This past Sunday, we attended the Comptoirs de France annual Easter Egg hunt event. We went last year as well so this year, when my daughter heard the word Easter in passing, she repeatedly asked if we would be returning to "see the Easter Bunny." Little did I know there would be TWO of them.

I have often wondered how one must feel to dress up in a character costume and entertain kids. My first thought is that it must be extremely hot in there—especially in this balmy spring weather we are enjoying these days in Beijing. Those furry suits are sweat boxes, I’m sure!

My next thought, though, is how dehumanizing it must feel for those whose job it is to wear them. For a few hours on Easter Sunday, two people inside of Eastern bunny costumes (one blue, one grey) were completely invisible as human beings. Kids touched their costumes constantly, without much in the way of shyness, and even occasionally got a bit too close to their personal areas. (See pic below! Oops. That’s my son.)

I saw several kids poking and pulling at their costumes as well. One slightly older child was messing with the blue bunny’s ears by reaching up and covering its costume’s eyes with them, like it was a “torment the bunny” game. Certainly, the play wasn’t malicious, and this didn’t affect the costume-wearer’s vision, considering the eye screens were in the bunny’s smile – but how annoying!

My two-year old son was fascinated by these oversized rabbits. At one point he demanded that I “touch the bunny,” so I mechanically reached out and touched the blue bunny’s hand. In that immediate instant, I knew I had crossed a serious line of decorum. A child willfully touching a “furry” is somehow permissible; an adult doing so feels borderline perverted. And what a disturbing thought to have on Easter Sunday!

As we left to join the other kids for the actual hunt, I passed the bunny I had (now regretfully) touched and decided to address his (or her?) humanity. In Chinese, I said, “That must be quite a hot costume, isn’t it?” and I heard the quintessential Chinese grunt of affirmation echo inside the cavernous bunny head. It wasn’t much of a gesture on my part, but even this minor expression of compassion made me feel more generous somehow (read: less creepy), which is happily more in tune with the holiday’s overall message.

Photos: Courtesy of Ember Swift

The Royal Shakespeare Company are in town, and we’re at the NCPA to see them. There’s a certain irony in this, as in England we lived twenty miles away from Stratford-upon-Avon, but hardly ever went to the theater there. As Joni Mitchell said though, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, and when it follows you halfway round the world, it would be rude not to show up.

But this is no ordinary trip to the theater. This is 10-year-old Noah’s initiation into Shakespeare. We’re fortunate that the play is Henry IV Part 1, and Noah has inherited my nerdy fascination with fifteenth century English history. (The gene for this has yet to be identified.) In defense of our nerdiness, 15th century English history is brilliant, full of ambition, honor, betrayal, battles and murder. The Starks and Lannisters of Game of Thrones owe more than a little to the Yorks and Lancasters.

And Shakespeare crafted a magnificent play out of this material, one of his finest. It is tightly constructed around a trio of Henrys: the titular King, his wayward son the Prince of Wales, and the valiant but temperamental Harry Hotspur. It shifts surefootedly between comedy and tragedy, and portrays all levels of society, from the scheming of nobles to the more practical concerns of the common man (“Peas and beans are as dank here as a dog,” one complains. I know how he feels.) And it builds to a climactic battle. “Will there be sword fights?” Noah asked. I promised there would.

At first I whisper anxiously between scenes, checking that he understands what’s going on, but I soon realize this is unnecessary. Besides, I don’t want to offer any encouragement to the woman two seats down, who talks on her mobile phone throughout the whole first half. Fortunately, she doesn’t return after the interval, otherwise words would have to be had. (Really, why do so many people in Beijing go to shows in which they clearly have no interest?  The tickets are not cheap, and they just spoil it for everybody else. End of moan.)

In truth the play is easy to follow. The actors of the RSC speak the verse clearly and beautifully, letting Shakespeare’s words do the work. The comedy is universal enough to have a mainly Chinese audience laughing, and even if you don’t understand all the language, there’s an energy to it which is unmissable, particularly the insults in which this play is so rich:

“…that trunk of humours, that
bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel
of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed
cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with
the pudding in his belly…”

This of course is a description of Falstaff, played by Sir Anthony Sher. Sher is one of the great stage performers of his generation, and he delivers a commanding performance in a gift of a role. I don’t know whether Noah appreciates what a masterclass he is seeing, but I hope that in the future he’ll be able to boast that he was there.

Noah is chirpy at the interval, but by 10pm he is beginning to tire.
“Is it near the end?” he asks, and when I tell him it is, he says, “You promised there’d be lots of sword fights.”

“No,” I reply, “I promised there’d be sword fights,” and at last they come, as Prince Harry and Harry Hotspur face off in a showdown at Shrewsbury. Hotspur dies noisily, honor is satisfied, and soon we are on the subway home. (That’s another thing. Why is it impossible to get a taxi at the NCPA?)

Noah enjoyed his evening, and I think children can appreciate Shakespeare, as long as it’s presented as a treat and not a dull but worthy obligation. Which, after all, is what it should be: an entertainment, a “play” in every sense. And if nothing else, they can learn not use their phones in a theater…

Although the name literally means “tomato egg noodle,” the Beijing dish xihongshi jidan mian is actually a soup. It is a staple in Chinese home cooking because it is simple and inexpensive. This isn’t a soup that is reserved only for cold days; it’s perfect even in the summer as it is not too dense. This soup is supposedly good for your skin’s elasticity. No one will want to turn down a bowl of something that is delicious, nutritious AND makes you look good!

Prepare all the ingredients at once, because when the cooking begins, you will need everything on hand. Wash and dice 1 big tomato, set aside. Beat one egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve two teaspoons of cornstarch in two tablespoons of water. In a third bowl, place about half a liter hot water and dissolve 100 grams of glass noodles. You may opt to break up the noodles into bit-size lengths before soaking them, or leave them long. Chop up some spring onions for garnish.

Find out more here.

This post first appeared on June 3, 2013 and is part of the ‘Do Try This At Home’ series.

Photo courtesy of Dana Cosio Mercado

Although the name literally means “tomato egg noodle,” the Beijing dish xihongshi jidan mian is actually a soup. It is a staple in Chinese home cooking because it is simple and inexpensive. This isn’t a soup that is reserved only for cold days; it’s perfect even in the summer as it is not too dense. This soup is supposedly good for your skin’s elasticity. No one will want to turn down a bowl of something that is delicious, nutritious AND makes you look good!

Prepare all the ingredients at once, because when the cooking begins, you will need everything on hand. Wash and dice 1 big tomato, set aside. Beat one egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve two teaspoons of cornstarch in two tablespoons of water. In a third bowl, place about half a liter hot water and dissolve 100 grams of glass noodles. You may opt to break up the noodles into bit-size lengths before soaking them, or leave them long. Chop up some spring onions for garnish.

Use a wok if you have one, but if you don’t a pot will do. Pour in one cup of water, turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, take the egg, give it one last brisk whisk, then pour it slowly into the boiling water. Do not stir. Once the egg fluffs up and is cooked, add in the tomato. Spoon in the cornstarch/water mixture, stirring as each spoonful hits the boiling water. Boil for one minute over high heat. Turn down the heat and sprinkle a little salt and pepper into the mixture. For extra flavor, you may want to crush up half a bouillon cube, and add it in as well.

Drain the water from the noodles and place the noodles into the wok or pot. Turn off the heat and stir the noodles into the soup.

Serve immediately with a sprinkling of spring onions as an option.

Bon appetit!

Try this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments below.

Photo by Dana Cosio-Mercado

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.

I enjoy working with clients’ ayis because I often end up learning as I teach. Typically I get to explore local and regional food beliefs and practices with them and that inspire me to think a little more about certain issues, particularly about cross-cultural communication regarding nutrition.

One of the common themes that crop up in my encounters is the issue of eggs, in particular giving egg yolks to a baby starting out on solids. In China, egg yolks are often used as one of the first foods that is added to rice or millet based porridge (congee). Often this means starting them on eggs earlier than many pediatricians recommends due to concerns about the child developing allergies.

So between eastern traditions and modern pediatric  recommendations, what we end up with is a potential for some conflict.

Nourishing traditions

Maybe traditions have some foundations and in this case it turns out, egg yolks really do make a good starter food. The lao nainai in your compound insisting in feeding babies yolks was on the right path but perhaps just simply could not tell you why.

To start, yolks are are really rich in easily absorbed iron and it is readily digested by delicate tummies. In fact, spoon for spoon, egg yolks and beef have just about equal amounts of iron.

Iron deficiency is a big issue with babies around 4-6 months age. Low iron levels long before deficiency symptoms such as anemia appear, is believed to permanently alter an infant’s brain development, and that is why many pediatricians often recommend iron supplements or to exclusively breast fed babies starting at 4 months of age.

However long before such things as iron drops existed, folk knowledge passed down over generations in China recommended using yolk as an acceptable first food in order to fortify or 补（bǔ) an infant.

So that is possibly why your ayi keeps insisting on feeding some egg yolks to baby. They are really a nutrient powerhouse with a rich source of heme iron (the easy absorbed type, unlike say iron from spinach or grains).

Plus in free range or specially fed chickens, you get an extra kick of DHA (brain building Omega3 fatty acid) too.

No worries about the cholesterol either because babies brains really need it to grow. Finally, eggs are also a great source of choline, and that is another important to brain growth nutrient too!

Concerns about sensitivity/allergies

I have asked the ayis why they think the yolks are necessary and the most frequent answer I get is that everyone does it, it has been done for generations and therefore it must be right. When told about the egg allergy worries I got very quizzical looks from them. Yes we hear the westerners have a lot of allergies, its practically unheard of here. Are their bodies that different? …Indeed. Are the bodies different or the amount of exposure different?

Now many reading this have probably heard of the hygiene hypothesis. Here is a quick recap.

Dirt is good for babies and kids. Moderate exposure to germs is good for growing and training a developing immune system. Over-sterilizing a child’s environment removes opportunities for their little immune systems to get an education.

More of that here in this New York Times article.

Turns out this same principle might possibly be applicable to food exposure too. There is growing evidence that the less they are exposed to, the more likely they have allergies later in life.

A lot of experts are now saying that avoiding exposure even during pregnancy and early infancy does not diminish the incidence of food allergies. There are more complex forces at play. Studies are now probing other factors that influence the ability to develop immune tolerance. Some of these factors include the amount of folic acid exposure in early fetal life, the amount of Omega-3 consumed, presence of gut bacteria friendly compounds called oligosaccharides, probiotic intake, vitamin D and antioxidants are being studied on its influence on the immune function and immune development.

So with the lack of any significant direct link, it is no surprise that in January 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its stance on delaying the introduction of common allergens like dairy, eggs, and nuts, stating that there was:

“…no current convincing evidence that delaying their introduction beyond [the age of four to six months]has a significant protective effect on the development of atopic disease.”

So you can rest easy. Let ayi introduce yolks progressively. As always, monitor for reactions over 3-4 days just like you would with any new food and also check with the pediatrician about it especially if the baby has a family history of food sensitivities or has shown some form of sensitivity to any foods.

Bright I. Nwaru, MPhil, MSca, Maijaliisa Erkkola, et.al. Age at the Introduction of Solid Foods During the First Year and Allergic Sensitization at Age 5 Years. PEDIATRICS Vol. 125 No. 1 January 2010, pp. 50-59

Frank R. Greer, MD, Scott H. Sicherer, MD, A. Wesley Burks, MD and the Committee on Nutrition and Section on Allergy and Immunology. Effects of Early Nutritional Interventions on the Development of Atopic Disease in Infants and Children: The Role of Maternal Dietary Restriction, Breastfeeding, Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods, and Hydrolyzed Formulas. PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 1 January 2008, pp. 183-191

M. Makrides, J. Hawkes, M. Neumann, et al. Nutritional effect of including egg yolk in the weaning diet of breast-fed and formula-fed infants: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 75:1084-1092 (June, 2002)