Xiao long bao :)

Yesterday I was learning to make my favorite Chinese dish - Xiao Long Bao (small steamed buns) in a Chinese Cooking workshop! :)
Arriving to the location it seemed like an independant artistic area..

Here we go!

Huge party kitchen :) Even though it was promised the chef would speak English (or there would be translation)...chef did not speak a single word in English, so was trying to use my very limited Chinese vocabulary and the help of a Japanese participant to communicate - pure fun :)

My very own bunnies!

I was so excited that wanted to photgraph them from all the possible angles to make them look as good as I can ;)

First we were learning to twist the bun without actual filling, cause it`s not as easy as it looks, then we were making the filling and after that making the real stuff with actual filling :) ....and to finish - steaming for 10 minutes

Yammy :)

Now these are my steamed buns :)

Next challenge...to try & make them on my own at home ;)

Salon du Chocolat

Weekend was full of French spirit that started by a chocolate exhibition Salon du Chocolat... so let`s dip ourselves into this sweet & amazing choco world for a moment :)


Chocolate emergency kit :)...

Chcolate art

Chocolate fashion!

Chocoalte sculpture

Chocolate architecture

..and even choco Terracotta wariors...no need to travel to Xian anymore ;)

After all this chocolate extravaganza went to ice-skating to burn some calories and catch up with winter spirit ;)
And French Musical dance show of Notre Dame de Paris was a perfect finale for a perfect day! :)

Winter in Shanghai..

Well...it`s funny to post this today as the temperature outside reached +18 degrees :))...but it hasn`t been all that nice & warm this winter, so here`s a little insight :)
Last week temperature dropped to 0 - 3...and our kitchen temperature dropped to +12 - absolute record this winter :)) ...(got no heating there ;)

Now imagine ...- 3 degrees and no heating at work ...this photo shows how I managed to survive that :) I am so sorry for my students who don`t have any heating in classes or in dorms... So yeah...UGGs and a hot tea refill help! I am oficially "chinatized" :))

And 2010. started with some real nice cultural activities: musical "FAME" & ballet " SWAN LAKE" :)



No X-mas without X-mas tree - this year`s alternative solution as had no idea where to get a real tree and really don`t like those plastic imitations!

Vernissage!

Last weekend - wonderful exibition opening on Moganshan road! :) Now this deserves a special post, cause there were some great ideas to learn from when organizing events :)

Performance or art in progress...?!

...if it was performance - great fun!!! If that was art...it was not meant to be created ;)

and then there was a Capoeira performance!

foot massage :)

dinner :)

...and the whole night there was a monk sitting on a sofa and it was hard to figure out was he a part of the show or just a guest....so turned out he was the show - fortunetelling :) (and ocassionally spitting around ;)