Xinjiang's Best Food: Uyghur Bread

Every once in a while there rises from within an ethnic group a particular cultural characteristic that tends to represent the group as a whole.  Interestingly it has a tendency to be food: burgers in America; pasta in Italy; rice in China.  For the Uyghurs, a small ethnic group situated in this large province of China, it's their bread.  

The Uyghur Bread Stand

It's pretty much impossible to walk a city block anywhere in Xinjiang without running into a Uyghur bread stand.  The stands selling this bread, also referred to as "nan" or "nang", are more common to this part of China than Starbucks is in America (but thankfully they're much cheaper!).  The stand itself is pretty simple.  It usually consists of a small room to mix the dough next to a large stove, called the "tonnir", right outside to bake the bread. This stove, a big stomach shape with a small mouth is usually made of sun-dried earth bricks and heated by either coal or wood.

For nearly twelve hours a day this stand is occupied by two or more Uyghur men - one to make the dough, one to cook the bread and sometimes another to sell or deliver it.  For many this is their livelihood, a skill passed down from generation to generation and taught as a specialized trade.  There's no formal school  in which to train and no recipe books exist (that I know of) so if you're looking to make your own Uyghur-style bread your best bet is to apprentice yourself to one of these men.  Good luck.

Whenever I pass one of these stands I can't help but be taken in by the intoxicating smell of fresh bread and during the bitter cold of the winter I am drawn to the heat generated by the stove.  In fact, this may be one of the strongest memories that I will carry with me whenever I decide to finally leave Xinjiang.

 

The Bread

I have been told that there are over 50 different kinds of Uyghur bread.  I didn't believe this number until I noticed that I rarely see the same kind of bread at two different stands.  Here's a small list of just a few that I have seen so far:

• Flat Bread - usually round in shape
• Flaky Bread
  
• Small Baguette Bread
  
• Sourdough Bread
• Bagel Breads

On top of that, each stand has its own assortment of "goodies" that they may mix or cover the bread including onions, sesame seeds, hot spices, and meat.  It really is amazing to see the creativity that is put into some of these family recipes.

Don't Miss Out

Visiting Xinjiang without eating Uyghur bread is pretty much a sin.  It's dirt cheap as long as you're not buying it at the airport or a tourist trap.  Just remember that if you're paying anything over 2 yuan for a single piece you're getting ripped a good one.  Also it's a good idea to get it while it's hot, as I personally enjoy my bread soft instead of crunchy.  Whether you eat it with kebabs, dip it in the DaPanJi sauce, or just eat it by itself, don't miss out on this Xinjiang-Uyghur specialty.
 

A man sells his bread in Kashgar

Thanksgiving Turkey in Xinjiang, China: The 3 Year Quest Ends

Thanksgivings abroad have always been a bit tricky.   Just ask Tim over at the China Rises blog who has been celebrating his Thanksgiving abroad since before I knew what a computer was. According to him, however, his most recent celebrations in China have been "super easy".  Guess it must be nice to live in Beijing, Tim.

As always, it's a bit harder out here in Xinjiang, so I'm very proud to say that after two and a half long years of living here, we finally got a turkey - and I'm convinced it was the only one in the province!  The last two Thanksgivings here have been somewhat damped by the absence of a turkey and the embarrassing fact that we actually spent time and money traveling to eat at Pizza Hut in Urumqi.  It's not that I never searched for a turkey to eat on Thanksgiving, only that each of my searches ended in us settling for a not-so-Thanksgiving-like chicken.

It really is a baffling thing if you think about it: of all the interesting meats that we have eaten since being here in China (horse, dog, rabbit, donkey, turtle, and duck to name a few), why wouldn't they have turkey? Surprisingly however, very few of our Chinese friends have ever eaten turkey, much less seen one with their own eyes.  Many of my elementary students were clueless even after the word for 'turkey' was translated into Chinese.  "What is that?" they asked me.

This year was different though!  Believe it or not, I had people searching and asking around in all different cities in Xinjiang trying to find us a turkey.  I was this close to sitting on a bus for 8 hours after work on Wednesday just to pick up a turkey to have for Thanksgiving Day!  Thankfully I was spared this long trip when I walked into my Wednesday morning adult class, a class largely made up of government workers in our small town.  Somehow they had heard about my desperate search for a turkey and had tracked one down  in a small farming community about 15km outside of our city and they wanted to give it to us as a gift! They only had one question for me: "Do you want it dead or alive?"

Well alive, of course!  Turns out I not only taught my entire adult class with a big turkey hanging out in the classroom, I even brought him to the elementary school where I introduced many of my students to the first Thanksgiving turkey they had ever seen.  His heroic performance on stage in front of the kids was then rewarded with an immediate trip to the butcher's after which I prepared him for Thanksgiving.  He barely fit in our tiny oven.
 

Our Thanksgiving was finally complete.  Along with about 13 other people we had the best Thanksgiving celebration we've had since arriving here in China.  My wife prepared - from scratch - apple pie, pumpkin pie, salad and fresh rolls.  We ate turkey, played games, and I even popped in a recorded football game I had from last year.
 

We may not have had cranberry sauce and the whole process was far from "super easy", but we just had a turkey feast in Xinjiang and now that I do know what a computer is I get to tell you all about it.

 

Pirated DVD's Redeeming Quality: The Back Cover

Last month, John over at Sinosplice wrote a great piece about the unnecessary waste that comes with a pirated DVD here in China.  The topic was so relevant to life here in China that I'm surprised it hasn't been written about before (or maybe it has and I haven't noticed).  I suggest you read the article yourself, but if you don't have time here's a simple summation of what was said: out of the $1 spent on a DVD here, probably 70 cents goes to pay for the six layers of wrappers and covers that you throw away the moment you take it home.  It's annoying.

Over the past year or so, though, I've also taken notice of one more trend related to pirated DVD's that I actually enjoy - the back cover.  I personally don't buy movies often, but when I do one of my favorite activities is to turn the case around and laugh at the back cover.  Why?  You have to see for yourself.

I know I'm supposed to be a grown adult, but I admit that I love Pixar and I couldn't wait to get a copy of the new Wall-E movie to watch.  Thankfully the copy we eventually found was good viewing quality, but a close inspection of the back cover revealed that these "DVD pirates" don't really care about the cover's accuracy as long as it looks full.  I've done you the service of highlighting the obvious mistakes:

1. The Quotes:  At the last minute, Martin Lawrence and Raven were added to the Wall-E cast after the film's release and they performed wonderfully.  Apparently the folks at Disney were concerned about the lack of racial diversity within the human characters in the movie and wanted to make sure they were being politically correct.  OR this is a quote for the wrong movie.  Happens all the time.
2. Proof of Purchase:  Although I've never scanned the bar code when buying a Chinese DVD, it's absence would obviously make this copy less authentic.  Then again, I just bought a Wall-E DVD with a National Treasure: Book of Secrets proof-of-purchase, so who really cares.
3. The Description:  Just as I was getting hooked by the description of this lovable robot's story, it suddenly ends with, "Transport yourself into a fascinating new..."...new...new what?  WHERE THE HECK AM I GOING TO BE TRANSPORTED TO!!
4. The Credits:  The credits here confirm the suspicions I've had since I started reading this cover - whoever was designing this either has a secret crush on Raven-Symone or was watching her movie while working.  Every word of the credits is for the movie "College Road Trip".  Bravo, genius.
   

Of course I could go on about the bad spelling, the horrible grammar, or how "G-rated" movies mysteriously become "R-rated" movies,  but it all just blends into one big mess of a cover.

My favorite part of it all?  When I pop in the DVD I'm treated to that now commonly used 30-second infomercial telling me not to do the one thing I just did..."You wouldn't steal a car...you wouldn't steal money...so don't buy pirated DVD's!"  Sorry guys, but I don't have any other options here.

Forced Abortion for a Uyghur Woman Rehashes Old Debates

A Xinjiang story involving a pregnant Uyghur woman has made its rounds through the international news community recently. The reason it garnered such attention was because Arzigul Tursun, 6 months pregnant with her third child, had been detained by police and was being forced against her will to undergo a late-term abortion. Due to all the international pressure she has now been released along with the face-saving statement by local police, "She wasn't in good enough health to have an abortion".  Nice try guys, but I don't buy it.

The One-Child Policy for Minorities

Although this effort has saved the life of this one child, it has been more successful in reopening the discussion about the one-child policy in China, a policy that is much more complicated than it may first appear, especially here in Xinjiang. The many rules and exceptions that accompany this policy are enough to make your head spin. For example:

• Han Chinese may have two children if both parents are single children themselves.
• Han Chinese may have a second child if their first child has severe mental or physical disorders
  (decided on by the doctor).
• Ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs (which make up almost half of Xinjiang's population), may have two children.
• Ethnic minorities and even some Han Chinese residing in extremely rural areas (again, a large part of Xinjiang) may even be allowed 3 children.
• People who are willing to pay exorbitant fines can do pretty much whatever they please at the cost of possible public scorn - which is practically nobody here in Xinjiang.  This woman would have had to pay a 45,000 RMB fine ($6,590 US), which is probably a few years' wages for her entire family.
• Some areas in Xinjiang which are populated mostly by Uyghurs offer financial incentives to minorities who stick with only one child.  Uyghur women in Kashgar over the age of 49 with only 1 child will receive a one-time payment of 3,000 yuan ($440) and 600 yuan yearly afterward.  China Xinjiang Web (in Chinese) reports that this year the government projects that it will spend 25.6 million yuan ($3.7 million) in population-control financial incentives!
  

This particular Uyghur woman was interesting because her case fell through the cracks.  She was a city-born Uyghur who is by law allowed two children whereas her husband was from rural country where three children is permitted.  Regardless of this grey-area, though, it seems ridiculous that someone would be forced to go through such a late-term abortion.  Thankfully (at least this time), this disaster was avoided through international intervention, but it makes you wonder how often this happens.

The Debate

Sadly, abortions are a daily occurence here in China - we've known quite a few just in the last year here in Karamay.  Since this one-child policy has been in effect for quite some time, though, it usually never becomes a "forced" abortion.  Everybody knows the rules and for the most part follows them, but sometimes you just can't help accidentally getting pregnant.

So here's the debate, and I would love some comments to see what you think.  The one-child policy, whether you like it or not, has been very successful here in China.  To do away with the law would be detrimental to China's future economy.  But if you - like me - hate to see a woman have to go through an abortion because she already has one child, what's a proper solution?  How can this solution be applied to minorities who want their heritage not just to "survive" the generations, but also to grow?

And here's the kicker question that always seems to divide the Chinese and the West:  since it's not our law, is it even our right to intervene with solutions?

Anatomy of a Modern Chinese Wedding

My dad once told me that in order to fully understand a culture you need to attend a wedding, a funeral, and a baby shower. Unfortunately our Chinese friends never got that memo, so instead of a well-balanced cultural immersion, we've been invited to five (yes, count them...FIVE) weddings this month. We've been to a wedding before and given a brief overview, but we've decided to be a little more detailed this time around. Please keep in mind as you read that we are referring to a modern wedding, not any ancient wedding practices, and we are drawing only from personal experience and what we've asked friends - China is a big country therefore many celebrations and customs differ in different areas, so this might be very specific to Xinjiang.
 

The Beginning of the Marriage

The part of China's marriage process that brought me the most confusion at first was trying to figure out when a marriage begins. The confusion stems from the fact that many times we have learned about a pregnancy before we are even invited to the wedding. In places other than China you might assume that they are getting married because they are pregnant, but in China there is a possibility that they have already been married for quite some time - they just haven't had a wedding.
 

A marriage officially begins in China when a couple apply for and receive what is roughly translated as a "marriage book". It's basically a marriage certificate as we know it, except it looks more like a passport with the couple's picture in it, hence calling it a "book". After a couple fills out a load of paperwork they go to the appropriate government office and apply to be married. Thirty minutes later they are handed their little red book - the beginning of the marriage.
 

Many couples wait months after receiving their marriage book before they actually have a wedding, a period of time which many times is used to decorate their new home. We've seen some couples live together during this time, but we've also seen couples wait until after the wedding to move in together. It seems odd, but this "limbo" period is the reason that often times we hear of a pregnancy before a wedding date is announced.
 

Inviting the Guests

Once they've actually decided to have a wedding they begin to make all the arrangements and invite the guests. We usually receive wedding invitations about a week in advance, but some couples have actually been kind enough to give us a month's warning. The two invitations you see to the left were given to us 4 days before the respective wedding dates. We went to both, which begs the question "Do you have nothing to do in your spare time?!" and, well...we refuse to answer that question. Many invitations we receive are actually "floating invitations", which means that they haven't nailed down the date yet but want us to know they'll be getting married. I'm sure things are different in the bigger cities, but out here in the boondocks they actually have wiggle room on dates.

The Actual Wedding "Ceremony"

Ok, here comes the fun part. There's a lot that goes on before the wedding at the bride's house, but that's a whole different story for a whole different post. Believe it or not, we actually enjoy going to Chinese weddings, eating the food and getting together with our co-workers for the big party. And it is a party. Since they're already married by the time the wedding occurs, the only part of the proceedings which could be considered ceremonious would be the public reading of the marriage book to verify that the couple is, in fact, married.

Sorry, I'm actually getting ahead of myself. First things first. When we arrive at the banquet hall we're usually greeted at the door by the bride, groom, best man, and bridesmaid. Pleasantries and congratulations are exchanged (along with a picture, sometimes), we sign a guest book, and then we just sit at the banquet tables and chat with other guests, eating the customary plate of peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Once most of the guests are seated, the real party begins. It would be pretty boring to give you a play-by-play of the wedding, so instead I'll give you a quick list of things that we've noticed are similar and unique to a Chinese wedding. As you'll see, the modern Chinese wedding has tried its best to imitate foreign weddings and yet twisted those customs to create their own interesting celebration.

1. Similarity: There is big fanfare when the bride enters the room. Difference: In America, we play a song, in China, they light fire crackers. They're done outside the restaurant, but they're usually right outside the window. I've lit them once (see picture to the right), and they are death to the ears at close range. They say it's supposed to drive away evil spirits, but I think they just love the loud sound.
   
2. Similarity: The bride wears a white dress. when you first arrive. This practice is relatively new in China, I believe, because the traditional color for weddings is red. Difference: She seems to want to get out of the white dress as fast as she can! I'd venture to estimate that the first 20 minutes is spent in the white dress while the remaining few hours and after-party are spent in her red dress.
3. Similarity: There is a decorated car that the bride and groom ride in. Difference: They arrive in the decorated car (ALWAYS a black car), and it's usually tastefully done with roses instead of shoe polish and balloons. I honestly don't know if they leave in the car because we've never stayed long enough to figure that out.
   
4. Similarity: There is an emcee. Difference: He is neither a pastor or a judge. He doesn't have to be because by this time they're already married, remember? He's an entertainer and his job is to make the crowd smile and laugh until they are sufficiently drunk to do so on their own. And if you were wondering...no, our camera wasn't malfunctioning. The man pictured here is actually wearing green pants and a purple shirt. I have a feeling he actually thought he looked good wearing them, too.
   
5. Similarity: There is a Best Man and a Bridesmaid. Difference: They're pretty much there to bear the brunt of the emcee's jokes so that the bride and groom don't have to. They eat and drink nasty stuff, endure public humiliation, and at some point in every wedding I've been to, the Best Man ends up face down on the ground. I never quite understand why.
6. Similarity: The music. You'd probably be surprised by how much music you'd recognize at a Chinese wedding. I don't think they understand what words are being sung, but they realize that it's a love song and you're supposed to hear it at a wedding. Difference: The next song is Beijing Opera. Ouch. If you've ever heard Beijing Opera you understand why this is something that would NEVER happen in an American wedding.
7. Similarity: You give a gift to the bride and groom. Difference: You never give anything except money. There is never a gift table, and the term "gift registry" has been difficult for us to translate into Chinese. They usually don't get married as early as we do, so there isn't as much need for housing appliances. The money usually goes to pay for the cost of the wedding, but from what I've heard it never fully covers the cost.

We, of course, weren't married in China, so I concede that these are merely observations from a spectator's point of view. For any readers that have actually been married in China, I'd love to hear what you think of my analysis and what you might add to it. This is by no means a comprehensive overview, but it's the best I can do for now.

Next up? Nine months from now we're preparing for 5 new Chinese babies.

Chinese Massage Therapy Sucks - My Experience with Suction Therapy

I've tried a lot of crazy things in my life, I think. I've eaten things that most people wouldn't dare and tried things that the average person might be scared to do. I've tasted turtle, horse, dog, pig tongue, duck brain, etc; I love to rock climb, rappel, river raft, and gosh-darnit if I go to an amusement park I ride every roller coaster! Ok, so I'm not saying that I'm a daredevil - anybody who knows me could tell you that any risk I take has been meticulously calculated - however I do believe that I do have an above-average control of my fears.

I almost met my match last Wednesday when I faced my fear of the Chinese massage.

I know what some of you are thinking. "Massage!? I sure could use a massage! Why in the world would you be afraid of a massage?" Just wait. You'll be scared, too. This is no ordinary massage. No, sirree. This massage dates back almost 2,000 years and is rumored to be able to cure anything from a sore shoulder to the common cold. This particular type of massage therapy is well-know to most people all over China and can be found in decent massage parlors from Beijing to Karamay.

And it sucks. Literally.

I'll give you a general idea of the process of this therapy, even though its much easier to understand when watching the video below. After properly preparing the back by massaging oil on it for 5 minutes or so, a series of round, glass balls - or "cups" as I will now refer to them - are placed on the back. A moment before placement a small fire is lit inside the cup and soon removed to heat up the air inside. Once the cup makes contact with the skin on your back the hot air creates a vacuum that sucks your skin far into the glass globe. This method, known formally as "flash-fire cupping", feels about as good as it sounds to be honest, but better yet it does a smash-up job of leaving a hickey on your back the size of a small pancake. Once the cups are secure you must allow them to suck at your skin for 10 minutes. As you can tell in the photo below, I got 18 of them (there's one on my right shoulder barely visible if you're counting).
So here's the short story of how and why - questions that I would be asking if I were you right now. The man you see standing next to me in the picture above, Cons, is a friend who has been having some back difficulties. When we talked with a Chinese friend about it, he recommended this therapy which is supposed to (as I mentioned before) ease back pain and cure the common cold. He had back pain, and even though I didn't have a cold to put that crazy notion to the test, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. All three of us agreed to meet on Wednesday and subject ourselves to this "therapy".

I can now tell you that true male bonding only happens when you're half-naked having your back sucked into what feels like a hundred tiny glass balls. You don't get much closer than that.

I was the last person to get the cups, and as I sat there watching the grimaces on the faces of my "cupping" buddies, I can't lie and tell you that I didn't almost back out. You pay for pain with this therapy on the promise that it will make your life better in the days to come - and I don't normally pay for pain! It's too early to tell you how effective this method is physically, but it is already effective in giving my new "conquered fears" list some pizazz:

Fears I have conquered:
1) Eating pig brains
2) Rappelling a high rock face
3) Receiving 18 hickeys by fire-breathing suction cups

Who's a daredevil now?