Xi'an Muslim Quarter

July 12, 2014

Gentle Reader,

      "...To listen well is a powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation..."

                                           

                                                                                                           -Chinese Proverb

Where does one begin?  There is another wisdom saying in Turkey, "We have one mouth and two ears, which means we should listen twice as often as we speak..."   And so I am listening and learning, taking in this place that is familiar yet enticingly new all at the same time.  I am grateful for my willingness to be amazed, to be astonished.  This place is a banquet for all the senses, always.

 We have been in China for a little over a week now, having spent four days in Beijing and three days in Xi'an.  We are now in Guizhou Province, where we will be teaching.  Opening ceremonies were last night, with Moutai been passed around for the first time in several years.  Three years ago, the price for a bottle of Moutai had risen so much that it was rarely used at ceremonies/gatherings anymore.  It is still expensive, but this traditional celebratory drink was once again part of the festivities last night. 

  Access to the blog is completely restricted, so I am having my daughter Alicia load the writings and the photos onto the blogspot.  Thank you, Alicia!  Access to the internet has been sporadic, and the Chinese internet doesn't seem all that favorable toward yahoo.   Nevertheless, I will write when I can and blogs will be posted when Alicia is able to meander over to a coffee shop in Chicago for internet access.  The tech involved here is complicatedly simple. 

I will begin not at the beginning of our journey, but at the place I found wonderfully compelling:  the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.  There is a Drum Tower and a Bell Tower at the City Center, around which revolves much of the lively nightlife of the community.  Directly behind the Drum Tower is a whole world  called the Muslim Quarter.  This area sprawls over many, many streets, and is alive with snacks, meals, traditional cuisine, arts, crafts, etc... Much of what you can purchase to eat comes on a stick:  watermelon, cantaloupe, chicken, beef, mutton, scorpion, squid, etc...  There are even drop off centers, like kiosks, for the sticks.  The food is rich and loaded with spices, many of which reminded us of the spices available in the Spice Market in Istanbul.  We even found a comb to replace the one Scott had from college days.  The comb is made out of yak horn.

We indulged in the traditional dish of Xi'an:  the mutton flatbread bowl.  This meal consists of a very coarse flatbread, which each customer shreds in his/her bowl.  Then, a broth of noodles and mutton is poured over the shredded bread, creating a kind of stew.  We also tried something that we thought was potato, but we believe it was actually some kind of cubed glutunous rice, stir fried on the street in spices.  One of our favorite dishes was a double pancake handheld pancake concoction, which was filled with cabbage, onions, and spices.  We also tried something that looked like pineapple on a stick, but was actually a spongy substance coated in a bit of syrupy sweetness.  Also, we tried a semi-sweet treat cooked in earthenware crocks on the street, comprised of dates, almonds, and maybe some sort of coconut substance.  All in all, the Muslim Quarter was alive with delights for all the senses...

May you listen well today to the world around you, the world inside you.  May the conversation be true and genuine...

Namaste,

Marianne/Bailing