Snapshots of our life in Tianjin, China and travel within the region.
It isn’t really the sort of thing one expects to see in a sprawling, congested city just south of Beijing, China: a pocket of (albeit slightly confused) western Europe, complete with cobblestone streets, kegs of dark beer, Roman fountains and alfresco dining — with red checkered table cloths of course!
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China deserves an entire feature on the unique edible flora found in these realms. Fruit that comes straight from science-fiction, veggies that look completely contrived and flowers that, while ornamental back home, prove unexpected sources of nutrition here. I’ll use this page from time to time to feature some of the unique produce found here.
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Tianjin may have a population of 13.5 million … MILLION! … but it hasn’t lost it’s old-school charm. I have been told that, prior to 2000, only the very wealthy or very politically connected drove cars. In a little over ten years’ time, this city has gone from a pedestrian-and-bicycling population to a massively automobile-congested metropolis….
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Apartment hunting in China can be an intimidating business if you’re doing it without the help of your employer. Especially if you’ve just moved here with limited language skills. From what I’ve heard, cities like Beijing and Shanghai are more accommodating for non-Mandarin speakers, but Tianjin retains its local vibe … in language and in…
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What’s Jiaozi? Jiaozi (pronounced “Jow-ze” with the “Jow” rhyming with “ow”), are stuffed, boiled dumplings and are favorite edible in northern China. Fancy restaurants here in Tianjin often feature pages of Jiaozi varieties, ranging from mushroom and chives to sea bass to minced pork. And as for grocery stores? You’d be hard pressed to find one here…
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In this episode of culture shock in China via silly-expat-speaking Mandarin gone awry, the fresh markets of Tianjin set the stage. I love the fresh markets in Tianjin, actually. I never thought I’d find a place to rival what Tonga’s Meketi Talamahu had to offer, but I’ve got to say, the fresh markets (also called “wet markets”)…
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Tianjin is famous for its street food (otherwise referred to as “specialty snacks.” Of particular popularity are edibles such as steamed buns (steamed yeast-based dough filled with minced meat and/or veggies — delicious!), fried dough twists called Ma Hua (lightly spiced hunks of dough that are twisted and then deep fried — confusing), fried “ear…
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Sam and I have been in Tianjin for a week now, and today is the first day we are staying inside because it literally hurts to breathe. Up until now, the air quality hasn’t been that bad. A few smoggy days, certainly — and one day it rained whereby I subsequently noticed that my new…
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Mainland China is the fourth-most visited country in the world (Macau and Hong Kong rank 6th and 8th, respectively for 2012) and yet, despite the millions of tourists, obtaining a tourist visa remains a somewhat daunting task. And if a person is going for employment or other business purposes, an additional hurdle of document authentication…
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In late 2011, Sam and I were riding our bikes back from a birthday party at Good Samaritan Beach Resort on the far north-east side of Tongatapu. It was early evening on a Saturday, and we’d spent the last hour pedaling through plantations and small villages where men gathered in kava huts. As we approached…
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