While I was out...

I suppose I should have expected that I would not have been able to live-up to my expectations to have posted at least one entry while on my whirlwind three-and-a-half week tour of the United States. Still, I am disappointed in myself for not writing just once. I barely even wrote in my personal journal. And I find that when I procrastinate [or avoid prioritizing] my written reflections, I tend to forget the pithy phrasings and descriptive language to which I sometimes dedicate hours of internal editing.

Alas! I have forgotten some of the whimsical and some of the refined observations on America and my American interactions that all seemed strangely familiar.

Flatirons, CO

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St. Mary's Glacier,  CO

Much of my time in America was defined by my culinary experiences: from the bagel sandwich I ate when I set-down in Chicago O'Hare to the lemon juice atop a farewell saganaki (accompanied by free ouzo shots) I shared with my parents in south Denver. I am not necessarily a good food writer, so I would hesitate to describe some of the more memorable gustatory moments. Also, I feel the mentioning of how much I value sharing in food and eating experiences is moot.

With that said, here are but a few important memories for me:

Salted Crack-Caramel ice cream on a wooden bench in Brooklyn--with my sister
Corned beef and pickles--with my family in Florida
Chicken burrito (with pico de gallo, corn salsa, sour cream, and guacamole), at Chipotle, tears of joy welling in my eyes--with my parents
Mixologist-created cocktails and locally source food at Linger and Root Down--with my family
Buying one and getting one microbrewed pale ale free--with a long time friend
Cheese and chocolate samplings followed by BBQ and a food-coma-inducing doughnut sundae--with much missed friends

And, I should mention the foodtinerary that a best friend and I created for our once-every-four-years tour of Chicago:
-Churros at Xoco
-Garlic bok choy and stir-fried chicken Joy Yee's in Chinatown
-Italian beef sandwich at Portillo's
-Brews at Goose Island
-Dal at Gareeb Nahwaz

And here are the foods that I brought back to China with me:
-1 lb of coffee grinds
-1 cup of maple syrup
-1 cup of bbq sauce
-4 boxes of Milk Duds
-1 lb of chocolate chips for baking
-1 box of Matzah
-1 box of Matzah ball soup mix
-12 granola bars
-8 macaroni mixes
-1 jar of dijon mustard
-8 oz of grated parmesan
-4 sachets of Jason's almond butter

And here are the foods that I miss (since the Chinese versions are inadequate): coffee, chocolate, beer, wine, bread, cheese, and ice cream.

Sacrifice beloved foods for fresh forms of others

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I am noticing more and more that while flying over The Midwest, the landscape looks like a motherboard. My mind soaks up the silo-tops, circularly mowed fields, and slicing freeways; I wonder about the validity of the metaphor of The Midwest actually being a motherboard.

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When I left America [again], a great sadness over leaving friends and family compelled me to think that this will be my last year in China.

Upon returning to my familiar lifestyle in China, I am compelled to think that I will be here for a few more years.

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Within my new group of 19 teachers (most with no teaching experience), I have the most experience in China. I am undoubtedly reaping the unfair benefits of people needing assistance in ordering food that will not upset their stomachs or moral compasses--read: I am smugly enjoying my new-found popularity.

Bounty of Mushrooms

My daily schedule will afford me quite the opportunity to explore the tertiary sites of Shanghai, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite cities that I have visited. I may even have an opportunity for a day trip to one of the nearby canal towns.

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For better or worse, I am writing this manic post while listening to Explosions in the Sky. An undue emotional and existential weight is thusly being lent to my inner narration. I doubt this will communicate well to a reader who is not taking a moment alone with the air-conditioner blasting in a Shanghai hotel room that always smells like cigarettes or sewage and that has heavy metals in the water and a television with endless channels of period soap operas.

Books, Movies, Music, T.V.: A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, Thunder from the East by Nicholas Kristoff and Cheryl WuDunn, Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones, this article I endorse, Reggie Watts, Kenny Dorham, Friday Night Lights by Explosions in the Sky, The Way I See It by Raphael Saadiq, Tinariwen, Entourage, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.