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<< Day 14: Yangshuo—In the Rain | Days 16 and 17: Hong Kong and Home >>

Chao Long to Hong Kong

I am not a “foodie.” Although I prepare healthy and (hopefully) tasty meals at home, my time in the kitchen would never make my list of top ten favorite activities. Not even close. Yet, here I was, on the last morning in Chao Long, signed up to attend a class at Yangshuo Cooking School. Better yet, Ben and the kids were joining me!

We had been looking for something new and different to do before heading off to Hong Kong this evening. The skies were still drizzling, and the air was chilly. Nadine (our hostel manager) recommended the cooking school as a “fun” indoor experience that her two kids had really enjoyed.

We had never taken a cooking class before, and the experience was fantastic! Not only did we learn a lot about Chinese food, but the instruction was entertaining, and the grand finale was a luncheon starring the delicious dishes that we had cooked.

We started off in the local market in downtown Yangshuo.

Tessa, our instructor, walked us through the market, pointing out items that might be unfamiliar to many of us. She also warned us that some vendors were highly offended by tourists snapping photos of them or their products. (Ben tried to be very discreet with his camera.)

Among this row of containers were some live, squiggly eels.

Eel was one of my favorite foods, so I found them quite fascinating, especially the bigger ones.

Then we moved to the vegetable section.

Tessa moved through the produce, selecting certain items and talking about how they are usually cooked in Chinese dishes. Here is Tessa, with Genevieve and Sebastian:

Some of the vegetables:

The market seemed to offer a bit of everything.

Fish:

Tofu:

Ginger, garlic, and onions:

Bags of dried mushrooms, grains, fish, and other things:

Live chickens, rabbits and birds:

Many types of eggs:

Meat:

In the back of the meat section was an area where the dogs were kept. We had heard their high pitched screaming as soon as we entered the market this morning. Two German men staying at our hostel had taken the cooking class yesterday and had described to us how some dogs had been shaking in their cages, as others were being butchered, skinned, and chopped into pieces. Both men had recommended that we consider skipping that portion of the tour, in light of the children being present.

I did not want to watch dogs being killed, nor any animal for that matter—cow, pig, goat or even chicken. One could argue that there might have been some “lessons” for the children in seeing dogs being killed.  For example, we could have talked afterwards about why some people eat dogs and others don’t, who decides within a culture which animals are “food” and which are “friend,” why humans kill animals for food if they can live healthily by eating other things, why our family eats meat but doesn’t personally kill the animals, etc.  However, we have had dogs as pets in our family, and we knew that seeing the dead/dying dogs in the market would most likely be traumatic for Genevieve and Sebastian, perhaps leaving images that would haunt them. We did not need to be voyeurs of a dog’s death or misery. We told Tessa that we wanted to skip seeing the dogs, and we went outside when the group veered toward the back of the market.

Later, an Australian woman in our class told us that Tessa had walked toward the back of the market but had taken another turn and never entered the dog area. The woman sounded very disappointed.

Tessa arranged for a van to shuttle our family back to Chao Long village, where the cooking school was located.

In the classroom, each of us had our own personal cooking space, with a cutting board, pre-sliced food items, some oil and spices, and a small burner that would soon hold a wok.

During the next hour, we learned how to make five dishes: egg wrapped dumplings, steamed chicken with mushrooms, eggplant with garlic, stir fried pork with vegetables and oyster sauce, and green vegetables with garlic.

Before we prepared each dish, Tessa gave a detailed demonstration at her cooking station.

Then we set to work recreating the process. Genevieve and Sebastian each had a woman assisting them if they needed any help.

Our hands-down favorite dish, to make and eat, was the egg dumplings; they were like mini omelets with a pork filling.

We were allowed to eat the dumplings right away.

The other dishes were set aside until the end of the cooking lesson, when we spread the plates of food out on the picnic table and shared a wonderful feast together.

After the lesson, it was time to say farewell to our peaceful retreat in Chao Long.

Our van driver took the toll road to the Guilin airport.

The road was being widened and paved:

Hong Kong was only an hour away by airplane. From our hotel balcony, we had a grand view of the tightly packed skyscrapers that swept down to the harbor.

We stood for a long time in the cool night air, mesmerized by the lights, and absorbing the energy of the city.

<< Day 14: Yangshuo—In the Rain | Days 16 and 17: Hong Kong and Home >>

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