Cooking school - Day 2!

Went to a local market today with Pam, the cooking school owner. The colors and smells are so delightful! I took lots of pictures... Had a bowl of noodles for breakfast from a street vendor. Really yummy. The Chinese love their noodles and eat them for pretty much every meal. You know how we get those cup-o-noodles? Well, they have those in every flavor imaginable and they're half gallon size! They've been tasty on the overnight trains but are really too big... Anyway, noodles this a.m. in the local market were great. They add a bit of meat, dried soybeans, chives, and some broth of some sort... Pam bought a few things. Seedlings, peas (a huge bag for about 20 cents), and a few other things. Took the local bus there and back and then took a motorbike out to the school. Cooking class was a success again. Made beer fish, stuffed a pumpkin blossom and a mushroom with pork and garlic, cashew chicken, eggplant, and steamed veggies. All delicious! After class Sally (our tutor) took me to a store to buy a wok and lid, spatula (they use one that they can measure oil, soy, and water with that's scooped), huge knife, chopping board, and bamboo wok cleaning brush. Yes, I could buy a wok at home but not for less than $3! WOW! The knife was about $5 and everything else was a few dollars. Good stuff, too. It's where they buy the stuff for the school and it worked fabulously... Spent the afternoon wandering along the river. It's so beautiful here and the sun actually came out today. :) Bought Kathy a backback for about $15. Hope it'll all fit in the suitcase! Tomorrow's a bike tour of the local countryside. The rice paddies are in the process of being planted so there should be lots of chinamens' hats, oxen, and plows along the way...