Birthday in China

Since I also share my birthday with my twin, and our time zones being separated by 15 hours, I actually celebrated over the course of two days: February 17^th in China (16^th in Colorado) and then February 17^th in Colorado (18^th in China).

It’s a long-running family tradition to have something special and sweet for breakfast on your special day. So for the first of my birthday days, I made some delicious chocolate chip banana bread for breakfast. Always the experimental-chef, I made this in my rice cooker, trying a recipe I found online. Conclusion: it’s better to bake the bread in the oven. The taste was fantastic, but the look and texture was sub-par.

For the second day I put together some pancakes using my dad’s recipe from his cook book at home (thanks dad!) and topped them with strawberries and honey. There is maple syrup here, in very limited supply, and far more pricey than I am willing to pay. So honey will have to do. The pancakes were delicious!

One of my roommates gave me a nice pot of fake flowers. It was funny because he placed them on my desk while I was away, then he asked me to go bring him different stationery items from my desk: paper, pen, etc., and every time I went in and returned with the item, I did not notice the flower pot or his birthday note! Finally, he told me and made fun of my “powers of observation.”

Unfortunately, the rest of my two days were pretty absorbed with work. Fortunately, I like work so I did not mind. Some of my students gave me chocolate J

On my official birthday according to the China time zone, a good Chinese friend of mine treated me to some long noodles which the Chinese believe will provide “long life” when eaten on a birthday. I’ve made it this far—to 25—so I trust that these noodles will continue to work!

Happy birthday to my twin and best buddy, Ryan!