- Today we did everything except go to China. We listened to a very interesting presentation about pollution and how we can counter it. The whole gist of what she was saying is that it really is up to us to decide how the future of mankind will play out. Then Mr. Lin taught both our class and “Sustainability” class Tai Chi, which was a lot harder than I expected. Doing a full session would probably be the equivalent to a total full-body workout! And some people do that every day, which is ridiculous. After which we made dumplings which was really cool. Looking forward to the rest of this class. ——Graham
- Today was a good day. We learned a wide variety of new Chinese words and phrases, allowing for much more personal and varied questions. The class also did a collaboration with the sustainability class about Chinese environmental issues, such as how much coal America ships to China, how there are 16,000 dead pigs at the bottom of a certain lake, the current lack of regulation, and how many cars there are in China. One of the final things we did in class today was make dumplings. They contained pork, ginger, garlic, and onion. One of the reasons this was fun was because it had enough direction so we could know what to do but still allowed for creativity. The dumplings also had a very good balance of meat and spice. ——Andrew
- I’ve learned a little about customs for Chinese New Year. Dumplings, which can be stuffed with meat and vegetables, are eaten on the last day. Food offerings are also presented to each family’s kitchen god in hope that he will present a favorable account of the family doings to the Jade Emperor. That’s called “Sending Off the Kitchen God”. ——Sarah
- Today I learned how to make dumplings. First, you take a wrapper and put the filling inside of the wrapper. You have to make sure that put in the right amount of filling, though. If you put too much, it will be difficult to close the wrapper. It doesn’t matter as much if you put too little filling. However, the dumpling will look weird. Then you close the wrapper by putting water on the edges of it and pinching them together. If you don’t close it right, the insides of the dumpling will come out while it’s being cooked. After that you cook them in boiling water. The dumplings were delicious, and I ate all of mine. They were super fun to make as well. ——Katrina
- Chinese class was very eventful today. My favorite activity, however, was preparing dumplings. I have always loved Chinese food, so I was very excited to make them. It was very interesting to me that making dumplings can be compared to Thanksgiving, in a sense. Often times, family reunions will include making dumplings together and socializing while doing so. It has been thought to bring people together, as they are often made this way. Dumplings are “festival food” because they are eaten during special events, such as Chinese New Year. Today, we were able to place the meat and vegetables into the dumpling, fold it and boil it. Eventually, I would like to prepare the dumpling, stuffing and all, in its entirety. ——Tori