Gorilla

Wow - so nice. Really cool blog! So happy to have this forum - I'm looking into any way to support the running of the forum, as I know Rob invests a substantial amount of time, work and money to keep everything ticking along! Thanks to everyone, thanks to you, Jim, for your role as a moderator, and for this great blog!

Hi everyone. I came to live and work in China more than 2 years ago. We're planning to travel to the UK next year with our son, who is 7 months old today! It will be the first time I've travelled outside of China since I came here! I'm so used to the culture here now, I think I will experience some culture shock going back to my "home country"! Before I came to China, I read parts of The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. I found it fascinating. In this thread, I hope to answer questions about what it's like to live in China. As some of you know, I decided for myself at the age of 7 that I didn't want to eat "meat". I didn't like the idea of harming animals and I didn't like the idea or the taste of meat. When I was 16, I decided that I also didn't want fish to be part of my diet. When I was 21, I decided I didn't want eggs or dairy to be part of my diet. And that's when I joined the Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness forum: in 2005! Well, you've seen my progress in other threads: I did really well on a balanced vegan diet: made some great gains. Then I went down the road of the raw vegan diet, and then the "fruitarian diet". It was an interesting experience, and definitely a part of my journey that I would not change, but I returned to a balanced vegan diet, eating common staple foods such as rice and potatoes, many kinds of vegetables, beans, some tofu, some bread, and still as much fruit as possible of course: plenty of bananas. Living in China and following a vegan diet is no problem in my experience. There's a vast amount of fruit on offer: you can try fresh durian, dragonfruit, mangosteen and any other fruit you can think of. A speciality in the region where I live is fresh bamboo shoots, which are a great source of energy. As well as being eaten after they've been freshly harvested, they can also be dried and used in soups in the winter time! A popular activity is to eat at a "hotpot restaurant" or to eat "hotpot" at home. This involves having a pot of simmering water in the middle of the table and cooking each item that you want to eat as you go along! It's a nice social occasion, and the best part of it is the amount of greens you can consume! What we know as "pak choi" is really cheap over here, and I especially like eating it as part of a hotpot meal! Another hotpot item that my wife and I both like to eat is "winter melon" aka "white gourd". You can also add different kinds of cruciferous vegetables (namely different varieties of broccoli and cauliflower), noodles and tofu. Other specialities include fresh steamed pumpkin and sweet potato (yellow and purple varieties!), served in a kind of "steaming basket" with monkey nuts! That's a really nice dish! There's also a kind of "steamed bun" filled with mushrooms, tofu and chopped greens. The same kind of filling is also used in the "wonton dumplings", which I'd be happy to eat every day! There's much more to say on this topic. I will continue in the next post, and reply to any questions you have! I have a video of one of our hotpot evenings to post on my personal blog soon!

Nice work, James! Gorilla James.

Take care of yourself, James. From Gorilla James (seems we have more than a few things in common!)

I think as part of a varied diet it's a great food! Over here in China, I've tasted super-fresh soy milk, all organic. You can see some of the scenery of my mother-in-law's village here: http://www.youdolife.com/2013/08/bear-grylls-parody-mountain-tranquility.html It's a farming community in the mountains: they have many kinds of organic food there. It's pretty much my dream being there! Orange trees, bayberry trees, peach trees, and loads of other crops, including corn, sweet potatoes and the "big bean", the soya bean. During the summer, there's one lady in the village who collects the beans, washes them in the nearby stream, then dries them in the sun before making a kind of powder. Then she uses the powdered bean to make fresh soymilk which she shares with the other villagers!

Great work: a very effective montage there, and an inspiring message. Thanks for posting.

Yes, she is Chinese Very cool. Although it looks like you two were having more fun than the kids! "German-Indo combo" the word to describe the combination is "bright". A little transcendental perhaps ... our son's Chinese name means "bright light"

Awesome blog! Loved the family photo! I am British and my wife is Chinese. Our son is 7 months old today!! Some great-looking vegan dishes, and quality training. Hugely inspiring. Thanks for posting!!

Haha - yes. He's sleeping quite well. In his first month we tried to let him self-soothe, but then we started to hug him to sleep. He drops off quickly and if he wakes up in the night he goes back quite quickly after feeding. In some ways I think hugging him initially makes it easier if he wakes up because he feels secure in his semi-conscious state. The decision to lull or let him self-soothe has been a difficult one: I was prepared to let him cry and just comfort him with words and lullabies without hugging him, but we're in the habit of hugging him now.

Hi everyone, I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with the progress of old friends from the forum, and meeting new members. I became a dad this year! Here's the latest video: http://www.youdolife.com/2013/11/jamison-october-and-november-2013.html

That's awesome Robert. Amazing life experiences! Following you on Facebook - voted for this site, Vega and Vegan Essentials in the Veggie Awards!

Thanks - always positive people connecting on this forum. I will check out your links. Have a good day.

Hi everyone. Hope you're all enjoying the summer. I know Robert's having an amazing time in Canada. This post is just to emphasise the importance of connections, and to thank Robert for keeping this platform going strong. I think we share similar feelings, as expressed in a post from my blog, which I came back to recently: http://www.youdolife.com/2013/06/3-questions.html Keep up the good work.

Dear all, All's going very well in China. Thanks for your support over the last 7 years. Unfortunately my e-mail account was hacked and a friend lost money from a phishing incident. Please beware of the dangers. Be alert, be safe and take care. Best wishes, James

nice one