Trig Man

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Last week I decided we needed to have a bit of fun in math class so I put the students to work on a "trig" themed fabric collage. The students named this piece "Trig Man"-- apparently he just finished measuring that mountain in the picture and is on his way home.

Frank's addition was this post-script: "Trig Man: he slipped on a decimal and made a mountain out of a mole hill." Sorry, I know it's very corny, but something about teaching math must just bring it out in us.

Size: 30 cm x 50 cm

Betty Jane's bread

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Baking bread is ultimately about having time at home, something which Mongolian winters provide in abundance. As I made another batch of bread this weekend, I found myself thinking (again) of Betty Jane and her famous bread. Simple, delicious stuff.

2 & 1/2 cups of warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon salt

flour

Dissolve yeast and some flour in the warm water. Add flour until dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the bread springs back. Put some oil in a bowl and let the dough rise until doubled (covered). Form 2 loaves on a greased pan and let rise again (covered). Bake about 30 minutes at 375 F (about 190 C). To make an especially nice crust, put a pan of water in the oven on the lower shelf (or next to the bread pan).

Betty Jane, I miss you.

D is for Dzud (and for Disaster)

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Friday, January 29, 2010

It seems that there are winters in Mongolia and then there are winters. This winter appears to be one of the latter, and livestock have started dying across Mongolia in huge numbers. Estimates are that over one million sheep, goats, cows, horses and yaks have died over the last 4-6 weeks. These animal die-offs occur when the snow gets too deep for the animals to graze. This year's situation is worsened by this year's severe temperatures, and the drought that Mongolia experienced last summer. This phenomenon is called a dzud (or disaster) and usually occurs in spring when fodder is already growing scarce.

Mongolia has about 2.7 million people and almost 20 million goats and about 3 million horses. No idea about the number of cows, sheep and yaks...

For a fascinating read on Mongolia's grazing situation, try this NY Times article entitled "The End of Pastoralism."

There's a new engine in town

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Thursday, January 28, 2009

This is Frank's sense of humor at work, but it's only going to be funny if 1) your child is crazy about Thomas the Tank Engine and 2) you have leanings toward being a math nerd (like Frank and me).

All Thomas all the time

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Tuesday, January 26, 2009

These days it's Thomas the Tank Engine morning, noon, and night around here. Today a lovely package arrived from home: more Thomas the Tank stories and two engines to play with. (Thanks Uncle R and Aunt B!) Of course, outside of our apartment a real-life Thomas clatters up and down the tracks around the clock as well. A is at that stage in her artistic careeer where she does not necessarily want to draw anything herself: instead she wants to TELL us what to draw. So, Daddy keeps busy drawing Thomas and his friends. Pictured here are Percy, Emily, Thomas, and the Fat Controller--apparently being attacked by one of Calef Brown's Polka Bats.

Seabuckthorn postscript

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Tuesday, January 26, 2009

All my earlier comments about seabuckthorn have generated a good deal of response from friends around the world. Several days ago I received this image (baby food!) from a friend in Finland. Which reminded me that I forgot to mention the treat that awaited us when we returned to Ulaanbaatar earlier this month from Thailand: an exploded bottle of seabuckthorn juice. Somehow a recently purchased bottle of the stuff got into the cupboard (instead of the fridge) before we left town for three weeks. We came home to streaks of the orange stuff running down the kitchen wall (it had escaped out of the back of the cupboard) and a great sticky orange pool in amongst the oils and vinegars.

I must say, the taste of seabuckthorn is rather an acquired one, but in the meantime, Frank and A have become big fans of the stuff. And it grows HERE in Mongolia--where not much else does.

"Not Him" & "Not Her"

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sunday, January 24, 2009

This morning I attended my first cross-cultural baby shower. We gathered at a colleague's house with some good food and a whole gaggle of women from work. I organized a collage activity which quickly took on a Mongolian theme (as it should). See picture at right. My Mongolian colleagues included some important Mongolian elements, such as the fox who's keeping a watchful eye over the baby. The finished product will be a wall hanging for the baby.

The best part about the shower was the chance to learn about different traditions surrounding naming babies. One colleague shared naming traditions from her home in Central America, and then my Mongolian colleagues joined in with stories of how babies are named (or have been named) in Mongolia.

One colleague regaled us with tales of her own family. When her parents' first child arrived, they named the boy "Not Him," in keeping with the idea that if Death were coming to take their child, the parents could say that it was "Not Him". The next child, a girl, was named "Not Her." Not until the 5th child arrived did her brothers and sisters start getting more "regular" names. So, apparently in a certain generation of Mongolians, there are plenty of people named "No Name" for this same reason--of trying to fool Death.

Ice ads

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Here, indeed, is the perfect place for ice sculptures. Or ice ads. Just put 'em up in November or so, and you've got your advertisement set until, say, April? This one seems to be advertizing some kind of orange drink, not exactly what I thirst for at these frigid temperatures.

(You can't quite tell, but this sculpture is about 2 meters/6 feet high.)

Pizza party

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Today I decided to try my hand at making pizza for the first time in years. We put the "under 4" crowd to work on decorating the pizza with salami, olives and mushrooms--and then we big folks gobbled it up.

Fabric shopping at -24 °C

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Saturday, January 9, 2010

I am not quite sure what possessed us, but I went silk shopping with a friend this afternoon in the middle of a serious cold snap here in UB. While we were out at the warmest part of the day (at 2:00 PM it was -24° C /-11° F), shopping at an outdoor market in these temperatures is serious business. I can't say we really lingered over the many, many gorgeous fabrics. After about 15 minutes, we could no longer feel our feet and taking off mittens to pay for things was painful, to say the least.

I am still marveling at the fact that these market workers work OUTSIDE all winter long in temperatures down to -40° C/F.

Mongolians are a tough people.

For sale: Buttons worn on the traditional Mongolian national dress called the del.

100 meters away & ABBA, too

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Thursday, January 7, 2010

Breaking news! In the three weeks we were gone in Thailand, a REAL grocery store has opened in our apartment complex. Okay, its vegetable section consists of onions, carrots, potatoes, and Chinese cabbage, but it ALSO has tomatoes and cucumbers. And fresh bread. And several hunks of cheese for sale, too. It's still not the relative "plenty" we see at the main market downtown, but when it's MINUS 28 C outside, I'll take it!

Oh, and they were blasting ABBA on their high tech stereo system. Really now, what else could you ask for?

Green onions, maybe.

Coffee coated peanuts

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Mongolian Airlines (MIAT) has a special on-board snack that is not to be missed: Coffee coated peanuts. Perhaps it's a nod to the honey-roasted peanuts which used to grace all U.S. domestic flights--back before rampant peanut allergies and the economic woes of the airlines ended all such "luxuries". But coffee coated peanuts? Although I've eaten them on several flights, I truly can't describe the taste or figure out why I ate them again this time. But people do strange things when they fly all night and then spend six hours in an airport between connecting flights.

We're almost home...

"...served with warm Mongolian salad"

Bangkok, Thailand
Monday, January 4, 2010

Back in Bangkok and getting ready for the return trip to Ulaanbaatar.

Over breakfast this morning, I absentmindedly perused the lunch menu at our hotel. On the chef's speciality menu was the following item: "Peanut encrusted fish served with warm Mongolian salad". Pray, do tell. As we are just about to return to the Land of Few Fruits and Vegetables, I would dearly love to know what a Mongolian salad might consist of--especially one that does justice to a Thai peanut fish dish...

Ayutthaya night market

Ayutthaya, Thailand
Friday, January 1, 2010

Our boat trip ended at Ayutthaya's night market where we wandered about to pick out some food for dinner. One of the specialities of this market is Muslim-Thai food. Frank and I enjoyed a spectacular salad prepared by this small family operation.

So much good food, so little time...

Wat Chai Wattanaram

Ayutthaya, Thailand
Friday, January 1, 2010

Third stop on our boat tour was the crown jewel of Ayutthaya--at least of the sites that I saw! Built in 1630. We arrived at this spot just before 6pm as the sun was setting.

Lovely place, lovely light.

To read more from Wikipedia: Wat Chai Wattanaram

Wat Phuttai Sawan

Ayutthaya, Thailand
Friday, January 1, 2010

Second stop on our circumnavigation of Ayutthaya: Wat Phuttai Sawan. This wat is both a functioning temple as well as the site of some stunning ruins.

Auspicious beginnnings

Ayutthaya, Thailand
Friday, January 1, 2010

First stop on our round-the-city boat trip was Wat Panan Choeng where New Year's events were in full swing. It seems that New Years is an important time to visit temples in Thailand, and this wat is a particularly auspicious place to be.

Here Frank and A join in with the ringing of the temple's bells:



In an another custom here at this wat, saffron robes are ritually draped on the giant buddha. Look closely and you'll see worshippers tossing pieces of saffron fabric to workers who stand up on the 15-meter-high buddha. I believe this ritual is another intended to bring good fortune.

Wise-eyed boat

Ayutthaya, Thailand
Friday, January 1, 2010

We'd been in Ayutthaya almost 36 hours, and I still hadn't "seen" anything of this fabulous ancient Siamese capital, so we decided on a 2-hour boat tour of the city this afternoon. (Frank did sneak out for a quick bike tour earlier today while A napped--and the ruins are fabulous!)

It's a wonderful thing how when you read to your kids, life starts to imitate literature in funny ways: we're cruising along the river/canal and there, to my delight, was one of those "wise-eyed boats" just like in The Story about Ping. Yes, honestly, the eyes are there, but they're painted on the other end of the boat.

PS: Yes, I know that this wise-eyed boat is for tourists but it is, nevertheless, of the type found in Ping...