Susie... COOKING IN CHINA !!!

What can I say! A miracle happens when I land in China. I can cook, and people even think it is good and ask for recipes. The only thing I canfigure out is that I work better under pressure and in adverse conditions. In other words cooking in America with modern appliances, full grocerystores (with items I know what they are) is boring. Give me a Chinese chicken and a Chinese kitchen and a few other basics and I can cook something.

A good deal of my time here revolves around cooking. As many of you know Deysi has a very healthy appetite and Gabriel takes after her. So we have three meals daily. Deysi and Gabriel also prefer hot foods. So in the mornings when Gabriel wakes up, I get up, because we share a room and he wakes me up. I usually fix him hot cereal and a piece of toast. He is really doing good at feeding himself with a spoon. Deysi sleeps until Ariel arises and then I fix her breakfast. Ben and Aunt Evie do their own thing. The second morning I was in China I prepared scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and some sort of meat (summer sausage?) for twenty people. Of course Aunt Evie helped.

This morning I fixed Grandma West's famous french toast and scrambled eggs for around ten people. Who are all of these people? Most of them are part of a group of twenty-four South Africans, I think I mentioned them before. They have become very good friends the last couple of weeks. Some evening we prepare meals together. Another six left this morning for a 6 day hike through the Tibetan mountains and villages. So only four are around right now. They are some of the nicest and most helpful young people I have ever met. They always insist on helping clean up also. Stay tuned for a Chinese kitchen description.

Susie.