Our trip to Chinatown was a huge success! Thank you so much to the parents and Mrs. Lamadrid for keeping our Second Grade Stars safe and happy. Our tour guide, Linda, was fun and lively. She took us on a trek up and down the hilly streets and through small alleyways. First we visited a Chinese herbal pharmacy, where people can go to buy herbs and teas to help cure any ailment. Did you know that an herbalist can tell how healthy you are by looking at your tongue? After that, we visited a small fortune cookie factory where we got a quick glimpse at how fortune cookies are stuffed and folded. We learned that fortune cookies were invented by a Japanese man who worked at a Chinese restaurant long ago. Did you know that you can get fortune cookies at any Chinese restaurant around the world now... except in China?! After getting a taste of a flat fortune cookie, we moved on to a Chinese market. There, people can buy tropical fruits and vegetables, meats, seafood, and other everyday things.
Next, we passed by small souvenir shops, restaurants and bakeries while on our way to a Chinese school. This school was actually the Chinese school that Linda attended as a child every afternoon, AFTER going to regular American School during the day! While we took a water break at the steps of the Chinese school, Linda taught us how to read the Chinese characters for a few words like, one, two, three, four, man, big, house, door, and horse. Our next stop of the tour was at a Buddhist temple. Linda taught us about Siddhartha, his quest to find the meaning of life and how he came to be known as Buddha. Linda also showed us how to use these fortune sticks... Now I have to translate my fortune poem as homework! After our tour, Linda took us to our final destination: the restaurant! We had a delightful lunch: vegetarian egg rolls, chicken chow mien, fried rice, stir fried vegetables, beef with broccoli, and of course, fortune cookies!
I hope this trip has opened our 2nd graders' eyes into the history of our neighbors in Chinatown and how life is like today in that historical San Francisco district. Maybe your family can visit there soon!
Next, we passed by small souvenir shops, restaurants and bakeries while on our way to a Chinese school. This school was actually the Chinese school that Linda attended as a child every afternoon, AFTER going to regular American School during the day! While we took a water break at the steps of the Chinese school, Linda taught us how to read the Chinese characters for a few words like, one, two, three, four, man, big, house, door, and horse. Our next stop of the tour was at a Buddhist temple. Linda taught us about Siddhartha, his quest to find the meaning of life and how he came to be known as Buddha. Linda also showed us how to use these fortune sticks... Now I have to translate my fortune poem as homework! After our tour, Linda took us to our final destination: the restaurant! We had a delightful lunch: vegetarian egg rolls, chicken chow mien, fried rice, stir fried vegetables, beef with broccoli, and of course, fortune cookies!
I hope this trip has opened our 2nd graders' eyes into the history of our neighbors in Chinatown and how life is like today in that historical San Francisco district. Maybe your family can visit there soon!