need and a pretty nice view. I give full respect to jet lag now after practically going comotose mid-afternoon. We took a 2-hour nap and waking up was a chore. I pushed through, went to bed at midnight last night, woke up at 7am, and I feel pretty awesome today. We'll see what today brings.
We have had a string of amazing meals. The Korean noodle dish (pic already posted) in the mall was adequate. Last night we had clay-pot rice. Rice is put into a clay pot and cooked over a fire. The sides get a nice crust. You put in soy sauce once it is served, let it all simmer together, and then enjoy. That meal was complimented with Tsing Tao beer (great food here, lackluster beer) and a Chinese green...Tim Choi maybe? I absolutely love some of the cultural eating norms. Slurping is completely normal. Spitting back pieces of things (bone for example) into your bowl or even onto the table are normal. I also love the drinking norms. In addition to carrying a beer around the mall, you can stop at any of 4,000 7-11s and grab a beer for about a buck (good choices include Carlsberg, Lowenbrau, Guiness Foreign Extra in a can) and drink that as you do about anything. Don't worry...we haven't even been drunk yet, so I'm not getting myself into trouble.
Breakfast this morning was one of the better meals of my life. We had congee which is like a rice pourage with sliced pork. The condiments to add to the congee include a pickled cabbage that is salty and garlic-y and another pickled cabbage that is sweet and spicy. Other choices include red wine vinegar and soy sauce. All of them work well together. If I were smart enough to do the math, I'd tell you how many combinations are possible. We have been splitting everything to allow for more tasting opportunities. We complimented the congee with fried vegetable dumplings with a sweet and spicy sauce and milk tea. I haven't had a bigger smile on my face in a long time.
We have lunch today with Johnna's co-workers at a dim sum restaurant. The afternoon is pretty open.
I apologize for any misspellings or grammatical issues. I'm not going to take the time to proofread.
'Tis all for now.
Josh
Oh...that amazing breakfast was $6 for everything. I think we'll be staying within our food budget.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, guys! (that orchid, Johnna, in particular). Love the posts and hearing about you guys' time. I can feel the romance pop through the screen in the best way possible :) So, yay for you two in a bigtime, ass-kickin way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the Bin Laden thing. For sure, man. We, as a country, should definitely reconsider celebrating Bin Laden's death. I just found this little snippet from a Hauerwas book about MLK that says what's really worth our opposition (is it the man or the evil behind his actions)
"From the perspective of nonviolence King argued that the enemy is not the white people of Montgomery, but injustice itself. The object of the boycott of the buses was not to defeat white people, but to defeat the injustice that mars their lives."
To kill that guy in Pakistan might have removed some potential terrorist attacks in the future (which would have been horrible things), but killing him sure doesn't defeat the proliferation of hate in Pakistan or anywhere else or the labeling of another, even an unknown other, as "the enemy". There are more people on both sides who are celebrating the idea of killing a person, and doesn't that perspective on how to treat another life do more damage to the average person on this Earth than Osama Bin Laden? (people who would probably not dig the idea of celebrating the idea of killing someone as a positive thing: Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Bono).
Enough philosophizing for now. You two love-birds enjoy your days in the HK before you trek off to your next adventure. Holla!
Snuggle lots. I know I don't have to tell you that.
Dave
Woah, dude and dudette! I am so so SO happy for you and your long-awaited togetherness! Johnna, having lived years abroad, I want to say I understand the joy of sharing that foreign experience with another. It must be so good to show! your life to Josh. I will follow your travels and look forward to seeing more lovely signs of your love.
ReplyDeleteLaura