matpat42's Blog

Gaaaahhhhhhh!!!!
Date: Nov 19th, 2007 4:11:02 pm - Subscribe
Mood: Tired


Okay, now that I have got my screaming out of the way.....

In some ways, the endless adventures of an American in China know no bounds. For example: there is no such thing as baking chocolate here.

I bake for the holidays. Gives me a great way to give everyone gifts that they can chuck without feeling guilty that they will hurt my feelings. You know, kind of like that sweater that some distant relative gives you that is that hideous shade of puce. Ya have to wear it next time they come over, or they thing that you didn't like it. Well, I really hope that I don't see the things I bake still on their shelves in six months' time.

I went shopping yesterday at this BIG store that is owned and operated by a European company. Usually they have the stuff I am looking for at prices that are only bordering on being unreasonable. I can get cocoa there, and yeast, powdered sugar, and, for the larger part of the year they have these HUGE blocks of Belgian chocolate for the restaurants in town. Until the holidays, when every westerner in North East China suddenly feels the need to dip fruit, bake cookies, make cakes... ad nauseum. I am a guilty as the next westerner. So, thinking that going BEFORE Thanksgiving would give me an edge, I went. Bupkis, nada, zip, zilch, nothing, I could find all kinds of outrageously expensive euro-chocolate, in tiny little bars that would require tedious unwrapping, and all kinds of chocolate that has stuff already in it. I just needed plain dark chocolate, how hard can it be???

So today, I went to a different store and ended up buying a bunch of single serving dark chocolate Dove and Cadbury bars. There was a girl there who was handing out samples of something that I could not identify looking at all the candy in my basket and looking and my not-Barbie-like physique with a disdainful expression. I need to learn the Chinese word for "bake". At least I'll be able to make my world famous brownies, my dark chocolate biscotti, and various other delectables.

I had one of my Chinese friends visit me today. She really is a delightful young woman. She will be finding out in a few days if she has passed the Chinese equivalent to the Bar exam. She will need to do an internship before she can start really practicing law. It will be good to have a lawyer among my friends. Her hope is to get into a graduate program so that she can teach at the university level and practice law on the side. She is an intelligent woman with integrity and compassion. Just the kind of person the world needs in positions of influence.

I bought a new pillow while I was searching for chocolate. I think I am going to go test it out.
Comments: (3)