Wok the Dawg

I named my blog smokieclennell in memeory of my dad whose nickname was Smokie. He was named that because of his activity in Scouts and Rovers throughout his life. My dad's favourite activity was to cook for everyone around the campfire. He was always the first up in the morning and you would awake to the smell of smoke and a good ole fashioned heart atack on a plate breaky ( bacon, eggs, home fried potatoes, pancakes, beans and campfire coffee) This still remains my favourite meal in the whole wide world. I figure I must be Smokie Jr by now with the greying of my hair and my 3 decades of experience with wood kilns. I've started this blog to keep family and friends posted of my adventures in China. I'm off on Sept 7th till Dec 14 with the gang from Utah State University.

Woking the Dawg: I've written to all that will be accompanying me to China that woking the dawg could have a whole new meaning in China. They say the Chinese will eat anything with 4 legs except a table and anything with two wings except an airplane. I am not a very adventureous eater so this has me looking at my 3 1/2 months in China as a visit to a foreign Fat Camp. I figure I'll live on beer and rice and just send y'all pictures of the snake soup, water buffalo innards, pigeon heads and the Lassie appts. If worse comes to worse I understand there is a KFC in Jindezhen.
The other day I had to go into to Toronto to get my Chinese visa from the Embassy. I lucked out and got a parking spot across from the Embassy and on the way in there were a couple of old folks doing some zen like exercises. I thought that is really neat. While in the Embassy a protest was forming outside. I looked out the window to see our car surrounded by banners and protesters. There were mixed messages about genicide, Tibet, boycotting the 2008 Olympics, human rights, the Dali Lama and Fulan Gong. Luckily as we left the building the protest moved back off the street which allowed us to leave. We were presented with a pamplet describing Fulan Gong and it then became clear to me that the old people doing the zen like exercises were practicing members of Fulan Gong. It is an interesting time to be going to China and I for one will be keeping mynose clean. Say whatever ya please in your own home but don't go visiting another country to vent your views is my cowardly take on this.

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