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Third t-day in Beijing

 

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This past Thursday we had our third thanksgiving here in Beijing, yet this is the first one we had without visitors.  In the past my parents and my sister would visit and we would have a take-out thanksgiving dinner prepared by a local western restaurant.   This year, since we would not be entertaining guests, I decided to make a homemade dinner given I had the time. 

Of all the ingredients one needs to make a traditional thanksgiving menu, the turkey is by far the most exotic.  Finding an imported one is not that difficult, but there isn't one on every grocery store shelf.  I was able to track down a 12lb imported frozen turkey for our feast.  The only downside is that it was a butterball, so i couldn't do a brine.   I gathered (with the help of amy) all the ingredients and began the serious cooking wednesday night after work. 

For our dinner, we invited some american friends with two small children the girls' age.  It was nice to have guests and they brought the wine.

Our menu was this:

• Roast Turkey with homemade pan gravy
• Sausage and Herb Stuffing
• Homemade Green Bean Casserole
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Rustic Rosemary Bread with Herb Compound Butter
• Green Salad
• Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie (supplied by our guests)

I was very happy with the turkey.  It cooked a little faster than I was ready for, but at 165 she must exit!.  It was juicy and the white meat the next day was still moist. 

I actually wasnt very happy with the gravy this year.  I usually make great gravy supplementing the pan drippings with a roasted garlic chicken au jus recipie from my balthazar cookbook and reduce the hell out of it.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I went more traditional and used a buerre manie method which made it artificially thickened instead of being reduced.  I'll know next time to stick to what works.

I also was disappointed with my stuffing.  It was beautiful with apples and dried cranberries, and I had great sausage from the german butcher.  But it was a little to fruity for me.  I like my stuffing with more root vegetables, sauage and the strong fennel seed aroma. 

The green bean casserole was awesome.  I tried alton browns recipe and it worked well for this classic, and nothing comes from the can!

The mashed potatoes were great.  I have been using the same recipie for ages and it always works.  Just don't ask how many calories.  It was made easier with a new hand mixer I broke down and bought.  After doing all the whisking by hand for a couple of years here (voltage issues with my other toys), and said enough is enough.

The bread was great!  And I let it get really brown and crusy to give it the rustic country look.

The pies were good and I was able to use the kids pumkins from halloween to make the pumpkin filling.  I roasted it a few weeks ago and froze it. 

We had a great time, and it can't be minimized how awesome it is to have an ayi to manage the cleanup.  At work the next day I had my first of many delicious turkey sandwiches.

Though not the same as at home, and of course missing our family and friends, it still amazes how you can create normal in a non-normal environment.   See everyone soon!

 

 

What to do when your gym goes bankrupt...

over the last 1.5 years, I have become more regular in my pursuit of fitness via both diet and exercise with good results.  one of the advantages of living in nice expat housing is you get access to usually nice fitness centers.  Our apartment complex had one of the nicest gyms in town.  It was very western in its design and equipment, and had a really good selection of free weights.  It was actually manged by a third party, but over the last year, that third party has gone through some financial difficulty.  they shut down for a week in the spring, and agreed to reopen at the cost of the apartment's management company until a new buyer could be found.  They agreed to keep the place open through this transition.  Bally's agreed to buy this place in August and began the transition.  It turns out there was some disagreement between both parties so in late September they just put locks on the doors, and posted some unclear document in the window saying basically, we will open when we are ready. (this putting locks on doors unannounced and places just disappearing happens ALOT here - very strange)   Fast forward to today, they space is still empty and no work is being done.  Who knows when it will be open, but my guess is nothing will happen before January and that's probably a stretch.  

So what does one do?  Its a good excuse to do nothing, but I have made too much progress to stop.  I could buy a membership at another Gym (but gyms here are uncommon and its not like there is an equinox on every corner).  Logistically and financially it just wouldn't make sense...and what happens when the new place opens? Don't want to double pay for a membership and month to month is not an option here (annual contracts prepaid are the norm with this and with many other things)

When my parents came last April they brought a pull up bar and some resistance bands I had purchased and had shipped to them.  I thought that I could use these in the short term to build strength.  For cardio, I could run (but I hate that)...or I could use my occasional stairs workout.  We live on the 30th floor here in Beijing and walking up the stairs to our apartment is a good challenge.  I used to do one or two circuits for exercise.  I thought, if I did a few more it would end up being a really good source for cardio.  To climb up to the 30th floor it takes about 5 minutes and its about 522 steps...do a couple of circuits and that's a good exercise routine.

I tried many different exercises with the resistance bands (and actually snapped two of them), but I found so ones that work and don't risk the snapping.  But I cannot do any leg exercises with bands as that's where the snapping problem happened, so I use stairs for leg strength.

So my plan now is like this:

Cardio:

1. M-F ride my bike to work every day (26km round-trip each day - moderate pace for safety reasons - i used to ride harder, but it ends up being a little dicey and as you'll see below, I don't really need the intensity)
2. After each upper body strength session, do 4 up and downs in the stairs (4x a week)
3. Anaerobic HIIT 2X a week
   1. Down, up stairs warm up
   2. Repeat the following sequence 6-8 times:
      1. Down 8 flight of stairs, rest 1 minute
      2. Sprint up 8 flights of stairs going every 2 stairs

Strength:

1. 2X a week:  Back/Chest exercises:  
   1. Pullups - 40 reps broken into as many sets as needed
   2. Pushups - 125 reps broken into as many sets as needed
   3. Back resistance band bent over rows - 3X25
   4. Incline/Wide grip decline pushup supersets - 3X24
   5. Resistance Band Good Mornings (using broom handle on back, standing on band loops) - 3X30
   6. Hanging Leg Raise - 3X20
2. 2X a week: Shoulder/Arm exercises
   1. Standing Miltary Press - 4X20
   2. Flyes/Front Raise superset - 3X30
   3. Upright Rows - 3X12
   4. Shrugs - 3X30
   5. Tricep pushdown - 3X30
   6. Bicep curl/Hammer curl superset - 3X40
   7. Plank 3X1:30
3. 2X week: Leg Strength
   1. Warm up, down, up and down stairs once (30 flights)
   2. Repeat the following sequence twice using the stairs
      1. 15 Right Leg Lunges (every 3rd step)
      2. 15 Left Leg Lunges (every 3rd step)
      3. 30 Alternating Leg Lunges (every 3rd step)
      4. 30 crossover Lunges (every 2 steps - 3 is too dangerous)
      5. 30 side crossover lunges (every 2 steps)
      6. 30 side to side(skater) (every 3rd step)
      7. 30 regular side lunges with hands behind head (every 3rd step)
4. 2X week: Plyometrics
   1. Warm up and down stairs once (30 flights)
   2. Repeat the following sequence 3 times:
      1. Jump up and back 1 step with both legs X 20 - rest 1 minute
      2. Jump up and back 2 steps with both legs X 20 - rest 1 minute
      3. Jump up and back 3 steps with both legs X 10 - rest 1 minute
      4. Jump up and back 4 steps with both legs X 5 - rest 1 minute
      5. Jump up and back 5 steps with both legs X 1 - rest 1 minute (this one is scary, sometimes have ot put my hand on the wall)
      6. 15 Knees to Chest tuck jumps as fast as you can - rest 1 minute

So that's what I do...its a lot when you write it all down, but with some creativity, you can get a damn good workout without all of the fancy equipment.  My weight is slowly dropping still, and my strength is increasing.  Pullups is an area where I have seen dramatic improvement.  I can now do more in a max set than when I could in college (13 is my new max and then it was 10)  I still want the gym to open because I'd really like to lift weights, but this routine as a stop gap is working.

I wrote this post to demonstrate that you need to really be creative here sometimes.  I've stated many times about how this place really doesn't have a good service mindset.  This issue with the gym is an excellent example of that lack of a service mindset.  No one is concerned that is closed and no one cares that no one knows when it will be open - even though these are literally multimillion dollar apartments and a gym (and the pool that goes with it)  is basically a requirement.  So as an expat, you have to improvise on many things...and this is one annoyingly detailed example.

Happy Halloween 2010

Though today is Halloween, with the exception of some pumpkin carving tonight all of the festivites were Friday (at school) and saturday night (in the apartment complex).  Because we weren't busy enough, we decided to have Declan's 3rd birthday party in the middle of the day.  We couldn't do it the previous weekend because Amy had clients in town and she was also leading the Girl Scouts hike for her troop.

Fall has been very busy for us.  Now that November is upon us, we are looking forward to coming home in 6 weeks to see everybody.

My computer died last week.  This is a major problem, since the computer is our hub for communication and information here.  We have been having problems with this Imac for about a year, and I was hoping to keep it going through q1 next year before upgrading, but life intervened and I had to upgrade earlier.  I bought this great new 27" Imac that is basically a rocket ship.  Its amazing how much we were putting up with the old computer, but that is behind us now.  Our family has noticed the improved performance with much better skype video...and today, I was able to rehab the broken pc enough so that it can be used for the kids in the playroom. 

 

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Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor day to all at home.  We do have to work on monday, but we will celebrate in spirit with the folks in the US.  Don't feel bad for us, we have some good holidays coming up later this month.  From September 22-24th we have the mid-autumn festival where we don't work and people traditionally give moon cakes (lotus paste infused pastries that are the chinese equivalent of a christmas fruitcake).  After that from October 1-7 we have Golden week which starts with the 61st anniversary of the PRC and 7 days of no work.  Not sure exactly what we are doing yet, but no worries here...we'll figure something out.  Now this is a good time to explain the really screwed up way the Chinese organize work and school schedules to maximize continuous days off (so people can travel to home provinces).   Often to get the 7 days off, the Chinese will work the Saturday and Sunday prior to that week and then have off Monday through the next Sunday.  So that means work 7 days, get 7 days off...follow?  Now no westerner really likes this.  Outside of necessary work emergencies, weekends are sacrosanct.  Now if the 4th of July was in the Middle of the week (say a wednesday for this example) and we adopted the Chinese vacation style, we would work that Saturday and Sunday and then take Monday through Wednesday off...to get the three days in a row.  Now most westerners would prefer to take the weekend and then just have Wednesday.  So each major holiday (chinese new year and the Golden week) has this saturday sunday bullshit.  For the two holidays I mentioned above the schedule is like this:  Off 9/22 - 9/24  work 9/25-9/30 Off 10/1-10/7.  the holidays are nice, but i'd rather work the 23-24 and get my weekend back.  No religion and no emphasis on sports gets you this lack of significance in the day of the week.

The kids survived the first week of school with no problems.  Teachers are great and homework has already started.

This past week we said goodbye to our cook Xiao Zhong.  She was with us for a year and helped Ivy with cleaning and covered for us on Sundays.  With the kids going back to school, and us getting more accustomed to a non-serviced apartment, we were finding that 2 people to help us out was a little overkill.  Also amy and I have been changing our diet and we haven't been eating her food (its super delicious, but not great for watching what you eat).  Amy also wanted to expose the kids to some more healthy western food for dinner.  The two little ones have a very advanced asian palette, but they don't really know western food.  We want to condition them to this style of food in preparation for wherever we land next (including the possibility of home).  It was sad because she was so great, but we posted ads for her and she's not worried about finding another job.  Amy gave her a nice album of pictures with the kids and just gave them boatloads of candy upon her exit.  She will be missed.

Last night some friends from the states passed through, and Amy and I met them for dinner.  We had a nice time catching up with Vibhat, his wife and his daughter.  Remember - we have an open invitation for anyone in the neighborhood!

 

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Today we went to the park and had a picnic on the boat with the kids...lots of fun.  We tired them out in the bouncy castle beforehand and they all passed out this afternoon.

Happy Labor Day!

 

 

Back to school, back to blogging maybe

Today was a big milestone for the Field family...all three kids off to school!  You see them here in their British School of Beijing uniforms prior to leaving this morning.  Amy and I escorted the two little ones for their first day and were with them in class all morning.  We each took our electric scooters with Elizabeth and Declan while Caroline rode the bus.  All three will ride the bus starting tomorrow.

Since its been more than just a while since the last post, and since we are coming up on our second anniverasarry here in Beijing, I thought an update would be appropriate.

As I said its been two years, and it will at least be another year here in China.  After that, we just don't know.  Our preference will be to go to another country or stay here.  Not that going back to Philly would be an undesirable outcome, but we started this journey two years ago with the intention of doing more internationally before returning home.  Our intentions remain consistent with the original vision, and actually now we are emboldened with the confidence that this is a manageable situation for us for the medium term.  When we know what is next,  I then will share what I can...but nothing will be resolved until next spring most likely.

Looking back not only on the time since my last post, but also our tenure here, we can say it has been and remains to be an amazing experience.  What is most remarkable now is how mundane the challenges of living in China are, and how easily we are able to process these challenges. Case in point: Amy needed a root canal and a new crown last week.  Two years ago, we would have been scared about the dental care, and might even have considered flying home for the procedure...now, Amy just hops on her scooter and is home before lunch.  We have a routine, we like our routine and now that school is back in session, life really feels about as normal as you can get (except for the no football)

This summer went by very quickly for us.  Unlike most expats here in Beijing, we did not go home for the summer.  Amy and Declan went home for 10 days in May so Amy could see her family (while I stayed with the girls here).  We decided this year to try a different approach...come home for a longer period of time in December over the holidays.  The last two christmas's were spent here in Beijing.  While it is nice, you don't get to see family and its just not the same.  We wanted to be in our house, with our tree and our fireplace...and have a really nice family christmas in the states.  Also, until July we had renters in our house.  I won't say too much here, but if anyone every asks me about the advantages of renting your house, I would strongly recommend against it.  We had a terrible experience.  Even though you may think the extra income is nice, trust me, its not even close to being worth it...and how can you come home to your town and not stay in your house?  Our house is vacant now, and awaiting our visit in December.  Next summer, we plan to get back on the more regular expat schedule of 5-6 weeks in the states (amy and the kids) and me coming back and forth for the front and the back-end of the trip.  Whether we decide to add a second trip next Christmas depends on how much we enjoy the experience this year and also where we will be in the world at that time.

The kids spent the summer swimming, playing with friends, going to museums and taking chinese lessons.  We also got a visit from my mom in July to help celebrate Caroline's 6th birthday.

Amy is doing very well and staying busy with activities.  She is leading a Daisy troop (jr brownies) here, and is actively involved in the PTA.

Work is fine for me.  I can't say too much about it in this forum, but my desire to stay here is based at least partially on how that is going.  Some day over a drink, I can talk to you about what it is like to work in China, but those stories aren't appropriate here...

For the past year now, I have been riding my bike to work.  I also just recently bought an electric scooter.  Getting around Beijing with a bike or a scooter is the best way to travel.  Street level is much more interesting from a bike, and you can be much quicker than a cab or a car/bus.  I get to work in 30 minutes on my bike and in a car or using the subway takes an hour.  For our date nights, I have been taking Amy on the scooter instead of using cabs.  Traffic is so terrible and accounting for the commute and finding a cab home, it really cuts into this important time.  And since I rarely drink these days, its not too dangerous.

I'll see if I can get into a routine on posting more here...its kind of like the gym, you miss a couple of sessions and then you just stop doing it.

I'm sure I've missed a bunch of things, but I'll save that for more in the future, maybe.

 

Happy New Year

We had a party last night at our apartment with about 30 friends.  People showed up around 9pm and we made traditional jiaozi (dumplings) with the group and then ate them.  A couple of us went downstairs and set off some of the big fireworks I bought.  Here in the video, you see me set off a traditional firecracker with about 5000 rounds followed by me setting off this big box i bought for 300 rmb ($40).  It was pretty incredible.  We finished off the evening on our balcony seeing an incredible view of fireworks into central beijing.  The kids made it to midnight, so today has been a little off for everybody.

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