Six Item Diet

We should all try this. I am inspired by it.

If I don't have the courage to only wear six pieces of clothing for an entire month, at least I can commit to cleaning out my closet of all the items I do not wear. I think I could easily not buy any clothes for a month. I actually would like to try not to buy anything for a year. I know I have enough clothes to make it through. Something to think about before I commit.

In the meantime a little inspiration for you.

Shoppers on a ‘Diet’ Tame the Urge to Buy
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/fashion/22SIXERS.html

By ERIC WILSON

Published: July 21, 2010

Wearing only six items of clothing for 31 days can prompt both frustration and liberation.

LiJiang - Yunnan Province

LiJiang Food

Noodles we had for a late breakfast. These were supposed to be spicy, but they were not that spicy and had Yak meat in it. LiJiang and that area of Yunnan province is famous for its Yak Meat. Also, they have more dairy products than the rest of China because of the Yak farming there.


Here is some yummy Yak Yogurt!

The yogurt was always in glass or clay bottles covered with paper and a little rubber band holding it on. You drank the yogurt with a straw and returned the bottle where you bought it. No plastic being thrown away and it can be washed and reused for more yogurt. The yogurt was sweet and yummy and no flavor added… and was runny enough so sip with a straw so I bet there was not excess gelatin or thickeners added. Just pure good yogurt.

Peking Duck Meal

This is a Peking Duck meal we shared one evening in Beijing with Peter’s students and friends. After the meal we rented our own Karaoke room and sang Chinese and American songs till our hearts and voices were content.

The Peking Duck specialty is comprised of the cooked duck on a plate, some slivered cucumbers and onions, a rice “tortilla” and some plum sauce. The trick is to create your own Peking Duck “roll-up” with just using your chop sticks. The first part is the most difficult because you usually need a helper to hold down the other rice tortillas while you unstick yours. Then you dip the duck in the sauce, add the cucumbers and onions and roll it up and bring it to your mouth with only the chop sticks. It was yummy, but not as flavorful as some of the other dishes we had.
The object wrapped in a banana leaf is a glutinous rice cake for the Dragon Boat Festival that was celebrated that day.
Other Food we had in Beijing included….

Food of China

This is the first dinner out in the Hutong of Beijing. We shared dinner with Peter's PhD students, notice the lazy-susan to share the delights.
Sweet potato covered in a something like toffee, you dip it in the cold water next to it to cool it off.
A fish soup. The chef brought the fish to us alive before dinner so we could approve the size and the fish. Then they cooked it in oil and you 'fish' it out in your bowl to eat.



Green beans with garlic and ma - a spice that makes your tongue numb.
This lunch portion was $1.50
This is zucchini, chicken, and "tree ear" - a really appetizing name for fungus. It tastes good, like a mushroom. This lunch was also $1.50 or 10 Yuan.
My first meal in China! Fried egg plant with garlic and ma and mushrooms and bok choy, and chicken and peanuts.