Today we visited an award winning master painter. He told us about life in the Hutongs. His favorite paint subject is the Lotus blossom.  

We got to tour the artist's house. Here is Zach standing in the kitchen. To Zach's left is the stove, to his right, the sink and behind him all the counter space in this kitchen!

Patrick was fortunate enough to purchase this painting called "Cranes in the Fall" from one of the Hutong District Hidden Dragons (humble and harmless on the outside an very powerful and moving on the inside) 

We were privilege eat lunch at the home of a Chinese family. The hosts taught us how to make dumplings and we were each able to make and eat our own. In this picture, you can get an idea of how fast she could roll those dough balls into beautifully thin and perfectly round dumpling wrappers. Traditionally, in China, dumplings were eaten when there was a successfull harvest season because farmers could afford the ingredients (flour, eggs, very little pork, green onions or scallions). They are eaten especially during the Chinese New Year to signify wealth. 

If I had my way, I would travel the world visiting the smallest and most remote kitchens and learning all their culinary secrets. Learning to make Chinese dumplings in a real Chinese home, from a real dumplin' pro was the closest I have come to realizing that dream!! 

In this picture you can sort of see our finished dumplings. Patrick's dumpling was so ugly and so very bad that the host said she couldn't possibly put it in the boiling pot!! (she was kidding) But Patrick, that was one sad lookin' dumpling. 

Her name is Willow and she told me (thru an interpreter) what it was like to go thru Mao's Cultural Revolution. I was incredibly touched by her testimony and it shamed me to realized that my generation has it so very nice despite all our whinning!
To any World Study student reading this entry: You can earn extra credit by researching the Chinese Cultural revolution and presenting your findings to your class. It is a fascinating period in history.