Tianjin - Day 16

So our trip being more than half over, I'm just now realizing how fast it seems that time has been flying on this trip.  The dumpling making party was definitely the highlight of my day.  It was a lot of fun getting together with the Chinese students and learning about making dumplings, and a lot more fun actually eating them.  Apparently, dumplings are made in a celebratory fashion twice a year, once at the Chinese New Year and once at the beginning of winter (at least according to the Chinese student I was talking to).  Although this is simply another Chinese tradition, I can't particularly think of anything in our culture that parallels this.  Possibly using fireworks in celebration, which in the States is done on the 4th of July and on New Years, but making food in such a social fashion only seems to be done on Thanksgiving in the United States.  I quite enjoyed the experience, because even though the point was to make and eat a bunch of dumplings, it was more of a social atmosphere than anything else.  Good times in China.