March 9th – Update below! Before coming to China, I never thought about cheese being an issue. It’s just always been part of my life, bouts of lactose intolerance not withstanding. As a kid in Colorado I lived close to a dairy, where my mom would buy something called “squeaky” cheese. I don’t know what [...]
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King’s Cake Happy King’s Day! Or Epiphany! Or start of Mardi Gras season! Or my parents’ anniversary! Whatever you want to call it! The three kings, Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar arrived to Spain today to unload a bunch of gifts for all the Spanish kids. They didn’t make it to Beijing, however, not even with [...]
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After four and a half years in China’s hinterland, surrounded by factories and cornfields, it is still shocking to come across what are for me apparent mismatches, like the surprising numbers of Porsche Cayenne SUVs and high-end BMWs rolling down the street next to pony carts. One forgets that those very factories in these small [...]
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The DH tells me I posted my “BIG” news banner a little early. I guess I did. We’ve still got BIG news coming, but I can’t spill the beans publicly, yet. I’ll give you a hint, though. Whatever it is, it will require boxes. And I’m really happy about it. Can you sense that yet? [...]
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WanderFood Wednesday #1 Today, instead of my usual Wordless Wednesday posting, (which usually ends up being quite wordy), I’m joining in on WanderFood Wednesday. Find out more about WanderFood Wednesdays here. For my first WanderFood post, I’d like to talk write about one of my favorite cold-weather snacks available here in China: Chatang. I refer [...]
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I’m a little “frazzled” in my quest for decent coffee here in Linyi. Here the results of a mini-tasteoff: Instant Coffee Taste-Off! Outside of the US & Canada, instant coffee is ubiquitous, and especially in Asia, more common than brewed! What’s an espresso drinker to do? As you might have figured from my constant complaining, [...]
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Spotted in a Linyi supermarket, I am seriously tempted to buy a bottle of this: I mean, I am the target market here, right? This wine is meant for me? The foreign girl? The DH scoffed at the idea of paying money for what is surely shite, but I am very, very curious! Wouldn’t you [...]
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You Can Eat It, Too! Filed under weird but wonderful – I give you Minute Maid grape juice with aloe vera: A new juice variety – the aloe comes as little floaty bits I don’t know why we don’t eat aloe vera in the US, but it is freaking delicious in yogurt and juice! It [...]
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I'm an American expat living on the fringe of Chinese society. Thanks to a lifetime spent moving around, I often feel like an outsider. This blog explores life in Beijing, China, the occasional aviation topic, expat issues, random travel experiences and interesting things I see, read and hear. If you want to know more about my latest hobby, visit Sewing on the Fringe, where I blog about learning to sew in Beijing. And for daily documentation of Beijing's ever changing air quality, visit My Beijing Window. And, yes, I do wear my santa hat year-round. ;)
