Xiar Bing and Dou Dou

My friend, Nick, lives with a host family here in Beijing. I have been able to spend time with his 中国爸爸，妈妈，and 妹妹 (zhongguo baba, mama, and meimei = Chinese father, mother, and little sister) over the past two months, including dinner at their house prepared by the mother, Zhang Xian, hiking for a day in one of Beijing's suburbs, and taking over their kitchen for a night to cook dinner with some friends for Nick's birthday. Last weekend, the father, Feng Yao, taught us how to make a type of 饼 (Xiar Bing, a pan fried pork bun resembling a dumpling). Photos are below:


A bing is prepared by rolling out thin rounds of flour and water dough, then placing the filling in the center of the pancake and sealing the dough. Finally, it is seared on both sides in a pan. Our bings were made with a pork and scallion mixture and soooo delicious. So delicious that I forgot to take a final picture before digging in.


Simin, Nick, and Feng Yao hard at work.

I also got to meet Hu Taitai's son, Dou Dou, last Saturday. He's five years old and full of energy, just like his mom.


Finally, I was planning on writing an entry on one of my favorite indulgences here in Beijing, but my friend, Simin, beat me to it. She put it better than I ever could, so check out her blog for our experiences with blind massages here in Beijing: http://siminbeijing2010.tumblr.com/post/1343305983/chinese-massage