Roaming A TRAVEL MAGAZINE
Issue No. o2
•
June 2016
•
$3.oo
Journey to the
East Featuring
China
Pingyao Inner Mongolia Tibet
2
Featuring Pingyao
5 Inner Mongolia Experience
Through the eyes of an
Tibetan
10
PINGYAO
PINGYAO
S
treet food
in yao Ping
PINGYAO:
The Epitome of
Traditional Street Food
These noodles are a classic Pingyao dish. Although served cold, these noodles pack punch with a vibrant and spicy sauce. Traditionally, these noodles are made in many different ways, some involving “shaving” the noodles off a piece of dough
Kebabs don’t only hold historical value in Pingyao, but around the globe. Kebabs originate way back to the first time food was ever cooked on a stick. The seasoning of this Kebab is special though, and is a trademark of the Pingyao Kebabs. Originating around the 1600’s, the Kebabs made their way into Pingyao culture.
Pingyao 4
JOURNEYTOTHEEAST:
INNER MONGOLIA Mitchell makes for the pasturelands of Inner Mongolia and finds a multitude of Mongolian culutre
A
sea of grass spread throughout the pasturelands, rippling in the air. Classic, grass as far as the eye can see. Minutes seemed like hours, hours like days. The wind whipped against my face as I sped along, the temperature a falling rock. The sun crawled its way behind the horizon after the long and exhausting day.
The sky darkened as a group of designs, a stove in the middle, yurts sped into view, slowing to a its exhaust pipe leading through complete stop as the locals came the roof. The floor was covered out to greet us, beckoning us to in warm rugs. I stepped into one of their yurts. Too tired to the yurt, and the wind and cold argue, I dismounted from my instantly disappeared. The locals steed and slowly, but thankfully, noticed my sudden interest in trudged my the lining way towards of the yurt. “ ,” they remarked, the yurt. “Felt,” they The old and remarked, “ tattered “extremely Mongolian warm and ” yurt laying abundant, peacefully on the grassy plains made from the animals we herd”. had a very unexpected interior Felt is also perfect because it design. Completely differing allows the yurt to be easily from the outside tent-like look, packed and put away, allowing the interior looked less like a for simpler and easier nomadic tent and more like a portable travel. house. The sides were lined with After lots of bickering and colorful furniture with intricate protesting, the locals forced
Felt Extremely Warm and Abundant
Inner Mongolia 5
me into a chair and served me refreshments. Although I made it clear that I was not exactly famished, the hosts refused to accept. Luckily, I made sure that they did not prepare dinner. If they did, they probably would have served a ten-course meal. We spent the rest of the night drinking tea, milk, and milk wine, discussing my trip as a whole. Although there was a definite language barrier, my crude Mongolian was enough to explain my plan, to see the renowned Naadam festival, an extremely old and valuable Mongolian tradition. The night grew old, and it was soon time to retire to the
sleeping quarters. Being the kind and thoughtful Mongolian hosts, they allowed me to stay in their guest yurt. Although much simpler in furniture and design, I was grateful and thanked them. As soon as they left, I passed out on the mini cot.
Concerning Cheese
In the morning, the kind hosts, yet again displaying Mongolian hospitality, had already prepared breakfast. There was a large assortment of food, from yogurt to milk soup, from milk tea to milk tofu, almost every single dish consisted of some sort of dairy. To respect the hosts, I tasted each and every food, but one particular tidbit stood out:
the cheese. When people think of Chinese food, they typically don’t think of cheese. Cheese has always been seen as a sort of western culture kind of food, but the Mongolian cheese is brought to a whole new level. The mild, soft, creamy Byaslag would be the classic Mongolian cheese. Made from the yak’s milk, Byaslag gets a creamy and salty texture throughout the process of making this cheese. Being the nice Mongolian locals, our hosts offered to show me the process of making Byaslag after I expressed interest in the cheese. Kefir is used to separate the milk, forming what seems like cheese Inner Mongolia 6
curds. These are taken, drained, and wrapped tightly in a cloth, which is then compressed in-between two heavy wooden boards. The last step would be a long process, but our hosts already had a fresh batch made for the Naadam, so we got to see the end product, the delicious, creamy, pale yellow cheese ready to be cut and eaten. The locals tried to explain that this kind of cheese is actually not made that often, only at festivals, weddings, or for visitors, and can be eaten fresh, dried, or even in tea. One rather interesting thing about the meal was that there were barely any fruits or vegetables. But I’m not quite sure
why I am surprised. Much like seeing as the tea can be dried, housing, the food depends on it can easily be imported from the abundance of product. And places where tea is abundant to that makes perfect sense since where tea is rather uncommonly the large grassy pasturelands are grown. perfect for Soon after herding cattle, “ depends on breakfast, lamb or other I thanked the animals, it is the hosts most definitely for their ” an abundant hospitality resource. This allows for milk, and received a warm send-off as cheese, meat, basically any meat I rushed off for the traditional or dairy to be available at every Naadam festival. meal. But Mongolians who don’t Let the Games Begin live near forest obviously will In Mongolian, Naadam literally have a lack of fruits and means “the games”, indicating vegetables, seeing as the only that the Naadam is, well, the vegetation around would be games. In this celebration, the grass. Tea is different though, Mongolians show their talent,
food abundance of product
Inner Mongolia 7
skill, and to prove their worth in many different games such as archery, wrestling, horseracing, chess. These games, generally occurring July-August, are a very well-known and important tradition in the Mongolian culture. And the best thing is that I will be there to experience it. Arriving just in time for the open ceremony, I breathlessly sat down in my designated seat as the opening ceremony started. Everyone attending was dressed in their finest, mainly the del, a piece of traditional clothing. The del is a loose, calf-length, long sleeved and high collared tunic. Each ethnic group in Mongolia has its own style of del, distinguished by its trimmings, color, and designs, making each del unique. There are two general categories of the del: the terleg, a light, thinly padded del that is worn in spring and summer; and
the winter del, a del that is well padded lined with sheepskin. Sheepskin is perfect, for it is extremely abundant, as the pastureland is perfect for herding sheep, allowing for an abundance of this material. Another interesting thing I noticed were peoples’ hats. My guide explained to me that the hats were some of Mongolia’s most colorful and traditional items. The Mongolian headdresses apparently have over 400 different styles, all depending on age, sex, season, tribe, so many different hats that it would be impossible to describe each and every one. Many people gave me funny looks, probably because my baseball cap didn’t exactly register into their definition of traditional headdress. The opening ceremony began, and it was amazing. There was an intricate and elaborate parade, and so many things were going
on at once. The opening ceremony featured dancers, musicians, bands, soldiers, athletes, almost everything and everyone was in the opening ceremony. But I didn’t come here to see the opening ceremony, I came here to see the events.
The Main Event
In the Naadam, the three most well-known activities are wrestling, horse racing, and archery. In Mongolian wrestling, a total of 512 or 1024 wrestlers participate in the games. Traditional Mongolian wrestling is an untimed game, but does not allow any body part to touch the ground besides the hands and feet. Horse racing is a completely different story. Differing from the traditional American horse races, usually no longer than 2 kilometers, Mongolian horse racing features cross-country
Inner Mongolia Agricultural Map The grassland is the more “classic” Inner Mongolian environment. Grass and pastureland as far as the eye can see, perfect for sheep, goats, cattle, horses and camel. Sheep and goat are by far the most important and common of the animals that graze on the vast pasturelands. This provides all sorts of meat and dairy making them both a staple diet in this region. Lamb, goat, beef, milk, cheese, these staple foods are all made possible because of the vast pasturelands that fill this area.
The forest region consists of a variety of different trees, in the northern area, mostly coniferous species (such as pine and larch), and in the southern area, mostly broad-leaved species (such as birch and aspen). This environment supports a large variety of wildlife, such as deer, elk, hare, and many other different animals. This environment makes it ideal for the hunting and gathering kind of food, seeing as there is a abundance of game and plants.
The cropland was originally regular grassland until the Mongolians realized that the soil extremely fertile, and was perfect for growing all sorts of crops, such as rice, wheat and tea. Rice and bread became a staple diet in that region, and the tea, lasting longer, could be shipped around Inner Mongolia, making it a classic Mongolian beverage.
The Gobi Desert is a barren and punishing desert. Where only desert animals and drought-resistant shrubs survive, only the fittest will survive. This harsh climate is not fit for any reliable source of agriculture, thus making it an extremely hard to get any food out of this environment.
Relative Location in China
Inner Mongolia 8
racing, usually spanning 15-30 kilometers in distance. The length is determined by the age of the horse, and amazingly, the main purpose of the races is to test the skill of the horses, not the jockey. The jockeys are generally 5-13 years old, and only get trained months preceding the races. Archery is one of the sports that Mongolians decided to let women compete in. Instead of being a single sport, archery, in this case, is a team sport. In teams of ten, the archers must score the highest total points by hitting small targets down. Another thing I found surprising was that each time a target was hit, the judge said “uuhai”, which literally means “hooray” in Mongolian. Just another example of what a nice culture the Mongolians have. After hours of fun and excitement, the celebration was nearing its end. Soon, I would be plopped back in reality, having to deal with real world things. But I enjoyed the stress-free environment. I enjoyed the competition. I enjoyed the excitement. I may have only stayed in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region for a short while, but throughout my adventures, I have experienced so much of what it means to be Mongolian. Its imprint on how I see things will completely change. Although I would leave it soon, I will never forget such a kind-hearted culture. Respect, courtesy, hospitality, these traits have always been a key value in the Mongolian culture, and its everlasting impact will affect me for as long as I will remember. Inner Mongolia 9
Freelance writer Colin makes for the mountains of tibet to discover the true value of Tibet culture
T
he early noon sunlight gleamed through the small gaps between the crowded houses and touched my head with comfort. Sweat trickled down my cheeks
and forehead, as the wind passed through, my sweat bristled with the humid sensation I had. My lungs desperately drove the oxygen in and out of my lungs, as I leaned on a wall on my back. Despite the oxen and yaks trekking the brownish, rocky Tibet mountains at a distance, I sensed no energy inside the doors of the households. Yaks were able to withstand the harsh climate, but they definitely
needed an owner to have purpose for trekking those threatening peaks. Only emptiness covered the flat roofed walls of concrete, the walls that insidiously ignored my desperation for rest. Legs stiffening, head aching, I lay my first step on the rocky pavement leading to vast groups of cold-hearted doors. Unexpectedly, my step on the isle seemed to alarm the shadows lurking behind the doors, which revealed themselves. Unlike the wooden doors that seem to repel visitors, the people greeted me with great pleasure. As a tall woman with numerous ornaments dangling from her neck and ears stepped out from the crowd, the
Tibet 10
silence lasted forever; only townspeople muttered, when a frog started to cry, I “Jam yang.” She ushered was able to collect my me toward a house with words and speak. I strange vibrant-red mats managed to unfold the hanging from the roof. Earlier that day, when the sun was asleep and my breath seemed like cotton dancing in the air, a man with bucket in his hands stared at the riverbank. The long lasting river allowed the city to take advantage of the supply and hydro powered machinery tattered map—which was occupied every few jammed in my pocket—and intersections. This created a pointed at the location thundering noise along with marked “Lhunzhuo” on the sound of water crashing at edge. Without the sides of the turbine. I consideration, his finger dragged my feet in the drew toward a mountain shallow water toward him with the peak enclosed by and eventually, he broke his the daybreak mist. I drew gaze at the bank and shot a my gaze back at the man suspicious look back at me. and he nodded, which As I looked more closely at clearly meant there was no the man, I noticed he was shortcut for wearing The long lasting this trip. something that river allowed the city to My body seemed it seemed take advantage of the was losing like a the pressure supply and hydro balaclava that went powered machinery from air, my lung down to occupied every few worked his ears. intersections. hard to His capture all clothes the oxygen as I climbed the mismatched the thick clump mountain to a higher of white fur that covered his degree. Luckily the cotton head. It was thin layer of candy-shaped man led me fabric that was tightly to a clear and flattened strapped onto his body. The
pavement, eventually leading to a town in an hour or so walking. Before long, I found an opening pavement toward the town.
Slowly pushing the doors open, I took a step in as the woman with pink and yellow catamite clothes gestured me into the house. The strong smell of grass along with cheese dug deeply in my nose. The ceilings touched my head when I stood straight up. Small desks were filed orderly and the rest of the floor was filled up with mats and cushions. Chipped teapots and tattered cups arranged neatly on the shelf along with bowls and tealeaves caught my eye. Patterns on the teapots were composed with red and blue ink drops and flowers. Since rivers were adjacent to the town, were heavily influenced by it. Implements related to effectively utilizing water were developed earlier. I pointed at one of the Tibet 11
Barley is a common type of crop that grows in Tibet since it is able to withstand severe climate
Barley
Tibetan porridge that is composed of mainly barley and butter tea
Tsampa
Tibet
Agricultural Map
1
2
River
3
Lhasa
Plain surface Altitude: 500~3000 (m)
Plateau Altitude: 3300~4000 (m)
High peaked mountains Altitude: Over 4300 (m)
1.
The lakes lead to xingjiang province so communication was frequent between people at each ends. Not many similarities between the two are visible; however, elements of xinjinag cuisine was found in the dishes of this location.
2. Tsampas were mostly made by the nomads, the labor workers, who lived at central Tibet. Despite the low production of barley, the nomads consumed a large amount of Tsampas. Most of the nomads had low income, which left them eating these simple dishes.
cupboards with interesting ornaments inside, she replied, “Yes, you may.” I froze at my spot for a second wondering how she knew English. Then she added on, “I was the lucky one who got to learn English during my school years.” At first this fact surprised me, then I started to understand why this seemed to be the largest residence in town and located at the center. The lady then brought out a pile of Polo shirt. As she explained how she was very special being able to travel to different locations in China, she offered me a pot of orange-colored tea. Without consideration, I swallowed the drink to fulfill my thirst. The scent of milk and butter then
3. The rivers played a major role for the production of Barley. It provided rich soil and nutrients for the crops, which resulted in making abundant supply of it. Despite the large production,only a small proportion was used to compose Tsampas.
permeated my body, which let my body relax on the cushions. More treasures were deposited from the cupboard and placed gently on the table. Most were the colors of red and pink, mixed with white and dark blue. Thick wool covered most of the clothing to prevent heat loss from the severe temperature fluctuation of the Tibetan climate. Hardly noticing Jam Yang leave the room, I gazed astonished at the decorations on the walls, which seemed to drag me in. The presence of a small figure of Buddha caught my attention. Small Tibet characters on woodcarvings surrounded the Buddhist sculpture and incense, which was when I noticed the frail scent of burning
matchsticks. Other scent got mixed in with the incense, which was coming from plate full of food she came in with. “Sha Phaley,” she murmured, while handing me a plate of semi-circular bread. My hands unconsciously moved toward the food, but then realized a cup placed on the middle of the table overflowing with clear liquid. She looked at me with discourage, demanded me to “Show respect” and dipped her middle finger into the fluid. Then she held it up toward the ceiling and rotated it left three times. Repeating her actions, I hurriedly drifted the alcohol in the air and relaxed my tired hand on the plate. Exhausted by the long journey, I slowly bit into the crispy crescents, which broke under slight force of my teeth. The smooth essence of green onions weakened the smell of pork and vermicelli. Unlike the cover, which crunched viciously under my teeth, the steamed cabbage lost its vitality and stuck onto the roof of my mouth. To add on to the enriching flavor, I drank a cup of brownish fluid and sweet and
Tibet 12
sourness absorbed the dryness of my mouth. I tried to take my time eating all the food, while trying to sense all the small ingredients that composed the taste of tranquility. Tapping on the rim of the cup, she exclaimed, “This is Qiang, which is also known as barley wine.� Barley grows under cool conditions, but is not particularly winter hardy. Since Tibet has water supplies from the river and has a relatively cool temperature in that altitude, barley was a common type of crops that overfilled the breached fields. The savor of the small but rich meal encouraged me to continuously hunt for the fable flavor that was roaming inside my mouth.   Later on when the temperature seemed to loosen and the blood colored sun hung over the turquois peaks in a distance, a huge snort of some kind of massive animal arisen from the fields in the back. Unable to move on from the glorious scene, I slowly trudged across the cluster of unarranged houses to the field. As I stepped on the green grounds to join the crowd, a huge herd of yaks filed in through the wooden fence. Stably riding on a yak, a man with tanned face wearing light silk clothes appeared at the end of the long-lasting fence. The yak, with numerous loads on its
Dai
Dai vs Tibet
Tibet
Land form
Low altitude
Corrosion land forms
huge ponds occupying bits on mountain
Snowcapped mountains
Diversity in terrains (mountains, plains)
Long rivers intersecting with different province
High altitude Plains
Climate Variation throughout the latitude
Humid and rainy during the wet season
High average temperature
Dry and steaming during the dry season
Temperature difference between night and day is vast
high chances of rainfall from May~August
Heavy rain
pursued me the weariness he had to undergo every trip. The red blouse had spots the color of a well-done steak, which dampened with sweat. A white cowboy hat and was pushed down on his jet-black held it up toward hair that matched his leather the ceiling, then cardigan hanging on his shoulder. Toppling off the back, he hauled rotated it left three down the stacks of leather times. luggage on the grass. With a loud back, took long slow strides thud, he made the sumo wrestling toward the townspeople who were starting position while organizing fixed to their place like a the bags in colors. Most of the scarecrow. The man seemed to be colors were faded blue and green, worn out from all the hours of which seem to hold a larger traveling on the dusty, rough quantity of goods. More people peaks. His traditional clothes gathered around the arrival scene
She Dipped her middle finger into the fluid
Tibet 13
and some turned up with a bucketful of milk or clothe wrapped around cheese. Each finding their way toward the dealer, I was pushed aside onto my knees. Bags were emptied within ten minutes and the man was fixed on his spot like the lottery winner, except the fact that his arms were mostly stuffed with dairy products and hats. Climate and high altitude caused getting in contact with exterior merchandise extremely rare; therefore, Tibetans heavily relied on the retailer for high quality fabrics and spices. As the residents scattered back to their chamber like roaches encountering
human foot, tension was loosened and the sun sank under the mountains. Jam Yang was solemnly discussing with the salesman in Tibetan Mynamese, which I was unable to understand. When the man was given a packet of yak meat, he trudged slowly toward me with heavy footsteps. The night stars seemed to try their best to shine in the empty darkness as I passed out on the grassy field. The emptiness vanished next morning, where Jam Yang packed me trunks of frozen
Tsampa and Masan. I was moved back into the hut. As I packed my bag, I thanked the townspeople for their hospitality and at once they all nodded their heads and waved goodbye. The cold-hearted doors showed a different color as it was opened and people were standing in front of it. Day’s passed, warm sunlight made its way through the small gap between the curtains. It ricocheted off the walls and shone on my face. Unlike the morning in Tibet where Jam Yang smiled as she came in with more butter tea, I was alone in my three-room apartment. Cars on the street created chaos, while the alarm clock set off and the city seemed disordered than ever. I dragged myself to the kitchen to heat up water while I pulled out a bag of instant noodles. Blankly staring at my cheap breakfast, it made me wonder if I will ever be able to visit there again. The buildings seemed so packed with grime. I looked outside and even the sun seemed cold and unfriendly toward the gray city.
Tibet 14
Citations
"Mongolia Naadam Festival and Gobi Tour - 2016." Discover Mongolia. Discover Mongolia Travel Co, May 2016. Web. 1 June 2016. <https:// www.discovermongolia.mn/mongolia-naadam-festival-and-gobi-tour/>.
"Mongolian Traditional Clothes." Discover Mongolia Travel Guide. Discover Mongolia Travel Co, May 2016. Web. 31 May 2016. <https:// www.discovermongolia.mn/mongolian-traditional-clothes/>.
"Ethnic Groups - China.org.cn." Ethnic Groups - China.org.cn. China.org.cn, Jan. 2015. Web. 31 May 2016. <http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2mongolian.htm>.
"Byaslag - Cheese.com." Byaslag - Cheese.com. Worldnews, Inc, July 2014. Web. 31 May 2016. <http://www.cheese.com/byaslag/>.
Boeree, George, Dr. "History of Buddhism." History of Buddhism. Dr. George Boeree, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016.
"Tibetan Group." China Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.
"Tibetan Ethnic Minority." Ethnic Groups. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
"Tibetan Group." Geological Formation Names of China (1866–2000) (2009): 1106. MSD China. 2009. Web. 22 May 2016.
https://www.iconfinder.com/
Citations 15