Farm Living in Hubei

After I got back to Wuhan from Shanghai, I really just wanted to sleep and take a rest (in China, when I have time off, I am told "Jonathan, now you take a rest.")

However, I was invited to go to the village of one of my fellow educators.  So, the day after I got back from Shanghai, I rolled out of bed, showered, and donned my traveling garb to head to a small village about 80 km from Wuhan.  I slept almost the entire two hour drive there.

Upon arrival, I got to meet my friends family.  Her parents live in half of a side-by-side house with her uncle and his family.  The interior was very nice, covered in white marble tile.  They had a huge TV, nice western beds, and nice furniture.  

Right next door, connected by a gate in a wall, was the house of her grand parents, who are very aged. They have a giant, shared kitchen that comprised several rooms in a seperate building.  Each house has their own kitchen, but there is a giant seperate kitchen house.

After making the rounds, about 20-30 of her relatives who were wandering around visiting with each other (and playing mah jong) got together and had lunch outside on tables.  

I was offered a decent sized glass of Baijiu.  Baijiu is the same liquor that I got extremely intoxicated with while in Hefei.  I had learned that Baijiu is indeed a harsh mistress, and vowed not to get too sauced.

Baijiu is maybe 40-50 proof alcohol.  I am told it is made with rice, or corn.  I believe it is made of something else, because it is pretty potent.  Someone said it is made with Sorghum.  Some varients of it have a taste not unlike sambuca, but without the anise flavor.

Anyway, we had about 10 dishes of different things.  Some are unique to Hubei.  Specifically, a vegetable kind of like asparagus, which was boiled.  There were pork ribs, another pork dish, some tripe in a peppery presentation, bamboo shoots, some beef with carrots, a whole cooked river fish, and pork meatballs in sticky rice.  It was quite delicious.  My favorite was the tripe because it had no bones.

The folks had some chickens walking around, and I spied a live fish swimming in a big plastic bowl.

The family also had a cute little pekinese type dog who was friendly, but got kind of nippy with me.  I came to learn that she had a litter of puppies in a nearby dog house.  I am sure she wasn't a biter, but she did want me to know not to mess around with her puppies.

After lunch, I talked to folks, and was shown my bedroom.  I ended up taking a snooze in a chair.  The Baijiu had inflicted her toll on me.

When I dozed it was early.  Hours later, I wandered into the Mah Jong room to see the same guys still playing.  They are all relatives, but only play for money.  They really get into it, and I heard them yelling at each other in a friendly way throughout my time there.  I have some pictures below.

Later that afternoon I went to Mao's underground fallout shelter, then had dinner, then went to a hot spring.  The next day I went to a Chinese wedding.  All of that will have to wait for another post.

These guys are die hard gamers!

Later that same day....