After a month of watching what I eat, and where I eat it, wary of dodgy stomach bugs and the like, one weekend in October found me eating food out of sections of bamboo in the foothills of some nearby mountains and drinking water from a stream.
And it was one of the best days I have had here to date.
Some students from Class 118, the good ones, took me out one Sunday afternoon for a picnic. I had no idea what to expect, but least of all was building an open fire near the edge of a small stream, washing meat, vegetables and rice in said stream and then cooking them in a wok we'd borrowed from a nearby farmhouse. At the farmhouse we negotiated a good price for a big-ass piece of bamboo, which the farmer chopped down for us and sawed into pieces. For those not familiar with the anatomy of bamboo (and I would have included myself in this category!), it is made up of several segments which are closed off by plates at each end. These made instant vessels to hold things in, such as water and our dinner and were also perfect for cooking rice in. We made a small hole in one end of the bamboo segment, and put in some water and rice. Then this hole was plugged with a bit of wood and the whole thing was thrown on the fire. About 20 minutes later, we raked out the bits of bamboo, split them in half and inside was cooked rice! I hesitate to say perfectly...results were a bit variable to say the least, but I was well impressed!!! How cool is that!!
I had a great time with the kids and again was out in the countryside, seeing the real deal. Unfortunately no photos, but some great memories.
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