One Lump, or Two?

       I mentioned earlier that each of the fifteen days of Chinese New Year has a specific tradition here in Taiwan, (see "The Cousin of my Uncle is My...?"). In the previous post, I told you about days one and two, now I will tell you about the next two days. In comparison, days three and four are quiet. On the third day most people wake up early, and then stay close to home. The fourth day is a day to sleep in, it is to rest from the past few days of early rising. This day is also traditionally spent visiting family members.
      The way we celebrated the third day is by picking up rocks. Yes, really.
      My aunt's parents are both sculptors. They have won several awards for their incredible sculptures of monkeys. Apparently, monkeys are very popular in Chiayi county, and so is rock collecting. Not far from where my aunt's parents live, is a huge dry riverbed full of thousands upon thousands of smooth river rocks. They vary in size from boulders to pebbles and they are available for artists and rock enthusiasts to collect at will. The kind of rocks that are found there are specific to Chiayi county and happen to be perfect for sculpting. In addition, because Taiwan is a volcanic island, there are a lot of seashell fossils that manifest themselves as intricate, white swirls in some of the rocks. My aunt's mother, my uncle, and I drove down to this riverbed to collect some smaller rocks as material for her sculptures. It was pretty amazing to see all of these rocks spread out for miles in this river bed.
      Later, my cousin and I rode bikes on a marvelous biking trail by the sugar factory. It is several Kilometers long and it even goes over a river on a suspension bridge in one place. After the bridge, it winds around sugar cane fields and behind ornate temples. Because of the holiday, the trail was packed with tourists both walking and riding bicycles, so it was quite an experience to try biking across the narrow bridge without running over people. I'm discovering that I am extremely polite. Most people gently nudge through the crowds of people without saying a word. This is normal here, and most people live in large cities so the crowds are not a new experience to them. I, small town girl that I am, gently nudge through saying sorry in Chinese over and over. I manage to get a lot of strange looks, though that may not just be a response to my overly polite behaviors...
    Today, my uncle drove my aunt's parents around to visit other sculptors and rock collectors in Chiayi county, and I got to tag along. I got a taste for Chinese hospitality and it is quite interesting. When visiting another person's house, it is customary to bring a gift of food or good quality alcohol. Then the host serves tea. The tea making process is different here, and requires more tools than Western tea making. For example, it requires a kettle, two different teapots, a strainer, the small tea cups that one normally associates with Chinese tea, and a large platter-like slab of rock or wood that holds the tea implements and has a reservoir that collects any spilled tea or water. The tea cups are sometimes sanitized right before making the tea by pouring boiling hot water from the kettle into and over the cups, (see this is why the reservoir is necessary). Then tea leaves are placed inside of a small clay teapot and boiling water is poured inside as well. The lid goes on the small pot and the tea server waits for a certain amount of seconds for the tea to steep. The strainer is then placed over the opening of the second, larger teapot, and the tea is poured from the clay pot into the serving teapot. The process is repeated once to fill the serving teapot, which is usually made of porcelain or glass. Then the tea is poured into individual cups and served to everyone. However, the process is not over yet, the host continues to make tea, refilling everyone's cups periodically, so that there is a never ending supply of tea. If you are having a long visit, drink slow, or else you will be in serious need of a bathroom soon.
    The tea is accompanied by small snacks, such as fruit, nuts, sweet bread, cookies, candy, or crackers. The host offers food to everyone periodically, and will continue to offer you food even if you refuse. Its a show of hospitality and also prosperity for the host to be able to offer food and drink in such abundance. It is an interesting experience, and it certainly makes guests feel welcome. My experiences here have been eyeopening and I am glad that I have this opportunity. I will continue to share these adventures with you all, and I hope that you are learning something as well.