Chinese breakfast

Breakfast: the highlight of my week in Chengdu. Yes! Not because the "Close of Service" conference I was required to attend this week in Chengdu wasn't any good. To the contrary, it was just fine--perfectly tailored to the needs of most Peace Corps volunteers and it was a beautiful two-hour train-ride away from Chongqing.

There at the KeHuaYuan Hotel on the edge of Sichuan University in Chengdu, we learned how to plow through the thicket of bureaucracy awaiting us at the final "Close of Service" event that is now just a few months off, and most volunteers had a chance to brush up on resume writing and job seeking skills, as well as learning about "non-competitive eligibility" and myriad other things relevant to seeking a federal job.

But. I'm not seeking a federal job, nor am I wanting to brush up on my resume writing skills. Tailored though this conference was for most people's needs, not for mine.

That noted, in addition to meeting up with dear friends and Peace Corps staff, it was delightful to be there one more time at the KeHuaYuan Hotel, with its out-of-sight breakfasts. Cheerios weren't on the menu.

Chinese breakfasts, at least hotel breakfasts, tend to be like this: a huge, healthy buffet of the most interesting dishes, most vegetable-centered. They're hot, they're tasty, they're varied.

How to make vegetables interesting? Go to China and find out--but you chop them up tiny and mix several together and season them with interesting flavors. You have variety--but not too much variety--within each dish and then again among the many dishes on the table. These breakfast buffets are out of this world.

 Of course, most Chinese don't begin the day in a hotel, but most do begin the day with a hot, healthy breakfast, usually interesting and varied--probably without either coffee or tea. Skipping breakfast just isn't common as far as I can tell, and breakfast on the run is likely to be baozi (the ubiquitous steamed bun with a meat and vegetable filling--easy to get on the street for about 15 cents) and a carton of soy milk.

For anyone who is worried about US tax dollars, let me assure you that Peace Corps volunteers hardly live lives of luxury, even if we have enjoyed a few unforgettable breakfasts in our two-year tours of duty.