We did two fun things today that rate as firsts for us in China - lunch at a Chinese restaurant and a visit to the Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory.
We ate for the first time as family at a Chinese restaurant in Suzhou. We have been here nearly two months, but before today we had not taken the kids out for Chinese food. If you knew China, this would tell you immediately that our city is somewhat unique in the number of western food options that it offers. We ate at Yang Yang's restaurant in the Suzhou New District near church. The restaurant was recommended to us by a neighbor who is another family with four children. Yang Yang offered the essential features of a menu with photographs and English language translations.
One of the standard appetizer traditions in China is a bowl of salted peanuts. Joseph is showing off his chopstick skills by holding two peanuts simultaneously with chopsticks. We were told that experienced chopstick users can pick up three peanuts directly from the bowl. This would be a very difficult challenge indeed.
The restaurant was very good, but the kids ate only watermelon and rice. It was a "two thumbs down" experience for the under-10, American crowd.
Next, we took in a sight that is recommended for all visitors to Suzhou - The No. 1 Silk Factory. Suzhou is famous for silk as it lies along the famed silk road that Marco Polo travelled from Europe to China. The No. 1 factory is a bit of a tourist trap, but offered a very interesting overview of the process of silk making all the way from silkworm (Marco is holding a silk worm) to woven cloth and silk products as modeled by Joseph. The products for sale in the store next to the factory are priced 5 to 10 times higher than identical items at small shops a few blocks from the tour buses.
I have posted the remainder of our pictures from the day on our Snapfish page.
We ate for the first time as family at a Chinese restaurant in Suzhou. We have been here nearly two months, but before today we had not taken the kids out for Chinese food. If you knew China, this would tell you immediately that our city is somewhat unique in the number of western food options that it offers. We ate at Yang Yang's restaurant in the Suzhou New District near church. The restaurant was recommended to us by a neighbor who is another family with four children. Yang Yang offered the essential features of a menu with photographs and English language translations.
One of the standard appetizer traditions in China is a bowl of salted peanuts. Joseph is showing off his chopstick skills by holding two peanuts simultaneously with chopsticks. We were told that experienced chopstick users can pick up three peanuts directly from the bowl. This would be a very difficult challenge indeed.
The restaurant was very good, but the kids ate only watermelon and rice. It was a "two thumbs down" experience for the under-10, American crowd.
Next, we took in a sight that is recommended for all visitors to Suzhou - The No. 1 Silk Factory. Suzhou is famous for silk as it lies along the famed silk road that Marco Polo travelled from Europe to China. The No. 1 factory is a bit of a tourist trap, but offered a very interesting overview of the process of silk making all the way from silkworm (Marco is holding a silk worm) to woven cloth and silk products as modeled by Joseph. The products for sale in the store next to the factory are priced 5 to 10 times higher than identical items at small shops a few blocks from the tour buses.
I have posted the remainder of our pictures from the day on our Snapfish page.
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