Hot, Humid and Harrowing

I wish a picture could describe the temperature, but it just can't. Think a cross between a summer yoga studio in Maggie's class with the window closed and a hot shower ALL DAY LONG! I drank 4 bottles of water didn't use the bathroom once until after dinner... probably not the healthiest!

So besides the weather, it was like a standard day of work in the office and assembly plant. Nothing really to tell you about there, but the dinner after work is worth sharing.

My team was taken to a classic Chinese restaurant by our Chinese coworkers. I'm travelling with a group of 5 people, one who has never been to China as well as two who have only been here once before... so a classic Chinese dinner is a great experience for them (me, not so much LOL).

A classic Chinese meal takes place around a large round table with a large "lazy Susan" in the middle. The hosts order many dishes and they come out one by one from the kitchen. For this meal, we have 7 people and approximately 15 different dishes were served. This restaurant also has the feature of live tanks to pick your "dish" from... different fish, sea creatures, turtles, etc. We refer to these meals at the "Wheel of Mystery."

Dishes included items with duck (all parts skin, meat, and bones), abalone, sea cabbage, chicken, beef, pork, different fish, roasted garlic, egg custard with clams, and a build your own Bejing duck wrap "station." Enjoy the pictures! (Click on the image and more fun food pictures will carousel through!)

The travel continues today, after we are done in the office today, we are taking a high speed train to our next destination, Xiamen! The train ride will be approximately 4.5 hours but will offer so many more great views of China than air travel. Plus, at this time of year the trains always run on time, while China domestic air travel can be very unpredictable due to the weather.        

Map of train travel

Namaste MPY Yogis!

Anne

Travel and Meditation

Two days of solid travel... left Sheboygan Falls at 7:30am Sunday and arrived at Hotel #1 Monday at 11:30pm... how do you do it? Meditation is my answer. The 13+ hour flight was a great place to practice breathing exercises and visual meditations. Now don't get me wrong, I'm normal and watched a bunch of movies (Oceans 11, 12, and 13 and the new Beauty and the Beast) too, but when I thought I just can't sit any longer, I turned to meditation. Breathing in on a count of 4 and exhaling to a count of 8... 

When I arrived to my hotel room the first thing I did was shower off the airplane, but then I found a cozy spot in my room and re-centered myself before going to bed. I took a melatonin tablet (great for combatting jet lag) and sat quietly for about 15 minutes before I felt ready to climb into bed. 

I slept a solid 6 hours and awoke to a hazy morning on the 47th floor of the hotel. I decided to start my morning with some stretches and balance to help me feel grounded as I begin my day. Doing yoga when traveling can be a simple as simple as that. The first morning after two days of travel can be hard, I wasn't feeling the need for a sweaty flow, just some stretches and balance overlooking the city was all I needed.

Now it's off to breakfast and then off to work... Namaste MPY Yogis!

Anne

Follow Anne to China

Hey there awesome MPY yogis... many of you know I travel to China for work three to four times a year. Well, I'm headed over the pond again. While I'm away from the studio, I thought I would keep connected by blogging this next trip. I will share with you how I still get yoga in daily, as well as some of my experiences on the other side of the world. I leave Sunday (7/30) and will be back in Sheboygan Falls on Saturday (8/5).

Here are some stats about this trip:

• The direct flight from Chicago to Beijing is 13 hours and 35 mins.
• I will take 4 different flights and 1 high speed train on this trip.
• I will stay in 3 different hotels.
• I will not eat any Chinese food... he he he he!

Stay tuned... Namaste!

Anne

Stir Fry and Salad

You'll have to forgive my lack of creativity this week, but I spend the majority of my time studying (and fretting) about my 7 hour long MCAT exam I had today (Friday).

The first recipe I made this week with ingredients from the SCIO Farmers Market in Fountain Park was a spinach salad. Unlike last week's spinach salad this week's had strawberries. I didn't have time, but a great addition to the salad as shown would be some roasted nuts and goat cheese or feta.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries

I also made a vegetable stir fry with carrots, green onions, some chive like green (not sure what it is), and pea tips. I used carrots because it is what I had left in the fridge, but broccoli, peppers, or any other veggie can make a great addition. I also served mine with some baked tofu I made, but cubing and frying any meet you like works too.  I served my stir fry on ramen noodles since I had some lying around and they're faster to make than rice, but rice makes a nice bed as well.

I served it with kimchi becasue I love kimchi.

First things first, chop all your veggies into bite size pieces. Pictured below are the pea tips. I suggest you try them if not in a stir fry in a salad or something. They taste like peas! (Shocking.)

Pea tips! Buy! Buy! Buy! (Tasty)

Then heat up some oil in a large pan or wok on medium/medium-high heat. (I just bought this wok at the Union Oriental Market right off South Business Drive. $18 I hope to use it a lot this summer. It's nice to have a lot of space when sautéing or stir frying.)

Then add any thick/heavy vegetables like carrots or broccoli. Cook for about 5 minutes. 

Then progressively add the thinner and less dense vegetables over the next 3 to 5 mintues. 

Added green onions (mostly the bottom white part). Stir. 

Then I added this chive like green that looks like grass. (Along with the green part of the green onion.)

Lastly I added the pea tips. This is the last time I will say this, but I REALLY liked these pea tips. I don't know how I've lived without them for so long. 

Om nom nom... All done! I seasoned it with a little soy sauce and fish sauce.

Have a great weekend! Hopefully Anne with see you for yoga at the SCIO Farmers Market in Sheboygan tomorrow at 10:45.