Getting ready to leave Changchun, China

Today is Sunday, October 27, 2013.  I have been up since 5 am.  I have not exercised as regularly as I wanted but this can wait until I get back to the U.S.  A big decision in China is "should I shower before I go out or should I shower when I get back?"  If I did the second, then I will be clean as long as I am in the house.  China is really dusty!  She reminds me of the London's subways in the late 1970s.  The fruit season in Changchun is almost over.  Apples and persimmons are common now.

These little fruits are like little tomatoes with a papery skin around them.  They are absolutely delicious and I can eat one whole kilogram of them at one sitting!  They come out in late summer at around 50 cents for a pound and then gradually increase in price to $1 a pound.  I often enjoy the look on the face of foreigners when they try them for the first time!  Another thing I like to eat is corn crisps!  Okay, that is my own name for them.  I am not sure what the Chinese call them but I can buy them on a busy street.  The street vendor will be selling literally tons of them for about $30 for a plastic bag full.  

These are not very sweet but they are light and melt in your mouth.  They just continue to go into your mouth!

I love to buy vegetables from the street vendors.  I do not have to bargain and they are usually cheaper than in the market or grocery stores.  I found two street markets off Qianjin Street and I went there as long as the weather was warm enough.  These markets are busy and noisy.

As autumn rolls around and winter sets in, leeks and cabbages are set out to dry in the sun.  These are for consumption in the winter.  I only managed to get a picture of these leeks drying in the sun.  Most households with older parents will buy leeks, cabbages, cucumbers and other vegetables to dry for their consumption in winter.  The younger adults do not continue this practice.  I have decided that I will take my shower before going out today.  So bye for now.

It is amazing how many things made in China and sold in the U.S. are not available in Changchun.  Maybe I am not looking in the right places or maybe I am not willing to pay for the high prices for “western goods” versus those for the Chinese domestic market.  I went looking for safety pins recently and could not find them in the Walmart here nor in the little shops.  Finally a Chinese student took me to an electronic shop that sells electrical appliances as well as knickknacks.  Those safety pins were one Yuan for a set but the tips were blunt and some pins were rusty.

I also had difficulty finding the right sneakers for my walking.  Most of the shoes have no arch support.  Are all Chinese flat feet?  The Chinese do not understand why I want arch support.  There are millions of shoes in Changchun but unless I go to an upscale shoe store and pay through my nose, I cannot buy a pair of sneakers with arch support.  So I thought that I would buy those inserts that I buy in the Walmart in Mount Pleasant.  Those inserts were made in China and were around $6.00 a pair.  No, I could not find those inserts either.  There are plenty of other kinds of inserts—for warmth in winter and also to help with the heel.  However, there is no inserts for arch support!  I have just thrown away a pair of sneakers that served me well during my walks.  However, one shoe had a broken sole.  Imagine that!  I walked so much that the sole broke into two!  Heheheehe..

Now on to food again!  I love to eat ducks which are not so readily available in the U.S.  Yes, I can buy the frozen ducks.  However, ducks in the U.S. supermarkets are not the same as the ducks in Asia.  Heehhehehe….  A specialty in Asia is the roasted duck—it has been roasted in a rotisserie oven.  I had bought such roasted ducks for $16 U.S. in a Phoenix’s Chinese supermarket.  In Changchun, such a roast duck is only between 18-22 Yuans, depending on the size of the duck.  I was really proud of myself when I negotiated a small roast duck for 18 Yuans.  I had asked for a big one for 22 Yuans but when he brought one out for me, I told him “Bu, tai xiao!”  -- too small.  I wanted the price for a small one – 18 Yuans.  I think he was a little embarrassed about being caught in such a shady business deal.  This one roasted duck was especially delicious for this reason.  Here is a picture of the roasted duck.  Yes, the duck head is always

Roasted Duck

attached and I usually tell the seller to keep it.  I often wonder if the duck breast is actually there, and where have the wings and feets gone.  The U.S. has been accused of dumping chicken feet in China, http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-12-16/world/35287460_1_chicken-feet-poultry-industry-usa-poultry.  Being in Changchun, China, has given me the opportunity to study global trade movements.  How interesting!  Here is a link to a more recent post, http://practicalstockinvesting.com/2010/09/28/china-the-us-is-dumping-its-chicken-feet-in-our-market/.  Happy reading!!!