The morning started with his brother-in-law, our driver, taking us to breakfast where in spite of my still feeling plump from last night's large dinner and request for a small meal, I was treated to more food than I could eat. I've learned that while there is little tradition as to what type of foods can be eaten at which times of the day, breakfast is considered an important meal for daily health.
We then traveled from Ciyao to villages without names, stopping by Andy's now-abandoned middle school on the way to his childhood village. The opportunity gave rise to lots of discussion about Chinese education and Andy's drive to succeed that earned him the opportunity to attend University in Qingdao.
The next stop was Andy's childhood village and his parent's home -- both the home that he was raised in (now abandoned) and the adjacent one where they now live.
Andy and his parents:
After a welcoming tea with its own special serving traditions, his mother and sisters set about preparing a feast for the occasion -- something reserved for a few celebrations each year and when honored guests visit. It was clear that Carol, Andy and I were honored guests as Andy told me that this amount of food -- and the inclusion of the otherwise absence of meat in their daily meals -- and the slaughter and preparation of one of their own chickens -- was reserved for such high celebrations. Much conversation and touring the house and the village occured while these were prepared by the women:
And soon became this:
And we sat around the short table and enjoyed the meal in traditional Chinese fashion -- no individual plates, just picking as we wanted from each of the plates as they were delivered and accumulated -- each arriving just a few minutes after the prior.
Because the women were involved in preparing the meals individually -- they ate together when the others were finished. I stayed for both meals and continued to enjoy lots of interesting conversation.
In addition to tours of Andy's parents' current home, Andy took us next door to visit his childhood home built of the traditional mud bricks.
And we visited his parents' plot of farming land where we also visited neighbors who were harvesting their crop of ginger for sale and also have a chicken farm (next two photos are of Andy's parents' neighbors).
More tea, more conversation, more tours around the village -- and Andy's mother insisted that we stay for the dinner meal of homemade pork and veggy dumpling. I've never had fresher veggies as I watched as Andy's mom picked them from the field, and with his sisters, washed and prepared them.
The women welcomed my request to learn how to fill/shape the dumplings -- but I assure you everyone could tell which ones I made. It's a technique I failed to master in many attempts but that didn't dissuade me from continuing to add to the growing number.
Because the dumplings were all prepared together, everyone was able to sit and enjoy them together.
It was the end of a happy day -- with a very full stomach from much delicious food when we said good night to Andy's family and returned to our hotel in Ciyao. It had been a uniquely amazing day where I was welcomed, fed and treated as an honored guest -- but also made to feel like I was loved like family. Photo is of Andy and his mother, dad and sisters.
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