M.E.I.G.S Diary

The past few weeks, we have learned about Chinese culture. We have learned about Mulan, Chinese foods, fashion, poetry, animals, government, theatre, traditions and culture.

There are many different legends about the story of Mulan. This story shows the courage it takes to take your father's place and fight in a war. Mulan was an excellent example of filial piety. Filial piety is showing respect to your family and elders, bringing honor to your family and ancestors.

It was the social norm for a girl to bind her feet when she was young, making their feet three inches long. This made it hard to walk, and they could barely leave the house. This was only made illegal in the early nineteen-hundreds.

In America, you are allowed to have as many children as you want, but in China you can only have one child unless you want to pay a big fine. This began in 1978. China is a very different place than the USA, and I think that makes it more interesting to us.

Below, you will find two recipes and several creative short stories inspired by our studies about China. Hope you guys enjoy it!

from

A, A, M & T!

Goat In China

By Maeve Donohue

When I woke up this morning I heard the soft snuffles of my mother. The sun had begun to rise and cast shadows on the Chinese temples. I got up and stretched. After a quick breakfast of hay, I heard the bell signaling for all the goats to head out to the tea leaf plantations.

You might not think that its not a good idea for goats to be sent out into the tea bushes, but it's a good thing! Goats don't like the taste of tea, so we eat the weeds around the bushes. The bushes get weeded, the goats get food.

After that all the goats were herded down to the stream, where I drank long gulps of cool water and splashed with my family and friends. When I looked up towards the tea bushes I saw the people picking and carrying bags of tea leaves.

By then the sun had began to set, casting eerie shadows over the fields. We headed back to the barn. I cozied up in straw and fell asleep.

Maeve and Timberlake with their braided bread

No More Footbinding

by Timberlake Pieper

I woke up one morning and looked down at my three inch long feet. I wondered what it would be like if I didn’t have to bind bind my feet. I wasn’t supposed to but at night I would take of the binding.

“Lei!” My mother called from the other room. “Lei, are you up yet?”

I quickly bound one foot and then the other, and ran into the other room. My mother looked down and saw that the binding on my feet was twisted. She sighed and bent down to fix the binding.

“You know nobody likes it but they do it anyway.” She said.

“For some reason…” I mumbled. “I don’t like it mother! It hurts and makes your feet unnaturally small!”

“Lei everyones name has a meaning. Your name means thunder, you have always known what you want, you work for what you think is right, but with this there is nothing you can do.”

I wasn’t happy… No I was more than not happy, I was angry. It wasn’t fair! I shouldn’t have to have to bind my feet if I didn’t want to. My mother sent me outside to feed our goats. My mother came out a little while later, and took the bucket of food from my hands.

“What? You told me to feed the goats.” I asked sullenly. She gave me the look… You know that motherly look that means “really?” I looked down and realized that I had been throwing the food all over the goats and they where trying to eat off of their own backs.

“I’m sorry mother.”

“Really, Lei maybe in the future it will be different but for now, we can’t change it.”

New Year's Day

by Alexandra Spadafino

Today is New Years Day and mama is cooking the rice;papa is out in the garden picking the vegetables for the dumplings. My brother is getting the dimpling dough ready. when papa came back with the vegetables I washed them, and then cut them. Tonight our family is having a big party for the New year. With a bing of a bell the rice was ready. I then stemed the vegetables to where they were crisp. The aroma of the food crossed through the town making who ever was around mouths water.Soon my brother started putting the Dumpling dough and the stemed vegetables together like pieces of a puzzle.Soon the dumpling where put in the oven. while that was cooking we all talked abut the New Year ahead of us. Then the dumplings where ready, mama took them out, they where a beautiful crispy color. Our fest for the New Year is ready.

Aine and Alexandra with their "Zombie Bread"

Recipes!

New Year's Day Dumplings

Aine makes Dumplings!

Ingredients

5-6 Red cabbage leaves

2-3 carrots

4-5 mushrooms

1 white onion

1 package of dumpling wrappers

2 inch section of ginger

Instructions

Get all your ingredients out.

Dice all of your vegetables, and put them all in a big bowl.

Peel the ginger, dice the ginger, then put it in the bowl with all the vegetables.

Sautee the vegetables in a few tablespoons of olive oil.

After the vegetables are softened, put them on a cookie sheet and let them cool off and drain.

Take the wrappers and put a heaping tablespoon of vegetables onto the edge of the wrapper.

Fold the wrapper in half, then seal with water.

Pinch the edges to make a pretty design.

Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Fry the dumplings for 1 minute.

Pour 1/2 a cup of water over the dumplings. Put a lid on the skillet and let the dumplings steam.

Take them out and serve with soi sauce.
Enjoy!

Chinese Spring Rolls

Spring Roll Prep!

Ingredients

2-3 Carrots, diced

4 Shittake Mushrooms, diced

1 pack Vermicelli Noodles

2-3 leaves red or green cabbage, diced

1 pack spring roll/egg roll wrappers

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Clean and dice all vegetables. Put them all in a large bowl. Drizzle rice vinegar and soy sauce over the vegetables. Let them sit for few minutes.

2. Place noodles in a bowl, then pour boiling water over them til they are cooked. About ten minutes.

3. Lay a wrapper on a plate.

4. Place a heaping tablespoonful of the vegetable filling on the bottom corner of the wrapper. Roll over a few times. Then, fold the left corner in to the middle, keeping the wrapper tight. Do the same with the right corner of the wrapper. Then, continue rolling, leaving a small corner of the wrapper unfolded.

5. Mix the cornstarch with a few Tbsps of water to make a paste. Brush a small amount onto the last corner of the wrapper, to seal it all in tight.

6. Warm up enough oil to immerse the spring rolls in at least halfway.

7. Place the rolls in the oil until golden brown, turning midway.

8. Let cool on sheets of paper towl.

Enjoy!