A Chinese Wedding and Thoughts on Haiti

On our first full day in Changsha, which was incidentally Nathan's
birthday (Happy Birthday Darling!!), we were delighted to accept the
invitation to attend a Chinese wedding! Now, you know that I love
weddings, and I LOVE parties, so it was a fantastic opportunity to
really sample the flavor of Chinese culture. And sample we did!

In China, the signing of a marriage certificate is done in advance,
followed by a celebration/reception/party several months, or even
years, later. Most weddings seem to take place in hotels, but the
entire event depends on the finances of the family. The size of
Chinese wedding celebrations are described (amongst the women) by the
number of tables....the wedding we attended was around 20, with 8-10
people at each table. The ceremony was short, sweet, and hilarious!
The groom waited on stage, while the bride, in a gorgeous and
traditional bright red dress, waited at the end of the aisle. The
entire event was presented by an MC, with much audience participation.
The groom walked down the aisle to collect his bride, karaoke-style,
to a popular love song. They then walked back down the aisle together,
and joined hands on stage. An exchanging of rings took place,
accompanied by bubbles and confetti and hollering from the audience.

In China, most celebrations seem to be about food: the wedding was no
different. Bottles of rice wine, beer, funny-flavored milk (my fav is
coconut/apple), and sprite were set at each table, along with small
chocolate favors and interesting appetizers. And then the feast began.

And, OH, what a feast.

At least 10 dishes were brought to each table by waitresses
coordinated in both dress and movement. They didn't stop bringing out
the dishes, and we certainly didn't stop eating: bamboo shoots and
tender bits of frog simmered in a spicy stew; a bowl of bbq duck
pieces (including the head) and Chairman Mao's favorite dish (2" thick
pork fat braised in brown sauce); an entire river fish that was
slightly too big for the bowl in which it was served and shrimp with
crispy shells. It was an amazing way to try so many culinary delights,
and to sample things that we wouldn't know how to order in a
restaurant.

Can you believe that was just our first day in Changsha, AND Nathan's
birthday? We celebrated his birthday again that evening with bbq
oysters, cold beers, and chatting for hours with new friends in a
"circus tent" (see photos on shutterfly).

We leave Changsha this evening, and we are both already missing this
city we have grown to love. We made exceptional new friends, truly
honed our love for Hunan food, and felt a strong link to family that
lived here 100 years ago (more blog postings on this soon).

Our time in Changsha was made all the more vivid by the devastating
news from Haiti, especially as we have been exploring and learning
about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Here in China, just ninety minutes
after the quake, the Chinese Premier was on-site, overseeing relief
efforts. Along with many other countries, China has send aid to Haiti,
and hopefully will be given the opportunity to share some
best-practices, ideas, strategies, and personal experience.
Considering the expedited response and strongly organized recovery
effort of China during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, as compared to the
fairly-botched recovery after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it mystifies
me as to why China isn't in charge of the Haitian recovery process!?

When you have also experienced large-scale tragedy, especially in the
case of natural disasters, a strong compassion and empathetic
understanding develops. Our hearts ache for Haiti, our thoughts return
to the feelings of helplessness and confusion and fear that consumed
the gulf south in 2005, and our hearts are driven to do more good,
share more love, and connect more deeply each day.

I made a financial donation to Madre today (http://www.madre.org),
they are a woman-focused, human-rights organization that does good
work internationally.

More from Guilin soon, our next stop. Until then, much love and peace
and goodwill to all.

xo