Bricked Ping-Pong in Handan

Yesterday I returned to blogging here for the first time after a long break with a look at a lunch experience I had during my visit to Handan, Hebei, in 2010. To continue keeping things simple to help the ball stay rolling here, I'll share another scene from Handan. While walking through the city I stumbled upon four young men playing doubles ping-pong (table tennis).

Seeing people play ping-pong is common in China. Less common, though, are ping-pong tables with bricks used to serve the purpose of a net. All of the tables in this outdoor area were similarly set up. Using bricks for a net likely offered several benefits in an outdoor environment, including being sturdy, easily replaced, and perhaps less likely to disappear than a standard net. In any case, they appeared to serve their primary purpose well and did not hamper the enjoyment of the game.

I'm Back (Handan Style)

Hello, folks. Good to be back.

With the exception of a brief appearance to share two videos as commentary on a special (political) day in the U.S. two years ago, it has been nearly two and half years since I was at least semi-regularly posting here. Health issues, technical issues, and . . . . issues with issues played a role. If you're a first-time reader here, welcome! If you're an old reader, welcome back and sorry for the disappearance! I had always expected some sort of grand post if I ever needed to stop for whatever reason or there was a major change, but given the situation had I been up to writing such a post I probably wouldn't have stopped posting in the first place. I would like to delve more into that and what brings me back to this space, but I fear if I try to write such a post (tome) now it will severely delay getting the ball rolling here. As I want to prioritize the rolling, perhaps that grand post I'd ideally like to write will appear in pieces as the ball goes where it goes.

So I will restart this blogging adventure with something light, easy, and tasty as well. I went to a folder with most of my photos and semi-randomly selected one of the more than 100 cities I've explored in China. When I opened my eyes, I saw it was Handan, a city in Hebei province I visited in 2010 in no small part just because it happened to be on the train route as I headed south from Shijiazhuang. Handan has appeared previously in this blog years ago when I shared an experience observing the shopping behavior of several young women (very much related to some prior research I had conducted elsewhere in China) that concluded with a big bowl of duck heads we all ate (not as related to any formal research I had conducted elsewhere in China). I also featured a restaurant there with a nifty donkey logo where I tried my first donkey dumplings. I also had a couple of experiences in Handan that remain especially remarkable to me even now, but they deserve more care and time to tell. Instead I will share one of my more everyday experiences which my photos captured.

One day in Handan I stumbled upon a street with a row of food stalls. It was easy to decide an inexpensive lunch would be happening there.

After choosing a stall, I placed an order and had a clear view of its preparation.

Even while I waited, there was no reason to be bored. The al fresco dining provided an excellent view of the happenings at the other food stalls.

Soon my order had arrived and I had a freshly prepared bowl of gǎn miànpí (擀面皮).

I'm not able to find a standard translation for this dish, so I will go with the somewhat literal translation "rolled noodle skins". A similarly named dish is local to Shaanxi province, but this seemingly either isn't the same thing or had been significantly modified. These type of noodles / (non-meat) skins have a chewy texture and similar can be found in other dishes elsewhere in China. To be honest, I can't definitively remember my impressions of the dish, but I'm sure I enjoyed the overall experience regardless.

And . . . that is that. Again, it feels great to post here once again after all of this time. I have no shortage of material for future posts on both lighter and quite serious matters. I don't expect the themes of the blog  to significantly change from before, at least in the near future. More soon, really.

Donald Flapping and Cleaning Squat Toilets in China for a Special Day in the U.S.

Over four years ago on a day in November I found myself rather depressed and at a loss for words. The only thing I could think of posting was a video I had recently recorded while at a shopping center in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China.  I didn't though, so here it is now:

Today, both for balance and resolution, is a video I later took in a bathroom at a clothing market in a former bomb shelter under a hill in Wuzhou, Guangxi, China.

With that, I feel a non-insignificant amount of cleansing occurred today. Of course, things aren't completely clean, but still . . . they're much cleaner than before.

Masked Shining on Lam Tei Main Street

Working in a Hong Kong Hole

Next to Dundas Street in Mong Kok

Since beginning this blog, I have never gone sans posting for so long before — not even close.

Now I will begin working myself out of this hole.

June 4, 2020, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

This June 4th was rather different from my experience last year in mainland China and even the last time I was in Hong Kong on this date.

But like before in Hong Kong, I still saw many lights.

Back to School in Late May in Hong Kong

I'm not used to seeing "Back to School" sales this time of the year. But with only two confirmed cases of locally-transmitted COVID-19 during the past month in all of Hong Kong, phase 1 of schools reopening here began today, May 27. The illustration on the sign in the above photo seems a bit off though. Based on what you see in most of Hong Kong, adults and children will still be wearing face masks.

Cat, Coffee, and Face Masks in Hong Kong

The Chiu Chow Dispensary Limited in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, has all some people really want right now . . .

Getting Rid of Germs Outside a Hong Kong Hospital

Inside Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Hospital hand sanitizer is widely available and of course there are restrooms with hand soap as well. There is also an option for removing germs from your hands at an outdoor location many people pass when arriving or leaving the hospital.

Outdoor hand-washing station at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong

There is something inspiring about watching people wash their hands with soap these days, whether they are inside or outside.

A Day of No New Cases in Hong Kong

When everybody knows what cases they're talking about . . .

Today's encouraging front page headline in the South China Morning Post applied to yesterday. Four new cases of COVID-19 in Hong Kong were reported today, though all are currently believed to be imported and not a result of local transmission. The struggle against the disease spreading isn't over in Hong Kong, but some good news was most welcomed.

A Good Store and a Nice Store in Hong Kong

In a brief post last December, I mentioned that the Good Shop in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, had a variety of items for sale. I passed the store again today, and the same holds true. But there is one noticeable difference: face masks.

Some for sale were set out in front of the shop. And not at all surprising, the man inside wore one. Different times . . .

To add even more to the Good Shop story, just three shops away is a store whose name has a similar theme.

I don't know whether this is deliberate or a coincidence, but it seems both good and nice.

A Masked Happy Easter Greeting at a Closed Bar in Hong Kong

The Bar Pacific in Hong Kong's Kowloon City was closed this past weekend, but they still made sure to wish people a "Happy Easter", face masks included.

The bar presumably would have preferred to be open, but as a sign explain they had no choice.

Dear Valued Guests,

The Hong Kong government has mandated that all Bar Establishments to be closed for 14 days starting from April 3rd 2020 at 6:00pm. We will resume operations after the Government Mandate is over. Please stay safe!

Bar Pacific

The reason the government earlier this month required bars to close was a signifiant increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. It isn't yet known when bars will be able to reopen, but a very recent decrease in daily confirmed cases may give them hope.

If bars do reopen in the near future, the COVID-19 disease will still be a threat to some degree. So as an earlier-placed sign suggests at this Bar Pacific, people will likely have difficulty sitting down for a drink there if they have a fever.

They may also be expected to wear a face mask when not imbibing, just like the critters on the window.