Healthy Weekend Dessert

Stewed Lotus Seeds Snow Fungus

Nutritious and restorative, this dessert is very popular in China for centuries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1. 4 whole floret Snow fungus / white fungus
2. 50 g Dried lotus seeds without bitter green embryo
3. 600 ml Water
4. 50 g dates
5. Rock sugar

Method:
1. Soak white fungus, lotus seeds and dry dates until they become soft for about 3-4 hours. Trim the stems and tear into small florets. Rinse fungus briefly and drain. Place the white fungus in a electronic pressured cooker together with lotus seeds, dates, rock sugar and water.
2. Put on the lid of the pressure cooker, lock down and cook under the rice-cooking pressure. For about 20 minutes. It can be served either hot or cold.

English Euphemisms

“He is a bicycle doctor. ” 此句中的doctor是委婉语(euphemism), 是某种职业的美称,故不作"医生"解,而是表示repair man的涵义, 因此应翻译为"他是个自行车修理工."

Euphemism is the substitution of a soft agreeable expression instead of one that is harsh or unpleasant. 在现代英语中, 其出现频率依然颇高,因为人们通过委婉语,可以用温顺悦耳的词语去谈论或叙述一些原来令人不快或逆耳之事物.为此,他们用domestic help, day help或live-in help代替mail或servant(佣人); 以custodian或superintendent替代doorkeeper, caretaker或janitor(看门人或管理人);用She has a tile loose或She has a cylinder missing去代替She is crazy或She is not right in the head(神经失常). 下面有一些例子：

radio doctor for radio electrician
cosmotologist for barber
household executive for housewife
sanitary engineer for garbage collector
sanitary landfill for garbage dump
senior citizens for old people
motion discomfort bag and air-sickness bag for vomit bag
pre-owned vehicles for used cars
the big C for cancer
mixologist for bartender
working class, of modest means for poor
differently abled, physically challenged for handicapped

More examples:

1. Nowadays many weight-watchers would like to go to the gym.
2. They are the culturally deprived.
3. Steve is between jobs at the moment.
4. She was in the family way. (Being pregnant)
5. The boss is known for being economical with the truth. (Lying)

Words To Live By ─ Anonymous

I’ll give you some advice about life. 　
Eat more roughage; 　
Do more than others expect you to do and do it pains;
Remember what life tells you;

Don’t take to heart every thing you hear.
Don’t spend all that you have.
Don’t sleep as long as you want;
Whenever you say "I love you", please say it honestly;
Whevever you say "I’m sorry", please look into the other person’s eyes;
　
Don’t neglect dreams;
Love deeply and ardently, even if there is pain, but this is the way to make your life complete;

Find a way to settle, not to dispute;
Never judge people by their appearance;
Speak slowly, but think quickly;
Remember that the man who can shoulder the most risk will gain the deepest love and the supreme accomplishment;

Call your mother on the phone.
If you can’t, you may think of her in your heart;
Remember the three "respects". Respect yourself,respect others,stand on dignity and pay attention to your behavior;

Don’t let a little dispute break up a great friendship;
Whenever you find your wrongdoing, be quick with reparation!
Whenever you make a phone call smile when you pick up the phone,because someone feel it!

Find time for yourself.
Life will change what you are but not who you are;
The harmonizing atmosphere of a family is valuable;
When you quarrel with a close friend, talk about the main dish, don't quibble over the appetizers;

You cannot hold onto yesterday;
Understand rules completely and change them reasonably;
Remember, the best love is to love others unconditionally rather than make demands on them;

Comment on the success you have attained by looking in the past at the target you wanted to achieve most;
In love and cooking, you must give 100% effort……but expect little appreciation.
　　

Memories about Duan Wu

There are lots of wonderful memories associated with Duan Wu. My grandmother used to hang moxa stick and calamus on the door, and as a kid, I got the incense bag to hang around my neck. Sometimes, we got an egg, which was put into a nicely knited little bag made of 5 colour silk threads. I still remember my childhood friends who proudly hang it on their neck...

The Auspicious Leaves

Duan comes in 5th, May, Lunar month. Because the gem, insect, fly, mosquito, and pest are active in this summer month and people is easy to catch infectious disease. On the Dragon Boat Day, Chinese hang moxa stick and calamus leaves on the doors or windows to repel insect, fly, and moth away from the house. Those leaves have anti-poison function and can prevent an epidemic.

The incense bag

The incense bags are made by hand. We put the powder of Moxa and Artemisia with some other fragrance stuff into different kind of sewing bags. Therefore it can prevent an epidemic.

The Standup Egg

The Dragon Boat Day is usually in June, which is Horse month. Horse hour in astrology is from 11:00 AM to 13:00 PM. It's said that you will be lucky for the coming year if you can make an egg standing up during Horse hour on the Dragon Boat Day. Parents like to let their children to try to make the egg standing up on the Dragon Boat Day. Certainly, the standing up egg competition will be held at noon in many places. It's said that it's will be easier to make a standing up egg at noon.

The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, (Duan Wu), is celebrated on the fifth of May in lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals. This years it falls on May 28th.

While many stories regarding its origin abound, the most popular and widely accepted version regards Qu Yuan, a minister of the Zhou Emperor during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC) He was a wise and articulate man, who was loved by the common people.He did much to fight against the rampent corruption that plagued the court, thereby earning the envy and fear of the other officals. Finally, those officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River.

Starting from that time, people commemorate Qu Yuan through Dragon Boat Races, eating zong zi, and several other activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Dragon Boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawing crowds of spectators. Dragon Boats are generally brightly painted and decorated canoes. Ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their heads are shaped like open-mouthed dragons, while the sterns end with a scaly tail. Depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. A drummer and flagcatcher stand at the front of the boat. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be "brought to life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony.

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi, is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in bulrush leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed.

'River Stone' Glutinous Rice Balls

Have you ever seen a floating stone that is tender, glutinous and really melts in your mouth? Try this sweet and savoury dessert.


It's called River Stone Glutinous Rice Ball, as it resembles the beautiful natural river stone, which a specialty of Nanjing, my hometown.

Recipe:
Dough:
200 g Glutinous rice powder
50 g Short grain Rice powder,
210 ml Water, warm
1 tsp Matcha tea powder
1 tsp Cacao powder
Filling:
160 g black sesame powder
50 g Caster sugar
60 g Peanut butter
Some water

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom's smiles can brighten any moment,

Mom's voice can calm all my fears.

Mother is a word

that means the world to me.


-- May all the mothers of the world happy and healthy!