Development, tea, herbs, noodles and final words
Trip Start
May 17, 2011
1
7
Trip End
Jun 01, 2011
What I did
Fancun Tea Market
Ate Guilin Noodles
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Our last night day and night in China was spent back in the third largest city in China, back in Guangzhou. We stayed at this swanky hotel centrally located near all that modern architecture that was built in a short period of time for the Asian Games. The Chinese work fast. They are able to work quickly, partly, because there is less need for public consensus when they want to develop an area. They just notify whoever is where they wish to develop, pay them and help them relocate into new housing. Boom---it's done. There is no such thing as gentrification in China. It's more like, a location is completely transformed from old to new in an instant---nothing is done gradually. It's mind boggling how extreme the changes are in such short period of time. This brings up a whole can of worms but I had to mention it since it is different then what I'm accustomed to--especially coming from New York City. It took a hundred years to get NYC to where it is at now. There are laws to prevent extreme change in NYC. In Guangzhou, they are developing in a fraction of that time. You can see the changes in the juxtapositions of old and new in the photo in the album.
Fancun Tea Market
Since we were done shooting, we went to the largest wholesale tea market in Southern China, Fancun Tea Market for fun. Drinking tea is a big deal here (like wine is to Northern Cali) and how to prepare and serve it is like an art. We tasted tea at the market like it was a wine tasting. Al showed us how to taste tea. You sip it and take in air to slurp a little to really taste it. He is a huge tea buff and gave me a little education on the spectrum of tea. At one end of the spectrum, you have the green teas, in the middle you the yellow then brown or oolong teas and at the other end you have the British style black teas. We spent hours roaming around this huge market. Some of these teas are really expensive in the U.S. but because we were at a wholesale place, it was half the price. I have a new appreciation for tea. There was also a shopping mall version of the tea market but luckily the old market is still there, which is where we went.
Herbal Shop
We went to an herbal drugstore after the tea market. I'm generalizing here but the Asian approach to treating illness is a more holistic perspective. From my experience, it seems that many Easterner believe Western medicine treats illnesses temporarily like a band-aid without getting to the root cause of an illness. Maybe that is why Asians generally have a longer life span! So I think herbal remedies are fairly common here. I've seen herb stores in Chinatowns in the US but not one so systematic in filling prescriptions, like a Western drugstore. They also had beauty supplies and over the counter herbs too!
Guilin Noodles at Street Stall
We finally got to eat street food that night, our last night in China in Guangzhou. We went a Guilin noodle soup that was delicious. I love eating the food that locals eat. When I was in Vietnam, we ate street food in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. And I did that a couple times in India on the trains and in Goa with Karl. All experiences were delicious. I guess you have to be careful what you buy---make sure it is hot and cooked--don't eat fresh veggies and no fruit that can't be peeled. And if it just doesn't look or smell right, don't eat it!! It's just about basic common sense. If they are washing dishes on the street in buckets---beware. Our local driver recommended the place we found. I guess a recommendation helps too!!
Final thoughts
This trip has been a big love fest and food fest in China. We sort have created a mini-family that is making a film about family. I think the dynamic we had as a group is only going to make this film even better. This experience has been extremely rewarding on multiple levels. I can't wait to head back to the States and start cutting. This new job is pretty sweet! In July we're going to Inner Mongolia!!
Thanks for reading!!!
Comments
hey Adele, this is my favorite post. I think I missed a few tho...glad it went brilliantly!
Lovin' this blog! I get hungry every time I read it!!!