A Cold Find

During a weekend trip to Beijing, I found myself on a populated street with lots of food offerings and family owned crafts stores. If you’ve ever been to Miami, I can only compare this street to the Chinese version of Lincoln Road. Walking down this street, I saw dozens of people passing me with cups of drinks and frozen desserts in their hands. I began thinking to myself how if I got the chance to find the store where these all came from, I would definitely have to buy one based on the popularity. Lucky for me, I actually stumbled into one of the stores that sold these desserts/refreshments.

I began looking at the menu and had no idea what some of the things were. They all seemed to be variations on milk tea with certain additions to them. If there’s anything I’ve noticed about refreshments in China, it’s that people love their milk tea. This store had Milk Tea with Malt, Taro Milk Tea, Adzuki Bean Milk Tea, and even Aloe Milk tea. There were also other things on the menu, but due to some language barriers, I do not know what they were.

I ended up getting the Taro Pudding Smoothie just because it sounded like something I had never tried before and besides, it was purple. How could I not try it? It ended up not being as sweet as I thought it would be, but it was very refreshing. It was different than any smoothie I’ve had in the states in that it is made with no sugar, so the flavor is just that of the taro. At the bottom of the cup, there were about five pieces of pudding, which had an unexpected texture. I actually enjoyed it though.

This was a treat I really enjoyed, and I can see why they are so popular. If you get the chance to try something different like this, I highly recommend it. 

Tea Ceremony

This past weekend, I went to Beijing on my first out of city trip. I made a couple of stops at certain must-dos when in the city, including the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. Along with these destinations, I also found myself at a store in the middle of the city called Mr. Tea. At this store, I was shown different types of teas and certain rituals that go along with the ceremony. 

            The first thing that I was taught was how men and women have a different way of holding their cups, because one way shows masculinity and the other beauty. It is deemed ok for women to hold their cups like men if they feel powerful, but if a man holds his cup like a woman, it is because he is a “lady boy” (their words, not mine).  

How men hold their cup.

How women hold their cup.

Next, I was shown the proper way of making tea, which includes the correct temperature water, the right leaves, and the proper way of extraction.

            I actually got to try certain types of teas, which included the Jasmine tea, Oolong tea, Slimming tea, and Fruit tea. You can see in the picture of the flyer the details about each tea, but there was some extra information give. The Jasmine tea they make at Mr. Tea is made from the actual flower instead of powder like in most places. The Oolong Tea is one that must be smelled first. Then, while drinking, one is supposed to slurp as loud as possible. The slimming tea is drunk for health and not for taste. Most people drink it throughout the day since it has no caffeine. You are supposed to chew it while drinking. The Fruit tea was delicious and my favorite, but that is probably because it is made from a mix of lemon, kiwi, and strawberry. 

            Overall, this is definitely worth a stop, both for educational value and for pleasure. You will learn a lot and it will immerse you in thousand-year-old traditions.

Photographs of Day 1

Day 1

Today was my first day in China. I arrived at the Beijing airport (PEK) at around 1 in the afternoon and then had to make a two and a half hour trek to Tianjin through bus. It is a trip that usually takes 30 minutes if one were to take the speed train, but since I had my luggage with me, it would have been difficult with the crowds.

The first thing I did when I went through customs and had everything I needed was go to one of the easily accessible convenience stores. I wanted to experience how all the products looked and how easy/hard it would be for me to get what I wanted. I was surprised to find many American products, although they did not look how things do back at home. Things like Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, and Red Bull seem to be vastly popular here, but then there are also many products that cater to this culture, such as all the teas and flavored potato chips.

Just by walking into this convenience store, I sort of got a vague idea of how my trip is going to be. I didn’t have to be able to communicate with anyone yet to be able to realize that there are many similarities and differences between the Chinese culture and my own. Although I may have only been looking at different foods, this personified how my experiences here are going to be. China is quickly becoming a more Westernized nation and it can be seen through its American products, but it is also doing all it can to maintain its identity and keep on eating/drinking what is partial to them. This is a reoccurring theme that I know I will see again, and one I am looking very forward to exploring. 

Intro

Hello, my name is Santiago Cardona and I am a junior in the Hospitality and Tourism Management major at Florida International University. Recently, I made the decision that I wanted to study abroad in a place that I had only dreamed of visiting. After deciding this, the next step was to begin collecting the money in order to make such a trip possible.

To some, studying abroad may be an opportunity to travel to some part of the world that you would otherwise never visit, but it is so much more than that. The main purpose of studying abroad would be to broaden one’s mentality, academics, future goals, and personality through studying. This is not a possible concept to some people simply because they do not have the funds for it. This was the case with me, and this is why I applied to the Gilman Scholarship. I knew that if I won this scholarship, it would help me in reaching my goals of becoming the best hospitality and tourism manager I can be. This goal should not be jeopardized just because I have financial obstacles that prevent me from reaching it.

After getting notice that I had won the scholarship, I made it a project to let other students know that with the help of scholarships, they can complete their goals of studying abroad no matter what. Hopefully, I can capture how much fun and enlightening studying abroad can be, which in turn will convince students of all financial situations that these experiences are possible. I will be dedicating this project solely to experiencing the Chinese culture through food. So feel free to explore the website and see China how I am seeing it.