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Introducing... 
Chinese Dining Etiquette
Dumplings

"Manners maketh the man"
, or so they say, so when travelling to a new country it pays to arm yourself with some good manners. Here are a few things to keep in mind when dining out in China.

1)
Don't pile your bowl with food as if you're at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet - it is polite to take only a small amount so that there is enough for all the guests. Food is served as it is cooked, so though there may only be a couple of dishes to begin with, the table will soon be laden with food.
 
2) Unlike in the West, rice is not served at the beginning of the meal. It comes towards the middle or the end of the meal, the idea being that it is a "filler" food, and guests should enjoy the delicacies first.

3) When selecting from a dish, avoid digging through the dish - this is known as "digging one's grave", and as well as being bad manners, is also extremely bad luck.

4) Another example of superstitions meeting manners is sticking your chopsticks upright in your rice - this resembles offerings made to the dead. When not in use, rest your chopsticks on the chopstick rest or place them on your bowl.

5) Unlike in the West, it is considered bad manners to finish all of the food. This is insulting to the host, implying that they failed to provide enough food. I wish I had had this excuse when I was a child!

6) It is completely acceptable to spit out small bones etc onto a plate or empty bowl, rather than removing with a chopstick or your fingers. When eating noodles or drinking noodles, be sure to slurp to show your appreciation! Important note - on your return home, remember to adjust your manners accordingly to avoid horrifying your mother, as I have done...

7) Always offer others food or drink before serving yourself. It would be considered very uncouth behaviour to serve yourself first, and no one likes to be thought a pig.

8) Never drink alcohol alone - always good advice! -  but even more so at a Chinese dinner table. Before taking a sip you should clink your glass with someone nearby. "Gan Bei" ("empty glass") is the usual encouragement to drink up. To show respect when touching glasses, keep your glass slightly lower than the person you are drinking with. 

If you would like the chance to put these tips into practice, be sure to check out our exciting range of China tours and workshops for 2014.

Gan bei! 
Spotlight on...Rajasthan

The "land of kings", Rajasthan abounds in cultural, natural, and historical attractions, and as such is a must-see destination for photographers wishing to capture a variety of subjects while enjoying an amazing adventure.

 

Sitting on the edge of the Thar Desert is the walled city of Jodhpur. Here the Mehrangarh Fort perches high on a hill allowing spectacular views of the blue Brahmin houses surrounding it, while offering a contrasting colour palette to the surrounding desert.

Heading out into the desert, there is the opportunity to capture the unique topography of an environment that seems deceptively static but is subject to subtle changes wrought by the wind and light. The oasis of Osian is an important pilgrimage site for the Jians, and is famous for its temples and erotic temple sculptures.

The original eco-warriors, the Bishnoi tribal people of Chandeleo have been passionate in their protection and veneration of the natural world for over 500 years. Following 29 principles designed to promote harmony with nature and each other, the Bishnoi live by the basic tenet that everything has the right to life and that all resources should be shared.

Finally, we have Pushkar, one of the five sacred sites of pilgrimage for the Hindu people. Here you can find the only temple dedicated to Brahma the Creator, and the sacred waters of Pushkar lake are said to cure skin diseases as well as cleanse one of a lifetime of sins.

 

If you would like to experience all this and more, you can join our Guest Artist Nick Rains next February and explore Rajasthan for yourself. Click here for more details. We look forward to having you join us! 


The Photo Tours Abroad Book Club

  
Whether you're researching before an overseas adventure, or just want to travel from the comfort of your own armchair, books can provide all the inspiration you need...  
 
Brothers, by acclaimed Chinese author Yu Hua, is a bawdy and comedic epic that takes place over forty years of late 20th Century Chinese history. The story follows step-brothers Baldy Li and Song Gang, whose diverging life trajectories provide a satirical look at the rise of modern China.
Growing up in a nowhere town, Baldy Li is very early on characterised as a man of earthy tastes, which contrasts with his brother's more sober outlook. The arrival of the Cultural Revolution sees  the boys left orphans, and from here they are left to their own devices to navigate the new China of Deng Xiaoping. Estranged by circumstances and romantic rivalry, Baldy Li eventually becomes a billionaire, having built an empire from trash, while the humble Song Gang lives a hand to mouth existence as a lowly paid state factory employee. However, Baldy Li's success is no insurance against the alienation and unhappiness he feels, and Song Gang's virtuous life also condemns him to a bitter end.
Brothers is humourously populated with a collection of interesting characters, and far from being realistic some of the scenes are decidedly surreal - a beauty competition for virgins and the attendant black market in fake hymens being a case in point. Novels such as Brothers serve as a useful counterpoint to the more serious memoirs that Western readers have hitherto been exposed to, and in Brothers we can see a Chinese perspective and comment on the immense societal changes that have occurred in the last 50 years.

Happy reading!
 
 
Yak  

 Seen around Tibet...

The yak is as ubiquitous as it is versatile. It is well suited to the often harsh environments and is able to withstand extreme cold, high altitudes, high solar radiation, and intermittent food sources. Their strength and sure-footedness mean they cope well in often treacherous conditions, and their fearsome horns belie a mild and docile temperament.
Yak butter is used for making butter tea, a mixture of tea, yak butter, and salt, and is an integral part of Tibetan life, with some nomads drinking up to 40 cups of the stuff a day. Providing lots of calories, it is the perfect beverage in high altitudes, and can also help with chapped lips. Yak butter is also used for yak butter lamps, found in monasteries and temples, and the light from these are said to aid meditation, as well as represent the Buddhist journey towards enlightenment.

Yak meat is obviously an important part of the Tibetan diet, it can be dried into jerky, and is delicious as a filling for the Tibetan dumplings moma.

Yak hair is also used in a variety of products - blankets and tents are woven from the hair, and the soft down-hair is made into jackets that are not only waterproof but also incredibly warming. Even the tail is used, either for fly-whisks, or for the fake beards of Chinese opera.

Yak bones are crafted into exquisite ornaments, such as combs, buttons, and jewellery. Even yak dung is put to good use in these extreme climates, with dried yak dung serving as fuel for the fire; it can also be used to patch holes in fences and to make winter stock enclosures.

 

This January you can join our Guest Artist Clyde Heppner in Tibet and discover the yak, and Tibet, for yourself. Click here for details. It is sure to be yak-tastic!!
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