chinadave2001

Yeah, come on, let's see that Jimmy Durante schnozz!!! If I hear "da bizi" i just say "I dont have a big nose, you have a small nose"... Then they are shocked that I understood there Chinese..... hey....it could be worse...."DaBizi" is better than what this one six year old student at our school always called me..."Da-Ponze!" which literally translates as "The big fat one!"

I wonder if they grind it up like fish and pork into "balls." "Would you like some Cat balls with that? "

The restaurant business here in Hartford in very similar to what others have described....most of the workers here are illegals, working under the table. They make average salaries of $500-700 per week, all "tax free." They certainly work long hours, typically 12 hrs day....many of them are still working to pay off the Mafia who provided them with transport and documents to come here in the first place. My understanding is that the going rate for passage to the USA is now about $70k. They then have ten years to pay this sum back to the Chinese mafia or the family back in China gets in "trouble." Dave

Seems I mis-spelled the title....forgot to check that....oops. typing is always an issue for me as I am somewhat dyslexic, a terrible typer ( can we say hunt and peck?) and have fat fingers on top of it all.... Glad my students didn't see that.... Chinadave

here's the rest of the article.... By far the most celebrated and expensive use of civet, however, is in the elaborate Chinese soup known as Dragon, Tiger, and Phoenix. Civet flesh is used as the "Tiger" portion of the concoction, along with rat snake or cobra ("Dragon") and ordinary chicken ("Phoenix"). Diners in Guangdong will pay exorbitant prices for the classic soup, which is reputed to help alleviate arthritis, stimulate poor blood flow, and revive decreased libido. Since the SARS outbreak, however, the Chinese government has cracked down on restaurants that serve Dragon, Tiger, and Phoenix without an appropriate license. Civet cats are perhaps best known for the scrapings of their perineal glands, which produce a musky substance used in high-end fragrances. According to last month's Pharmaceutical Journal, this substance was also an important additive to 17th-century medicines; it was believed that a dollop of civet extract applied to a woman's belly could treat everything from anxiety to stomachaches. The substance has also traditionally been used in "Civet absolute," an ingredient in the food additives used to add butter, caramel, and rum flavorings to sweets. It's also listed as one of the many lesser-known ingredients in cigarettes. However, given the exorbitant cost of authentic civet scrapings nowadays, Civet absolute is often formulated from civetone, a synthetic alternative. Lastly, there's a rare type of coffee bean, known as kopi luwak in Indonesia and caphe cut chon Vietnam, that is purported to have traveled through the intestinal tract of civet cats. The animals' stomachs can't quite break down the coffee, apparently, so they excrete the beans whole. Coffee connoisseurs prize the brew for its especially robust flavor. Few people will ever taste genuine caphe cut chon, however—it's exceedingly rare, and most of what's on the market is bogus.

I though you all might find this interesting. the original is posted on Slate.com..... Chinadave What Does Civet Cat Taste Like? Why you'll find it in soups, sweets, and cigarettes. By Brendan I. Koerner Posted Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004, at 3:17 PM PT Looks like Rikki-Tikki Tavi; tastes like venison In response to the first new SARS case in months, Chinese officials are slaughtering thousands of civet cats. Considered a culinary treat in southern China, the animals are believed to carry the virus that causes SARS. What's a civet cat, what's the best way to cook one, and what do they taste like? Though their sleek torsos and short, limber legs may seem catlike, civet cats aren't really felines. Rather, they're members of the family Viverridae—which ranges from Africa to eastern Asia—and they're closely related to the mongoose. African viverrids tend to be carnivorous, but the civets common to China prefer to dine on fruit, especially spiky, foul-smelling durians. The species on the hook for SARS is the masked palm civet, so called because it resides in trees and bears black-and-white facial markings. The simplest way to prepare civet for the dinner table is to roast the animal whole. Because of its diet, the animal is reputed to emit a fruity fragrance once cooked, although those who've sampled the flesh more often characterize it as "gamey." A traditional Filipino recipe masks the taste by adding vinegar, salt, soy sauce, pepper, garlic, and oregano to the mix. The Chinese approach—braising the meat in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and ginger (among other ingredients)—also does the trick.

Hi Carl, I think that the most important aspect of all this is that all issues between China and Japan continue to be viewed through this lense, so to speak....even issues like Korea can be affected by the Japanese unwillingness to admit their wrongdoing.... Dave

Doug, While you are unlucky to have lost this relationship, I think you are lucky in some respects to have discovered this so early. Good luck to you in the future. Dave

Confucius on communication..... "If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything." Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

Congrats to you both, mark! I hope your visa process is a smooth one.... dave

Since this was a "hot topic" last spring, I thought I'd post this....from CNN.COM Chinadave Koizumi shrine visit reopens wound Thursday, January 1, 2004 Posted: 3:59 AM EST (0859 GMT) TOKYO, Japan -- Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has again risked upsetting neighbors China and the Koreas by paying a surprise New Year's visit to a controversial war shrine honoring the country's war dead. Koizumi made the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine Thursday, his fourth such visit since coming to power. Each earlier visit has drawn condemnation and protests from Japan's neighbors who still hold bitter memories of Japanese wartime atrocities and feel Tokyo has yet to fully atone for its militaristic past. The Yasukuni Shrine honors about 2.5 million Japanese war dead since 1853, including convicted criminals such as World War II-era prime minister Hideki Tojo. Koizumi arrived at the shrine amid a crowd of New Year's revelers -- his first visit to the shrine on New Year's Day. Dressed in the long pleated trousers of a traditional, formal Japanese costume, a solemn Koizumi climbed the steps of Yasukuni shrine led by a white-robed Shinto priest. Koizumi said he had decided on the visit to pray for peace. "I went with various feelings, including wishes for Japan's peace and prosperity," Koizumi told reporters after his visit.. "Japan does not rest solely upon the efforts of people living now ... Japan stands upon the sacrifices of others in the past." Asked if he worried about the response from China and North Korea, wartime victims of Japanese aggression, the prime minister replied: "One does not comment about another country's respect of its history, traditions or customs," Reuters reported. The visit comes at a tense diplomatic time for Japan ahead of an expected second round of six-party talks over North Korea's nuclear program and the imminent deployment of combat troops to Iraq. North Korea is objecting to Japan's presence at the talks but the United States is holding firm, insisting Japan take a place at the table. Huang Xingyuan, spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, was quoted as expressing strong dissatisfaction over Koizumi's visit. According to China's Xinhua news agency, Huang urged Japan to stop activities that could harm "the feelings of the Chinese people" as well as Sino-Japanese relations. Japan has also upset China recently over the behavior of a group of 400 businessmen who organized an orgy involving 500 Chinese prostitutes at a five-star hotel in the coastal city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province in September. The orgy sparked fury in China as the incident ended on September 18 -- the 72nd anniversary of the start of Japan's occupation of China's northeast. Several Chinese have been jailed for their role in the sex party, including two for life. (Full story) Another recent bone of contention has been the discovery of 770 barrels of chemical weapons left by Japan in China after World War II. One person died and 42 were injured in August after barrels of abandoned Japanese mustard gas were accidentally dug up at a construction site in Qiqihar and began leaking. Japan has begun making compensation payments for injuries and death caused by the chemicals, but resentment still lingers.

hey Dave and Jing Mei, Congrats on your beautiful day. I wish you both much love and happiness! "Chinadave"

Congrats Mick and Li! Very happy for you guys! God Bless, Chinadave

You left before the end? wow. I sat there and wished it would continue for another hour. I think that by its very nature the ending is predictable. It's a given that the Samurai way of life has to go- as it should have. But one can't help but lament the loss of a system of honor and conduct , "The Bushido." Even though the story is fictional, we lost something I think when war became impersonal and random. Same thing happened in WWI in Europe - the machines of war took over. For centuries war had been governed by chivalry and other codes that protected the innocent and governed the conduct of war. Nowadays we simply regret the loss of life on innocents as "collateral damage." There seems to be few rules and even less honor. Chinadave

We didn't need one, Tony. Interview was June 30th....I think this is only required for marriages in China. Chinadave

I stand by what I said earlier. "Professionals" simply drive for a living. I think there are two separate things here. The drivers are very skillful drivers which is why it seems that they have fewer accidents. They are skillful because this is what they do for a living. Unlike the US where every person in the USA over 16 can drive and does with an attitude. If American drivers were thrust in a Chinese cirty and expected to drive, they would really have trouble, it seems to me. 2. I agree that the Chinese system seems devoid of any rules, but that's not completely true. Some rules are simply different than ours. For example, traffic that is entering the traffic flow has the right of way. It is the job of the folks who are in the flow of traffic to look out for other cars coming in...To foreign eyes, this creates a great deal of tension as Taxis seem to enter into the flow of traffic with little regard for who is already there.... I agree that our system is more efficient and safer - it needs to be considering who is out there driving.....

How many chucks could a big wok cook if a big wok could cook woodchucks? Chinadave

Happy Birthday! Chinadave

I think the biggest difference is that in China, most of the drivers are professional drivers. You see very few older or very young people driving....in the US, any one can drive and does....I did see some accidents in Qingdao - several Head-ons that looked pretty bad... I also think there is just a fundamental difference in the Chinese approach to things, who are accustomed to having to push their way to the front of the line....they cut you off, but don't get offended when they in turn are cut off...like a line at McDonalds. If you don't push, you may never get to the front of the line. Lastly, we as Americans are simply impatient and therefore often drive like idiots. I often find msyelf getting really upset about some little slight while driving...does it really matter if I get home 90 seconds later because of something someone else did? No, of course not.....but it still really pisses me off....God, do I need therapy...... "Chinadave"

hey dave... http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/i0/kloguck.gif + http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/guest.gif ] = Get busy Boy!

Dave, sort of ironic that your dog got you in the dog house...is there room for the two of you in there? Sounds like you two have a special relationship. Thanks for the laugh! Chinadave

Them movie reminds me a lot of the complexity of modernization efforts everywhere, from China today - is anything left that is still traditional? to our efforts in places like Afghanistan and Iraq to give them our "values"....in the late 18th century we forced Japan to open up to trade, then helped them modernize to protect themselves from being colonized by European powers, only to witness Japan itself then become a Imperial country....Napoleon tried to "enlighten" Europe but this only gave rise to nationalism... dave

Yes, that is correct. Any bank can do it for you. "Chinadave"

Tony, I feel your pain....the snow is blowing horizontally here and we have a blizzard advisory...supposedly the worst is yet to come... "Chinadave"

Hi all, This is really not as off-topic as you might think at first. Last night, I went to see the new Tom Cruise movie, "The Last Samurai." It was one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. Not only is the scenery incredible, but the depiction of the conflict between Eastern and Western cultures, between traditional Japan and Modern America, and all of its complexities, was just so incredible. At the end of the movie I just sat there, stunned and wishing for more.....Even though the story is not a Chinese one, there are so many parallels for those who have traveled to Asia to see.....I just can't say enough good things about this movie. If you have the chance, I would definately go see it. In several ways this movie reminded me of "Dances with Wolves", except much better. Two thumbs up! "Chinadave"