PingHe Chef!

I was asked by one of my students to be a judge in a cooking competition that was held yesterday after school. Of course I said yes.

The club that organized it all is the "Olive Club" here in the high school. They promote healthy living and proper eating habits. There were six students that were competing and we had to grade each one on four different categories. Taste, health index, economy (how cheap or easy it is to make) and creativity.

There were three teachers as judges (myself included) and two student judges. Us teachers watched in trepidation as the food was being prepared. It didn't seem like anything was being washed and the room was jam packed with students touching and trying everything. All I could think was...I am SO going to get the flu.

The first dish we tried was a tuna and boiled egg sandwich. Not too creative or daring or healthy but good and solid and tasty. The next thing we had was potato salad type dish with potatoes, cucumbers and carrots. It was ok. Slightly sweet. Crunchy. Next came a weird dish of potatoes, tuna and corn...I'm not sure what it was supposed to be. It tasted ok but I can't imagine having it again. The next dish definitely got my highest score for creativity. It was a kind of glutinous rice sprinkled with sugar and served on rose petals. The rose was a bit bitter, the sugar was nice but the rice goo was pretty plain. My favorite dish was the 5th one. One of my students (do you hear the note of pride in my typing?) made a very yummy dish with cucumbers and tofu. It was garlicy and fresh tasting with just a bit of spice for a kick. Last, but certainly not least, another of my students made a mashed potatoes dish with bits of ham. It was pretty darn good and made me homesick for mashed potatoes.

In the end, the mashed potatoes came in the first, the cucumber and tofu came second and the potato/carrot salad came in third. And it's almost 24 hours later and I haven't gotten sick yet, so it looks good! I asked the student in charge of the club when there would be a cooking competition for the teahcers. :-D

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The weather has gotten so weird. Last week I was wearing sandals and t-shirts comfortably. Today I am shivering in a sweater. Apparently this nice cold won't last too long though. It's supposed to get back up to the mid 70's later this week.

For those of you who care, please remember that Daylight Savings Time does not exist in China. I am therefore now 13 hours ahead. Keep that in mind when setting up skype dates or sending text messages (text messages I receive while sleeping will either be checked and immediately forgotten by Half-Asleep-Stephanie or will be replied to very grumpily).

Tonight I am going off to the BaBaiBan department store. My coworker reccomended it for getting a new laptop battery. Wish me luck!

Much Love,
Stephanie