Half inch cut Green Beans
Square cuts of pork
香叶 1 Bay leaf
大料 2-3 Star Anise
1. Heat oil in wok (gas stove)
2. Add spices and wait for 30 seconds
3. Turn up the heat and add the meat while stirring
4. Quickly cover meat with Corn Starch and stir again
5. Pour desired amount of soy sauce
6. Continue stirring untill meat is cooked
7. Add green beans and stir for 1 minute
8. Pour enough water in so that beans just start to float, bring to a boil
9. Let boil for 10 minutes until water gets thick.
We had some steamed 水果玉米 and cucumbers with it. Breakfast anyone?
Good for introduction of a language & Getting a base of the language, its a study technique in which you walk at a quick pace with a good posture (standing straight up) while repeating every word you hear of your target language from earphones (only one earphone in so you can hear yourself as well). At the same time you are holding up the lesson book that goes to your audio, following along (reading and speaking).
Why walk at a fast pace?
The theory is, your mind is more focused on what you are hearing and doing.
What you need:
earphones / ear-buds mp3 player Bilingual textbook (right page target language, left page teaching language) -Book should contain continuous Chinese text and come with audio. -Audio should not contain pauses or gaps of silence, you can edit the audio with Audacity if it does.
What does this study technique accomplish?
- Improved Intonation in your target language - A strong base for a new language (this is intended for beginners)
First step:
Blind Shadowing -
Start of by listening to your audio while walking swiftly outside, while listening you want to repeat everything you hear as soon as you hear it, you will be speaking over the audio, do this until you are almost speaking directly over the voice.
Keep it to one lesson a day until you have the sounds almost memorized. Each session should be one page, no more than 15 minutes at a time (you should do this in chunks through out the day).
Once you've done this to enough pages and you feel like you understand what the sounds are, how to say them, or feel curious like you need to understand what some of the things you are hearing mean then its time to move on to step two.
Second step:
Now you will read the book, holding it up to your face so you can read it while walking swiftly, read the teaching language while speaking the target language, do not read the target language side. When you start to have an understanding of what sounds match up with what meanings in the teaching language you should move on to the next step.
Third step:
Once your familiar with the contents of each lesson/page start to read with with your thumbs, keep your right thumb and left thumb under the target language and corresponding teaching language as you read, speak and walk while moving your thumbs down one line at a time in sync with each other and the audio. Keep your focus on the teaching language still, once you think you know what a word/sound means look at the target language. Eventually you will move to the target language completely, that's when your ready for the next step.
Fourth step:
You are not allowed to look at the learning language, keep your mind thinking in the target language, don't think "oh what does this mean in my native language?" don't allow your self to wonder and wander back to your L1 (native language).
At this point, when you are not shadowing you should be taking 15-30 seconds out of your day to try and think only in your target language, not allowing your self to revert for even a second to your native tongue, try to work up to a minute then more.Tell your self "I'm not going to allow my self to think in English".
Fifth step:
After a month of doing one new lesson each day you will need to reverse the order of the steps, if your on say lesson 28 then on lesson 28, 29 and 30 you will look mostly at the target language, then on lesson 31, 32, and 33 you will allow your self to look at the teaching lesson, keep doing 3 page intervals until you are only reading the teaching language, and then finally just blind shadowing (no book).
Sixth step:
Next, sit down and write each lesson on a blank piece of paper word for word, analyzing the meaning (looking the words up) and reading the text aloud, you should be able to do this now with out the need for pause because you will have said them so many times already, remember to keep these study sessions in 15-30 minute intervals, study's show that the mind starts to wander after 30 minutes. Make sure to write it out by hand, as you write, speak the words don't just sit there silently. Do one new lesson each day.
As you continue make sure to review the lessons you have done by spending 30 minutes reading a lesson you have written, on another spend 30 minutes writing it out by hand again, and 30 analyzing another.
Repeating this process 30 minutes a time for 2 hours a day will get you through one average book in 3 months, this will give you a very strong base in a new language and help you with intonation.
And intonation is the main reason why I've posted this, as many of us already have a base in Mandarin, most of us still have problems with intonation or the flow of the tones when speaking because we need to pause and think of the tones, the earlier stage of Blind Shadowing and further steps may help us speak fluidly.
This is by no means a casual study program, its an intense way of studying that should not only get you some exercise but also results. To better understand the technique listen to Prof. Alexanders lecture's on how to properly Shadow, I've written this out step by step from his third video on the subject because of its length, he does have the steps written on his web page but not in the same detail as his videos. If your serious about study, especially self study then this is the way to go.
Here is his demonstration of Shadowing, he's walking back and forth because of the camera.
Now that I've got a VPN service I'm back, instead of transferring my blog to a different site I decided this would cause less of a struggle in the long run until I can find a permanent place that wont be blocked at random by the great firewall.
If you want unfiltered access to the internet from China there are several options, the cheapest one being proxy, this is best accomplished by using TOR but if you haven't downloaded it before making your landing and cant access the site, you can download the windows bundle from here and the Mac bundle from here. If you're not in China yet I suggest downloading directly from the site.
If you will be in China for a year or more I suggest using a VPN (virtual private network) this will allow you to connect to a computer outside the firewall and browse the net using their connection. WiTopia seems to be a favorite for users in China and it also holds one of the cheapest prices. Your even able to set up your iPhone for unfiltered use if you go with the basic PPTP package or the expensive multi package. Its much faster than TOR and you are able to access everything, even You Tube videos and Hulu at a descent speed.
What if you're not sure you will need it, maybe the websites you use aren't blocked but you're not in China at the moment, how do you find out? Go to http://www.greatfirewallofchina.org/ and check.
UPDATE:
Thanks to Greg for pointing out that the test site is no longer being worked on I will accept any small lists of websites that people want checked. Leave the list in a comment that way others can see whats already been asked.
UPDATE 2:
TOR is blocked just about everywhere in China now. I recently switched to a proxy service called Freedur thanks to Chengduliving.
I'm currently jotting down every bit of highly used vocabulary and grammar, its almost essential for me to learn similar words and phrases at the same time so that they aren't confused later. Here is an example that I was mixing up before and was able to piece together yesterday.
zěn me
what?, how?, why?
zěn me le
whats up? whats going on?
zěn me yàng
how about (something) how was it? how are things?
zěn me cái
why are you late ( in doing something)
example: nǐ zěn me cái lái (literal translation: why are you late coming? or arriving)
zěn me can be used in many other ways, just type it in the box at the top left corner (MDBG search box) and see for your self. If anyone has something useful to add don't hesitate.
Like most of you in China I'm studying Mandarin and doubling as a teacher, when you learn how to teach a language you learn the proper way to learn a language. So for anyone not teaching, here is something to absorb:
Yakun and I were walking to the supermarket last night when I told her: "context is something we really need to pay attention to when trying to understand each other, when trying to make a point English speakers like to explain themselves and then say their point, while most Chinese would say their point and then explain."
Earlier on in our relationship I said "I probably wont understand you if your trying to tell me something by "beating around the bush", if you tell me directly it will make life much easier for both of us".
Something Ken Carroll wrote in an article recently put this further into perspective for the both of us. And an article he referred to made me realize, if I'm speaking Mandarin then I need to place more importance on the social situation and implications that it may have contextually.
Whenever we're eating and I'm a little tired from leaning down to the bowl (our table isn't exactly set up according to fēng shuǐ standards) I may set my kuài zi down for a finger fatigue break. Its at this point that she will look over at me and ask "bǎo lē ma?" if its something shes cooked it may have a hidden meaning of "it doesn't taste good?" so when I reply with "no I'm just taking a break" it may sound like "yes, its not very good". Which would result in a disappointing sigh, and my preceding bewilderment.
I give her a lot of credit, shes been very direct when speaking English with me when she wants something and doesn't expect me to just "get it". And even though some may view this as a crutch for me, she is speaking English, and that's the way it should be done (most of the time). When speaking pǔ tōng huà I will keep in mind that I cant and shouldn't be direct as much as I should play with the social context to get my point across.
On an unrelated note, here is a classic Chinese cartoon representing 36 different characters. (thanks to Yakun for finding it)
I had the privilege of meeting Yakuns parents this spring festival in the countryside, we had a great time making traditional foods like jiao zi and mian tiao together. I've been able to make jiao zi a few other times, once at my school so I was able to keep up with the family but I'll show you that another time. Here we are going to learn how to make my favorite soup noodle dish, mian tiao with the help of mom and her massive rolling pin.
Step 1. Add water and flour together, kneading it until its the size of a softball. *Don't add any salt, sugar or egg. Were not trying to grow tumor's or create other unnecessary side effects here.
Step 2. Find a large rolling pin, if there are none of the size depicted in the following video go ahead and break one off from the dining room table. All set? Lets get started!
Step 3. Once you have a large flat piece of dough fold it like origami.
Step 4. Cut with fingers curled inwards.
Step 5. Boil for about the same time it takes to make the spaghetti noodles your used to, its done when it turns from white to yellowish white.
Step 6. Watch the video to see how its done by a pro.
you can add some tomato, cilantro or any other spices and herbs you like, Yakun suggests using these noodles for your spaghetti as well.
Having spent more than a few months in China I can tell you I’m already past the romantic stage of our relationship and on to complaining about who’s going to do the dishes next, no I’m not talking about my dearest Yakun I’m talking about my romantic view of China as it was, but it’s not completely faded.
You've probably noticed that you’re being stared at, and you’re told it’s the curious nature of Chinese people, it shouldn't bother you… But it does, at least when they stare for longer than a period of five minutes while your trying to slurp down that hot bowl of 面条 (miàn tiáo) flour noodles.
Being an uncommon sight it doesn’t help that I also have a local girlfriend, which can promote angry stares from what I presume to be lonely men. I guess it can’t be helped but I want to make the situation more enjoyable for the both of us by poking fun at it, so today I learned a few words to do just that.
What are you looking at?
看你个头?
kàn nǐ gè tóu?
Why are you staring? Is there a flower on my face?
看什么看，我脸上有花儿啊？
kàn shén me kàn, wǒ liǎn shàng yǒu huār á?
The English translation may sound cute, but saying this to a stranger is rude, depending on your tone of voice you could get away with this one but I wouldn’t除非你有种 (chú fēi nǐ yǒu zhǒng ) unless you have the balls.
I finally settled on using this one-liner so I could get back to my meal with out feeling like a jerk.
Can I help you? -or- Do you need something?
有事吗?
yǒu shì ma?
saying this with a kind and humorous demeanor should get you back to a peaceful meal.
Just to cover my self, don't go around using the first two of these carelessly. There, I'm covered!
