Dumplings (Potstickers)

Mr. Gao invited us to spend the day since we have no classes on Wednesday. He picked us up and meandered around town to his house two counties away, where we could make dumplings. Of course he lives on the 6th floor with no elevator! I have to rest after flight four.

Mrs. Gao had chopped pork, garlic, leeks, etc to make the filling. She even has a Bosch mixer to make the dumpling dough. Mr. Gao proceeded to roll the dough into a long snake, then cut it into about 1 1 / 2 inch chunks. They alternated rolling them into nice circles. Then we pitched in and put a spoonful of filling, folded them in half, and pitched the ends and corners together. Ours did not look very neat, but we cooked them anyway. They were quite delicious and we each ate 2 platefuls.

Mr. Bao insists he's our best friend in China and wants to show us every nook and cranny in and around Xi'an for the next year. I realize this is a coveted invitation, but help! I need to do some laundry and lesson plans on my day off. (Actually Tim has taken over the job of the laundry.)
Anyway he drives us around in the countryside. We found a lake with newly developed walkway and shops, so we stroll all the way around the lake and snack on yogurt. Then he drives us up to the mountains south of Xi'an. It's pleasant and the air is cleaner.

Finally when I think we're headed back to the city, he detours off to a farmer friend who grows kiwi fruit. Did you know kiwi originated in China (like most everything else)? So the farmer let us pick 2 boxes of kiwi off his trees. I'm hoping they ripen so I can take them to the potluck at church this week.

Eventually we reached Xi'an and familiar territory. But it was 8:00 PM before we got home. It was a great ride through the countryside, and we have plans for next week. Fun, but my free time has been expunged!