My Blog

Trials and Triumphs

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:27:08 +0800

The language barrier here still continues to test me to the nth degree. And I am continually making quite a fool of myself. However, on the other side of simplistic tasks accomplished I do feel like quite the conquerer. Kind of. Sometimes....

So I bought this e-scooter the day before I left for America for a month. I thought it was an e-bike (a bike with a battery) when I paid for it but it turns out to be this mammoth e-scooter instead (a scooter with a battery). I bought it from a colleague moving back to Canada and I paid for it sight unseen for a steal of a deal. It was initially a very expensive bike, has hardly been used, and is mint condition. I bought it because more than anything I need something to help me get to school quickly in the below freezing Beijing winter and a motorized vehicle of some sort is essential. However, this thing is much more than I bargained for.

The day before catching my plane out I finally receive the keys and 5 minutes of instructions. Later that afternoon I go through the most embarrassing process of figuring out how to crank the ignition (it doesn’t crank by the way... it is electric), tentatively take a whirl around, and then manage to wrangle the beast into my apartment for a respite from the elements for my month away until I can figure out what to do with this monstrosity.

So this morning I decide to give it a second go. I ease the whole thing back down 15 floors on the elevator, through the double front doors, and down the flight of stairs out front to get my celebration of Beijing manicure and pedicure. I was determined the pampering would brighten the gray funkiness and inspire me to love China again. (I saw a fellow teacher during this whole process and I asked about the weather. He said that Beijing was always “cloudy” in the summer. I promptly informed him that those were not “clouds” and that there was nothing cloud-like about the whole situation. Ha!) I get on my new e-scooter and instead of speeding off into pampering oblivion it kind of lurches and stops, lurches and stops. Ugh....

I park the e-scooter in all its glory outside the gate of my apartment complex and go get the manual pedal pusher and go about my day determined to have my morning of bliss biking through the hot,steamy gray pea soupiness. And I do. It was quite pleasant actually. I finished reading a book over iced coffee (after an initial freak out that the coffee shop wasn’t air conditioned post bike riding I sit anyway and adjust comfortably) and continue on with my spa day before heading back home to handle the situation.

And I try to fix it all.... but to no avail. Determined that all I need is a good batter charge I go about figuring out how to remove the battery. My sundress is flying everywhere. I am greased down from all the blessed messaging and sweat and keep slipping and sliding all around in my flip flops. The young boy “guards” that are posted at every nook and cranny of this city are pointing and chuckling. I am half famished from my new training program that requires that I eat promptly at noon or my blood sugar falls into oblivion and I can’t think straight (I’m at least and hour late by now). Did I mention that the alarm is going off this whole time and it takes a good five minutes how to turn it off? It’s a disastrous scene and I decide it best to eat and nap first before tackling my predicament. (I also need to catch the apartment maintenance crew early in the day to fix my perpetually broken toilet problem)

Broken toilet fixed, refreshment attained, and prayer prayed I try again. This time the scene is even worse. My goal is to move the scooter to the underground parking area to fix the thing in some sort of semi-privacy so I don’t look like such a fool. But first I’ve got to get it up over this curb I’ve put it on. I go forward, I try going backwards, a wiggle and wrangle it and proceed to look over and see the guards getting another good kick out my predicament. This time I wasn’t having it. I yell at them from across the parking lot and tell them to stop laughing at me. (All in English mind you) I wave my hands all angry at them and everything. “Don’t you be laughing at me!” One of the uniformed men starts walking in my direction.

Normally at this point in time I would try my best to make an attempt at some Chinese. I think it very elitist to start talking to someone in English when they don’t speak it. I am in their country for peats sake and I don’t expect anyone to accommodate my lack of language skills. But all all I can manage is a defeated “Help!” And he does...

The first thing he does is point out in all my frustration that I never removed the gynormous lock that I wound all through the front wheel so that no one would steal my stupid scooter. I turned beet red and unlocked and unwound the lock. He then moves it quite easily over the curb. After that I figured since I had him there I would get him to get the battery out. I did everything but tear the thing apart in my earlier attempt so I thought it was worth a shot. He looks a bit confused but I just start unlocking it and talking to him in my English and within a few moments he’s got it out and unplugged. At that point he kindly put the beast back up onto the curb and told me that is was, “His pleasure”, and smiles kindly. I give him several “xie xie’s” and lug the 50 pound hunk of lead a hundred meters or so back across the complex and up into my apartment to charge.

If all goes well it will be up and running and out of my hair and to the highest bidder as soon as possible. And for all of you out there that can’t decide between an e-bike or an e-scooter. An e-bike is the way to go. They aren’t so freakin’ heavy and if you run out of juice you can still pedal and go and get your mani/pedi without the frustration of such a beastly monstrosity. That’s my two cents worth anyway.

My next challenge... watching a movie on my flat screen TV. It’s all hooked up but I can’t figure out the Chinese remote control. Ha! I will triumph!!

Home Again

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:09:46 +0800

I love my bed. I absolutely love my bed. It is the best bed ever. Wherever it is in the world and whatever it consists of does not really matter to me. (To some degree) All that matters is that it is mine. It is just that there is something about your own particular bed and space and place in the world that is just not like any other. It doesn’t matter if it is my pillow top posturepedic (which is currently in long term storage) or my not so pillow top posturepedic (my current Chinese specialty)- my bed is my favorite place to lay my head down at night.

And I should know- I have slept in 14 different beds since the last time I sat down to blog. From Yunnan, China to Seoul, South Korea and from New York City to Austin, Texas... I’ve been making some tracks and had all sorts of various nights sleeps in all sorts of various degrees of luxury (or not). I wish I would have taken the time to share in on the adventure along the way but sometimes I get so caught up in the whirl of it all that I don’t take the time to write about it. And I have to write in the moment. To look back and try and capture the adventure just isn’t the same. It isn’t as alive or as funny.

I can say that the most luxurious of beds in my recent travels was in New York City and the least bed like of beds was my brother’s couch in Garfield, Texas. The most off the beaten track bed was in the Tiger Leaping Gorge at the edge of the earth in Yunnan, China. The least slept in bed was probably in Seoul. The place just has too much energy in its own right to allow for the time to replenish your own.

Since returning home to Beijing I have spent about 24 non-stop hours sleeping, reading, and curling up in my very own bed just making up for lost time. (And recovering from jet lag without the pressure of a to-do list) Also, my lack of willingness to explore beyond my bed is that I think part of me just doesn’t isn’t ready to accept the fact that outside the front door of my apartment is this whole other country that I will be living in once again this year. Luckily, this go round I know the ropes of this country and I look forward to all the great goals and milestones I have set for myself this year but wow... it’s really funky out there.

I landed on Monday afternoon and it is now Thursday morning at 4:40 am. Since my arrival it has been gray. And I heard from friends that didn’t leave this summer that ALL summer... it has been gray. Ewwe... gray is gross. And it isn’t the cool gray of winter when it is about to snow. This gray is pure, sweltering smog and pollution. Welcome back to Beijing.

So, I am focusing on the positive instead of the despicable weather of this place. I will be debt free in a few more months. I am completing my Bible school program this year (and I have the time and lack of distractions to do so). I am traveling to the Philippines in October and Thailand in December. My best friend Keely is coming to visit in the dead of winter. I am turning 30 in 180 days and will be in the best shape ever by then. (More on that the further along towards progress that I make- let’s just say I bought a scale for the first time in my adult life! Wowza... The treadmill is my new best friend) And in a year from now I will be financially set up to take a year of my life and travel to places where the sky is not so gray.

I do wonder where my head will rest during my year traveling post-China. Will the pillows be fluffy? Will the sheets be crisp and clean? WIll I really care considering that the world is at my fingertips and blue skies abound?

There is a lot to look forward too and a trail to blaze. 11 more months. I can do it.

The 5 Year Plan

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:52:57 +0800

In 2007, when I moved from Seattle back to Texas, switched careers and became a teacher I didn’t really have a plan. At that point in my life, all I knew is that I wanted to do something that was not life consuming, allowed for some time to travel, and gave me a schedule that permitted me to really live life. Up until this leg of my journey, my identity had been all wrapped up either being a student or working my way up “the ladder” for a major company. During this time post-college and throughout the entirety of my 20’s, I didn’t have much direction as to where it all would lead (and I wasn’t necessarily seeking direction either) but I can say that I did have a lot of dreams in spite of my identity crisis.

I have always been a big dreamer. I have so many things that I want to do with my life. I’ve got a 101 fantastic ideas and I love nothing more than plotting and planning them. It’s fun. It keeps me highly entertained. But I have never really known where all my dreaming would lead and if I would ever “get there”. I realize now that I am already “there” as long as I wake up in the morning and live my life fully abandoned at the foot of the cross (thus, the solution to the identity crisis) but there is this part of me that will never be satisfied with a one chapter version of this story that is my life. I want to have volumes to this epic tale. There is adventure in these bones and I just can’t stop fully exploiting the life that is at my finger tips. I want to taste, touch, and breathe in all that I possibly can. I want to devour each day with zest and gusto and constantly be moving forward as I blaze my trail upon this earth. I know my life is but a little blade of grass that with come and go with the passing of the seasons of time but this blade is gonna absorb every speck of sunshine that the moment in time is giving.

When I made the move to come to China I knew in my heart that it was something that I was supposed to do but, once again, I didn’t really know where it would lead. So, I stepped out in faith anyway, took the plunge, and made this huge leap trusting that I would land on my feet. And I have to say that not only did I land on my feet but since coming here I have really come into a place of direction and vision for the first time ever in my life thus far. I am beginning to see all of my passions, interests, and life goals coming together in the most amazing way. I also see how my past, faults in all, have prepared me for my future. Sometimes in life you only see the edge of the brush stoke begin swiped across the canvas and other times you get to step back and see a bit more of the scene that is being painted.

At this moment, I am getting to see a bit of a tiny corner of my canvas and I really like it. Tomorrow the vision that I have may be less and it may be more and I have no doubt that it will definitely change depending upon the angle or perspective that I gaze upon it but that is the fun part. It’s what keeps the story interesting. Funny enough, a few months ago I had the thought, “Adrienne, you just need to be content. Stop your dreaming. Put all those ideas aside. You can’t possibly do all those things in your life time. Get real.” As soon as those thoughts went through my head I head the Lord speak so clearly to my heart, “Don’t you ever stop your dreaming Adrienne. I love your dreams for I have placed them there. You are going to accomplish every single one of them and more. So dream big!”

Oh, my! Give me those words and just watch what happens. I have been dreaming bigger than ever! The limits upon my imagination have been loosed (and I’ve got a good one!). And as I have allowed those limitations to be removed I have watched as all of the things that I have wanted to do - for years!!!- start to come together into the most amazing picture and I now see the possibility of all of them coming to pass in the most incredible way.

So what are all these dreams and plans I am sure you are wondering? The first piece of this puzzle is that I have wanted to go to Bible school for a long time but I thought it would be years before I could ever go. I spent time researching anyway- dreaming of the possibilities- and I found the coolest program ever at International House of Prayer in Kansas City- and what is great about it is that I don’t have to wait years to start. I can do a years worth of correspondence work while I am here in China. So I enrolled last November and it is awesome. I really enjoy my course work, I am learning tons and I will finish up the first year of the program at the end of the next school year. Whenever I return to the U.S. I want to spend the time completing another year of the program if that is how the picture is painted.

The second part of my life vision is that I want to have my own bakery and cafe that will contribute to the community via a soup kitchen and a work skills program. I want it to be a place where people that need a chance get one. On top of that it will be serving up some amazing deliciousness! I also want this to tie into an organic farm and orphanage/school/amazing place for refugees and all sorts of people to come and just recover from life as it develops and grows. Hello! I went to school for business, I ran a business for a major company, and now I teach business... You would think it would have been a bit more obvious that I was getting the experience to run my own business someday. So, I have drawn up an incredible business plan, I have done massive amounts of research, and as soon as I complete another contract overseas (post-Beijing) I will have the capital to start small and get it going. So fun!

But before I go any further beyond Beijing, I think there is something else that I just have to do.... Ever since I was a little kid I couldn’t wait until I was 30. I’ve always had it in my head that it is going to be an amazing year. That something magical would happen! Maybe I thought that I would have it all together and life all figured out, beats me what I thought. I definitely don’t think that will be the case necessarily but I do think the year is going to be fantastic!! When I was in college and immediately afterwards my goal was to be debt free and spend my 30th year on planet earth traveling to organic farms and working as a volunteer to get the experience to start my own farm. I had my map of Europe on my wall with all of the farms picked out and tacked up with those blue and red flag push pins. However, until today I put that dream aside. I took the map down and put it away. But you know what? I’m gonna dream big! I’m getting that map back out. I know to some of you picking peaches and making cheese does not interest you but to me- that is the coolest thing I could possibly do with my 30th year on planet earth. I also want to write during this time. I have a book that I want to finish and I just have so many other things that I want to say. I don’t know exactly what yet but I’m going to take the leap of faith and figure it out. And I’m going to take you on the journey with my blog!

At this time next year I am going to be debt free and I am going to have the money saved to spend a year working on organic farms in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Israel. The title of the journey: A year’s voyage along the Mediterranean Sea. Afterwards if I need to go work and complete another contract somewhere as a teacher so that I have the capital to do what I want back in the states- I will.

So these are my dreams. Yep, I’m gonna do it all and then some! I am going to travel. I am going to write. I am going to go to Bible school and I am going to start my own business. And more fun adventures to come on top of that, no doubt. This is just the five year plan! Wow!

My life vision that trumps all my dreaming and scheming is to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, and mind and out of that love I want to overflow and touch the lives of those around me. It is this, first and foremost, that defines my life’s success or failure. For awhile in there, I thought this meant I needed to live in a hut on the edges of society in some village somewhere (which I was so not created for) or maybe live a life that wouldn’t allow for all of these things in my heart to come to pass. You see- I took my own path once trying to reach my goals. I wanted to do it my way and I ultimately ended up broken and empty. But then- I gave all my dreams up to follow the Lord and surrendered all my life to Him for His plans and purposes and not my own. Since I have put Him first in my life, and prioritized Him above all these things, I have watched as He has given each of my dreams back to me... one by one. For He put them all in my heart to begin with. But let me tell ya- if He led me to a hut in a village I would be the first one out the door. No doubt about it! Wherever He leads, I will follow! For in that place is the only place that true life exists. It is just absolutely amazing to me that I get the fullness of life in Him as well as living out this epic adventure. And if I’ve got it wrong- no worries! As long as I put Him first He will make sure that I get to where I need to go. I am in the palm of His hand and there is no other place on earth I would rather be.

And let me just say here before signing off, the day you fully surrender and make that choice to follow Him and place Him as Lord over your life, is the day that your epic adventure will begin as well. We all have the most amazing story just waiting to be written.

Spring has Sprung!!!

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:14:00 +0800

Spring has sprung and Beijing has risen from the grave!!! I thought her death was final and absolute. I can’t even remember the last time this grey ghost had life in her bones. For almost 6 months she has lived lingering in the shadows and cloaked with the frost of deep winter. And I have been left longing with only a shred of hope keeping me from losing my optimistic, “I love Beijing” attitude. Let me tell ya’ folks, that took some endurance! But yea- there are signs of spring everywhere! I think all of creation was absolutely aching as much as I was, waiting to emerge from the hibernation of this long, dark night.

The entire city was teaming with life today. it usually does, regardless of the weather, but I think that there was a different energy and air about the place. The air itself was still quite polluted (although a much better day I should say) but there was definitely much more vibrance to it. Beijing has shed her winter layers and gotten to stretch her legs a bit beyond the huddled scurry and furrowed scowl. Mmmmmm.... and it feels good!

This place is so cool. As much as I have moan and groaned it is really a lot of fun. I could spend my life walking these hutongs and back alleys. (Don’t worry Mom... I won’t) But I can see why people come and don’t leave. And there are a lot of them. 17 + million of em’. The hidden treasures and random discoveries are absolutely never ending. And six months after you’ve walked that street, come back, and its a whole new street to walk. It all changes so fast! I can’t imagine if I would have been here 10 years ago, left, and just come back. Even in the (almost) year that I have been here, I have watched so many places built or torn down right before my eyes. It’s crazy.

I took some pictures of some old hutongs today. (They are posted at http://gallery.me.com/ramsey77901) For some reason I just felt in my bones that it was the end of their days. So I wanted to document it before they all came crumbling down. Kind of reminded me of taking my dog Lena on one last photo shoot before I had to put her down. Not quite but kind of. These old neighborhoods have history. Hundreds of years worth. They have stories of generations gone by within their walls. And they are being torn down to make way for new high rises as fast as you can say ‘money’. So on the good Beijing days I spend hours on end wandering them. Absorbing their final breaths before their story is over. My legs ached from 7 hours of walking but there is something in them that pushes me to keep pounding my way through them.

I did stop a couple of times. Once for a foot message :) and once to drink loo cha (green tea) in this cozy little shop overlooking a main thoroughfare. I wrote and read and did some fun doodling with these great watercolor art pencils. I have to say, being single is a really good time. I am sure that when I discover that special someone that he will add to my really good time (if not, he will SO not be in the picture) but life is mighty fine just the way it is too.

News update!!! I am departing soon for some fun travels. I have a 9 day break starting on April 30th and it is going to be a really fun adventure!! I will be exploring the Yunnan province in southwestern China. Google it. It’s a REALLY neat place in the world. One of the most untouched places in China (if there is such a thing with 1.3 billion people) and is teaming with all sorts of neat flora and fauna. I am going to spend a couple of days in a place called Lijiang. (A UNESCO site) Then I will go hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge for a few days. (deeper than the Grand Canyon!) Finally, I will round out the trip in an ancient old town called Dali. So... a bit of hiking, a bit of biking, some horseback riding up in some hills, beautiful lakes, rivers, waterfalls, villages, lots of minority people. I also have it set up to go and visit a school and a leper colony out in the boonies on the edge of the earth. I am super stoked. I wanted to go last summer but I wasn’t able to work it out due to paperwork mumbo jumbo back in Beijing. I will be sure to blog and post some fun stuff when I get back.

I hope everyone has faired the winter well and is enjoying this wonderful new season of life. Keep me posted and I will do the same.

I want my bike! I want my bike!

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:15:47 +0800

For all of you Goonie fans from back in the day- You remember the big bad brother who was so not a Goonie? You know the scene where he is trying to hunt down the real goonies and he steals the pink bike with the rainbow colored tassels and training wheels from the little girl? When he pries her prized possession from her chubby, little girl hands she yells, “I want my bike! I want my bike!” Well, right now, if you were to be inside my head, you would hear the same pitiful little girl screaming. In this scene however, the big bad brother just happens to be the Beijing weather.

All I want folks is a day on my bike in the sunshine. All I want is a day of bliss, unfettered by Jack Frost, the blistering winds of Siberia, or the uber funky pollution. This winter will not end. It snowed on November 1st. It has continued to snow throughout the winter (which supposedly it NEVER does! I find this hard to believe) and even snowed twice this past week alone. The last time it snowed the flakes were so fat I told them to go on a diet. (Inside my head only- don’t worry I would never say such silly things aloud) I wish I had a picture of them. They were gargantuan! I have never seen snowflakes that incredibly obese before. But in all honesty I have never really seen it snow that much before either.

I am a Texas girl! Tried and true. We southerners don’t have to worry about what shoes to wear in the snow or how many layers are appropriate because we don’t have snow. Ahh... alas. I am ranting. Forgive me. I just need a release.

So yeah, this morning was going to be the day. The day that I could finally ride my bike. Every day I check the weather like 30 times just to see if the forecast has changed. So many times they have forecasted warm weather and I have gotten all excited and make these big plans and every single time so far I have been crushed. But today, I knew it was going to be it. I could feel it in my bones. My trusty little weather man projected 50 degrees and some partial sunshine. Things have been progressively moving beyond freezing for several days in a row now. My sights were high. I went to sleep last night with a smile on my face and much hope in my heart.

But then, once again, it didn’t happen but for a very different reason. I woke this morning before the sun rose and was all a dancing about- excited about my day. I had a bit of breakfast and enjoyed my morning routine when all of sudden the sun started peaking over the horizon and revealing something very disturbing. The sky was a thick, rotten porridge yellow. It was disgusting. Oh, no!!!! What was this?!? Pollution??? Seriously- I was not happy. My balloon was instantly burst and I went back to bed. I tried to sleep. Honestly. All I wanted was to go back to my wonderful world of sweet dreams. The place where skies are blue and winds don’t blow so hard. But I couldn’t sleep anymore.

About 10 am I finally forced myself to get out of my bed and get out in all the funk. I was not going to have my entire Saturday spent moping around, so I wrapped myself all up and made a jaunt down to one of my favorite farmers markets. I bought a funny little pumpkin (which I happen to be eating at this very moment) to boost my spirits. (I roasted it in my little toaster oven. It’s alright but not as spirit boosting as actually buying it.). I then came home, whipped a little lunch, worked on some writing, and took a nap.

And you know what? When I woke up from my little nap. The sun had come up and the sky was a brilliant blue!!! I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was awake. The sound of the whirling wind tearing through the world outside my bedroom window assured me that I was definitely awake but when I opened it a crack to see how freezing it was- it wasn’t deathly.

You should have seen how fast I threw on my walking shoes and layers. I was not about to miss a minute of my sunshine! It definitely wasn’t bike riding weather but it was weather that was bearable enough to leave the safety and security of my lovely white walls here in the Landma Mingzui (that’s how you say my apartment in Chinese) Turns out, the putrid rotten porridge sky was a dust storm and had blown out and gone away during my little nap. Yep, I got to experience a new kind of Beijing weather phenomena today- the spring dust storms that hail all the way from the Gobi desert. I had no idea it was mother nature’s declaration of Spring that I was experiencing and all in the dumps about. Who would have thought it?

I guess I should be honest and note here that the Chinese are very hardcore and still ride their bikes- regardless of the weather. I definitely do not think that it could in any way be an enjoyable experience though. The possibility of that is beyond the realm of human capabilities. I think that it is their sheer endurance and out of their necessity that they ride their bikes in the midst of wind and snow. Imagine being a mom and the only way to get your children to school, do all of your grocery shopping, and get to and from work is on the back of a bike. That is the reality of it here and I must say the people of China have a strength of character that is far beyond my greatest comprehension.

Beyond the weather and my lack of ability to be a super tough person and endure uncomfortable circumstances I totally forgot to update you all on my trip to the States. The last time I wrote I was about to leave for my first trip home since coming to Beijing. I truly thought that I was going to have this incredible reverse culture shock experience and everything was going to feel weird and other worldly. Or at least have this moment of incredible revelation about life and humanity. It was a bit anti-climatic in those regards but landing back on American soil was highly exhilarating. I wanted to laugh and cry - and of course I did a bit of both. When I saw my loved ones for the first time it was also absolutely awesome and felt really great. America is my home and my roots. I also wanted to talk to everyone just because I could. All in all though- it just felt pretty normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. I did definitely stock up on some yummy eats and fun goodies to bring back with me.

You know what good eats I crave more than anything when I am overseas? Gum, preservative free, no sugar added dried fruit, and peanut butter. Yep- peanut butter. All natural, fresh ground, real deal, good stuff. I don’t want Skippy and I don’t want Jiff. I want peanut butter. It’s an intense craving and its something I really need to get a handle on. Seriously. If not I am going to be 10 feet wide. I like it fresh out of the jar, in the morning, in the evenings, with a hunk of dark chocolate, licked off my finger, in a sauce, in a stir fry, in a smoothie.... I could go on and on but maybe I just need a good multi-vitamin. That may just be the solution to all of these hankerings. I might be iron deficient or something. Regardless I just have to share my most recent peanut butter goodness that I discovered and have been consuming by the bucket loads: Spicy Peanut Sauce. I made it twice this past week and it is definitely a winner!

Ginger
Garlic
Soy sauce or hoisin
Honey or brown sugar
Chili paste or red pepper flakes
Lime juice or rice vinegar
Peanut butter

Chop up a couple of tablespoons each of ginger and garlic and set it aside. Mix together about 3 T. soy sauce or hoisin, a good squeeze of honey or about 1 T. brown sugar, a teaspoon or so of hot stuff depending on how you like, and a couple of tablespoons of you lime juice or vinegar. Whirl all that together and then get a good old glob of peanut butter and throw it into the mix. Anywhere between 1/4 to a half of a cup works fine. Thin it down with some hot water, or if you want to add an additional layer of complexity- some coconut milk. You can add up to a cup or so.

Now, get a pan good and hot with about a tablespoon or so of oil in it. Add your ginger and garlic and wait until its fragrant and just beginning to caramelize. Then pour in the rest of your ingredients and let it simmer until it thickens.

This is good as a veggie dip or as a stir fry sauce. I’ve been taking it to work with some carrot or celery sticks as a snack and I have also used it as a stir fry sauce with some broccoli, baked tofu and red bell pepper. When you serve it up you can put it over brown rice or soba noodles and then garnish it with a bit of cilantro and a few more crushed peanuts for a fun crunch. You could also throw in a bit of orange zest for an additional layer of tasty goodness if you are feeling adventurous. Mmmm.... delish! I hope you all enjoy.