HABITS I LOST WHEN I MOVED FROM GHANA TO CHINA (1)

I am simply excited to take you on this journey into my experiences, thoughts and discoveries as an African lady in China. And what better way to let you in on my AfriqAsia experience than to start with a sneak- peak into the all-inclusive topic of HABITS. In fact, who on earth does not “own” one? HABITS – a manner of life, a way of existence, a must-do must-have bit of lifestyle that is kind of hard to let go… and really when you travel from one spot of this earth to another, the first thing you pack along as your baggage is neither your clothes nor your documents, it is your HABIT. That is the first luxury every traveler unconsciously holds on to in a new place.

But for me as an African Lady in China, some of my habits did not thrive long on the life jacket of luxury. I just watched in dismay as they slid down the HIGHWAY of repentance: Initial Shock, adjustment and then, a gentle ffffffff… fizzle out!!! And though the popular saying goes "Habits die hard", some of mine died really FAST when I moved from Ghana to China. Here they GO! First,

(1) Sup RICE! (Eat Your Rice In Silence)

That is one of the first BIG lessons I learnt in China, right from the beginning. And someone may ask, what is wrong with that, considering the fact that Rice is a staple in Ghana as it is in China [especially in the South of China]. Well, there is something missing here if you are a bit like me. When it came to rice, I always thought it had to “tango” with STEW. In Ghana, for instance, you often hear RICE and STEW. They are sought of an inseparable couple, and though there are other terms like sauce or gravy or even “shitor” which is more suited for our “Waakye”, the truth is I always liked my rice with some kind of sweet spicy aroma filled sauce which came in incredible variety in Ghana: Kontomire STEW, Garden Egg STEW, Tomato SAUCE, and what have you.

So imagine my shock when I walk into the University Canteen in Beijing for Supper the first time and then realize that a majority of my Chinese colleagues are simply relishing say, a bowl of white rice with…cauliflower and grilled green beans! No wait! What’s going on here? I remember walking back and forth, peaking to see if there would be anything, just anything that looked like STEW! None! So I boldly walked to one of the lady Caterers and whispered in Chinese, “You meiyou jiang” (有没有酱) meaning is there any sauce or STEW?” She glanced around for a minute, as I waited, clutching pitifully at my dejected plate of white rice. Finally, she looked back at me with a look that read “there isn’t really that much of STEW around here”.“Zhe ge hao ma?”( 这个好吗)？Only this if you don’t mind, she suggested. And that was how I managed to get a scoop of brown “sauce-soup” from the pan of sautéed fish. “Oh my!

What a first meal experience! But oh yes! That is a key lesson in life: Life is sometimes going to be a bargain and a compromise on your little luxuries because you won’t always get it the way YOU want it. So I quickly grasped the reality of eating my rice in China and since then I have created my own “Code” to eating my rice the China WAY. On a nice weekend I could go for a bowl of rice with spiced cauliflower and beef and though I no longer have my STEW or SHITOR I still manage to joyfully EAT MY RICE IN SILENCE…

Written By Alice Blighton.

AfriqAsia Merge,

Still…

           Bridging The Gap!

 

 

 

HELLO AFRIQASIA !

A lot has been happening lately and it`s mostly been linked to my journey into more discoveries of Asia (a great continent of History, Culture and budding innovation).

And particularly with China, (Beijing for example), the harmonious blend of antiquity and modernity is a sight to behold!!!

And after all, is there not a lesson in this blend? These Ancient relics that cohabit harmoniously with futuristic Architecture and modern glitter indeed inspire a word of wisdom: PURSUE THE FUTURE BUT LEARN FROM HISTORY! 

As I quietly ponder on these words somewhere in the Beijing Subway, I am shocked to find curious Asian eyes also staring, pondering, and searching through the mystery in the African woman standing in their midst.

Well, I say Let`s open up the Chapters of our histories and the uniqueness of our modern experiences and let`s satisfy this curiosity, let`s discover, learn, and grow, because there is certainly a lot to discover between AFRICA and ASIA.!!! Welcome!!!

AfriqAsia Merge…

                    LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL when we BRIDGE THE GAP!

COLOUR-FULL CONFUSION

RED ALERT!!!

One morning, i rushed outside at the sound of a knock only to find a clean red envelope slipped under my door. I thought, "this certainly must be bad news", as i observed the deep engrained designs at the edges. I tore it open in haste, wondering what kind of sad news had been wrapped up in this red- alert envelope!

I took in a deep breath and  whispered "Come what may"  before finally pulling out the content with my forefinger. It was a wad of clean crisp notes of the Chinese Currency. A thousand yuan.  I knew immediately that Wang Hu was behind it and shortly before i shut the door, he came beaming from the other side of the corridor.

"You scared me" was the first thing i said to him, but he seemed not to get it.

 I meant in this part of Africa, West Africa, Ghana to be specific, you do not wave the colour red at any time of day and expect others to smile to it, unless of course its Val's day (a day when the haphazard use of red is pardoned on African soil, because we all agree it should mean love, at least for a day!)

If not, the colour Red is at first hand decoded as a sign of death, mourning, sadness, aggression or warning in African culture. My Chinese friend Wang Hu found that incredible. It was in contrast to the Chinese interpretation of the colour RED. He explained,

"I gave you the envelope to wish you well on your journey to China next week." Wang Hu`s eyes glistened under the luminous light and i perceived in his explanation a certain subtle sense of cultural pride .

"Red, corresponding with fire, symbolizes good fortune and joy. Red is found everywhere during Chinese New Year and other holidays and family gatherings. A  red envelope is a monetary gift which is given in Chinese society during holiday or special occasions. The red colour of the packet symbolizes good luck. " He ended. 

My face naturally shone with pleasant shock and knowing Wang Hu, i knew he was elated to have taught me something new. This was one of my Asian  students through whom i had had the enlightening experience of teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (the" other  language" being none other but Chinese). Indeed i had learnt a lot, and was still learning...

"In Ghana, Red is the colour worn at funerals". I said calmly.

"Really?" He asked, and i thought Wang Hu of all foreigners should have noticed that by now. Nevertheless i offered a succinct explanation.

"Colour has symbolic meaning in African culture and each colour conveys peculiar information when won or displayed at significant places or situations. 

The colour RED as well as black however is a symbolic colour for funerals in almost all parts of Africa. It is the official mourning cloth at funerals especially the one that involves a person who died at unripe age- (black)  and  the death of an old member or close relative-( Red).

"But Red is strictly forbidden at funerals in china. In Eastern Asia, Red is the colour of joy and is also a bridal colour. In China, Red is the colour of celebration, good luck, happiness and a long life. In India, red is the colour for purity.  It is a traditionally symbolic colour for happiness." He sounded like someone who was set to convince the whole of Africa to change their perception of the colour red. I shrugged in response to his explanation and then, we both gave out a giggle.

"Well the names of the dead were previously written in red, so it may be considered offensive to use red ink for Chinese names in contexts other than official seals" He added.

We both sat quietly for a while, sipping tea (Chinese tea given to me by Wang Hu), and pondering on our "colour-full" cultural differences. 

WHY NOT WHITE?

Then the phone rang. It was time to prepare for my "Surprise Party" Wang Hu declared, with that  extra stress on the "TY" of "Party" that i found really cute.

"I bought this white dress yesterday, to match with some blue Pearls...i am fully prepared for you" And when I said "YOU" i meant my whole English class of Chinese students organizing the great "parTY!"

"No! No White dress! No! White is the colour of mourning. It is associated with death and is used predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture.  Ancient Chinese people wore white clothes and hats only when they mourned for the dead. Sometimes silver takes its place, as silver is often offered to the deceased in the form of Joss Paper"

"What?"

"Here, take this. A beautiful red "Qipao" ( a Ceremonial Chinese attire for women) and grey pearls. "

"A beautiful Red Qipao...and grey Pearls" I repeated to myself as i stood in front of the mirror, trying to look happy and cheerful and gay, like i was going for a jolly merry ParTY and not the funeral or  wake keeping of Auntie Ama`s  grand Parents!

What a day of "Colour-full" Confusion!!!
Written by: Alice Blighton

AfriqAsia Merge,

Still....Bridging the Gap.

AfriqAsia Merge: ***SWEET LITTLE THINGS***

AfriqAsia Merge: ***SWEET LITTLE THINGS***: We all have some little recipes in our countries, which do not demand a long list of ingredients, and do not take too much time to prepare,...

***SWEET LITTLE THINGS***

We all have some little recipes in our countries, which do not demand a long list of ingredients, and do not take too much time to prepare, but which  makes us lick our lips all the same, because they are little delicacies we love to have at least once in a while.

So, AfriqAsia merge wishes to take our Asian friends to Africa, Accra Ghana to be specific to try a little delicacy called KELEWELE.

What is Kelewele?

It is simply a popular Ghanaian snack of fried plantain seasoned with spices. It is also popular in other African countries like Ivory Coast. In English it is sometimes called hot plantain crisps. In Africa, Kelewele is sold usually at night. Apart from being served alone as a snack or dessert, it is sometimes served with rice and stew.

How is it prepared?

The plantains are peeled and may be cut into chunks or cubes.  Usually, ginger, cayenne pepper, and salt are the typical spices used to make kelewele. However, onions, anise, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chili powder are also used as spices. 

It is good to leave the spices on the plantain for some 10 minutes to get a great taste. The oil should be too hot and the plantain must not be too soft, or else it will absorb too much oil. It is cooked until the sugar in the plantain caramelizes, with brown edges.

Now to our African friends, get ready to try an Asian delicacy commonly referred to in Chinese as JIAOZI. Simple to cook and worth the try!!

What is Jiaozi: 饺子?

Jiaozi  are also known as Chinese dumplings. They are widely spread to Nepal, Japan, Eastern and Western Asia.

Jiaozi typically consists of a groundnut and/or Vegetable  filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton; jiaozi has a thicker skin and a relatively flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and is usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chilli sauce); while wontons have thinner skin, have square skins, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.

 WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN ?

Jiaozi are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year and year round in the northern provinces. They look like the golden ingots yuan bao used during the Ming Dynasty for money and the name sounds like the word for the earliest paper money, so serving them is believed to bring prosperity. Many families eat these at midnight on Chinese New Year's Eve. Some cooks will even hide a clean coin for the lucky to find.

                                                                      A plate of potstickers (guotie), and dipping sauce

Jiaozi were so named because they were horn shaped. The Chinese for "horn" is jiǎo (角), and jiaozi was originally written with the Chinese character for "horn", but later it was replaced by a specific character 餃, which has the food radical on the left and the phonetic component jiāo (交) on the right.

According to folk tales, jiaozi were 

invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the greatest practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in history. They were originally called "tender ears" (娇耳 : jiao'er) because they were used to treat frostbitten ears.

HOW IS IT PREPARED?

Chinese dumplings (jiaozi) may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked:

• Boiled dumplings: (shuijiao) literally "water dumpling" (水餃; shuǐjiǎo).
• Steamed dumplings: (zhengjiao) literally "steam dumpling" (蒸餃; zhēngjiǎo).
• Pan fried dumplings: (guotie) literally "pan stick", known as "potstickers" in N. America, they are also referred to as "dry-fried dumplings" (煎餃: jiānjiǎo).

Dumplings that use egg rather than dough to wrap the filling are called "egg dumplings" or (蛋餃; dànjiǎo)

Other fillings include shrimp, scallop, chicken, tofu, mixed vegetables, and others. The most common type are shrimp dumplings (har gow).

Many types of fillings exist, and dim sum restaurants often feature their own house specials or innovations.

 Dim sum chefs and artists often use ingredients in new or creative ways, or draw inspiration from other Chinese culinary traditions, such as Chiuchow, Hakka, or Shanghai. More creative chefs may even incorporate a fusion from other cultures, such as Japanese (teriyaki) or Southeast Asian (satay, curry), while upscale restaurants may use expensive or exotic ingredients such as lobster, shark fin and bird's nest.

Dumplings are eaten with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce that may include vinegar, garlic, ginger, rice wine, hot sauce, and sesame oil.

WHEN ARE THEY EATEN?

Jiaozi are eaten all year round, and can be eaten at any time of the day – breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can constitute one course, starter or side dish, or the main meal. In China, jiaozi are sometimes served as a last course during restaurant meals. As a breakfast dish, jiaozi are prepared alongside xiaolongbao at inexpensive, roadside restaurants. Typically, they are served in small steamers containing ten pieces each. Although mainly consumed at breakfast, these small restaurants keep them hot on steamers, and ready to eat all day.

As a dish prepared at home, each family has its own preferred method of making them, using favourite fillings, with types and methods of preparation varying widely from region to region.

ENJOY YOUR MEAL!!!

         

AFRIQASIA MERGE....BRIDGING THE GAP, EMBRACING THE DIFFERENCE !!!