Eating

Here is how you do adventurous eating here if you don't speak mandarin.

 

Learn a few phrases in mandarin, none of which include the name of foods.

After a very long nap, bundle up and head out the door.  We passed a Korean BBQ a couple days ago and we wanted to eat there.
Walk and walk and then realize you must not be on the right street.

Give up and head into a noodle house.

Get overwhelmed by the rude citizens and lack of any knowledge, give up and leave.

Decide to keep looking for the Korean BBQ.

Start walking back towards the hotel and realize you have walked a long way.

Head down embassy road because there it is bright with lights and looks very active.

Find bar after bar after bar and realize it's not exactly the best place for food- and a 7 year old.

See a Subway restaurant and squeal with glee.

Sit among many other westerners enjoying a roast beef sandwich and Lay's potato chips.

 

Yep, that's how we do it.

 

But, we did head down into the subway station with the map and figure out how to get to places we want to visit over the next few days.  We are having Peking duck, the specialty here and also going to the zoo. 

 

Here is a few more mandarin words and phrases we've learned.

boo-how: not nice
boo-sure: no

sure: yes

zigh-gee-en: good-bye

chung-jur: orange juice

wah-wah: baby

many colors

how hightz za: good girl

mama: mom

baba: dad

choc a lee: chocolate

 

There are quite a few others; we're learning fast.  Claire is learning several English words as well.  We kind of teach each other.  She loves to tell daddy to "open the door" when he locks the bathroom door.

She does not like us drinking Coke.  When we bought a couple more cokes at the store today she gave us quite the scolding in mandarin.  It's very hard not to laugh. 

Her phrase for today is "mama yo baba, baba yo mama"  I can't wait to find out what she's saying when we see our guide tomorrow.  We're fairly certain she told the lady at Subway tonight "this is my mama and baba."  The lady looked at us and then gave her a weird look.  Who knows, she could have said these people are crazy and think they are my mom and dad.

 

We start trying to get the adoption decree tomorrow at 10.  I'm not real thrilled with the international news right now dealing our country and this one.  We are seriously at their mercy right now.  I will let you all know tomorrow.