New Years Hardships (and restaurant review included)

This is actually the first Chinese New Years we have spend in China (except for when we were here in 1992). I realize that we always travel at this time, as we have 10 days of vacation. This year we did not go travelling because of several reasons:

a) we thought we may need this time to search for a new nanny because our old nanny’s daughter had a baby.
b) we want to save money
c) we want to go back to USA for Passover this year.

Well…hopefully I will never spend another Chinese New Years in China. On the day of Akiva’s birthday, from around 5PM to 4AM, non-stop fireworks. In the courtyard in-front and behind our apartment. We are not talking about little bottle-rockets. We are talking about sky-rockets that shoot up higher than our 16 story building and them go BOOM! with a plume of red phosphorous fire. Not just around our apartment too. Every apartment building, in the whole city. Did I mention that Haga is sick and had a headache?

The next day we went out to eat. But of course all the restaurants are closed. So we found this Koren place in Shi Hui Fang (师惠方）that specializes in ox meat soup.

Broiled Beef tendon

In the back they have this big pot that supposedly cooks beef 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We ordered beef tendon hot-plate, beef meet soup, seafood pancake, and Binbin-bop (uh…clay pot sizzling rice). The tendon was very soft, but not much flavor in itself. The food was altogether very good, although pretty expensive… we paid 230RMB (around $30USD). The owner looks like he is 22 years old and his wife looks pretty young too…they are 36. Haga says that tendon is pure collagen and its great for the skin. So if are around Suzhou and you need hot soup and you think that eating collagen is good for your skin, check out that place.

The weather has been very good lately. It was about 12C today, and sunny in the morning. It may rain tomorrow. We walked out to the park and the kids played in an inflatable playground.

When we returned we received presents from Grandma and Grandpa in America. Powerrangers Mystic Force Jungle Fury All Terrain Vehicle set. Awsome! Also checkers (which I found out is a little too advanced for Akiva) and Hungry Hungry Hippo. The first several times we played HHH I won. I am a HHH god. But Akiva cried.

I beat Akiva at Hungry Hungry Hippo

After Akiva won a couple of times he started to like it. Kenaz likes it too and is a natural.