Up and Away in China
Pine Nuts are a delicacy in China and part of their allure is that they only grow at the top of certain kinds of pine trees. In the bad old days, pine nut farmers used to climb or pay youngsters to climb to the top of these trees to harvest the seed and bring them down in the basket they tied to their body. Pine nuts are found inside pinecones and are a frequent ingredient in dishes served in the northeast, formerly known as Manchuria. This was very labor intensive and slow work which in some cases led to debilitating falls. Then Chinese creativity kicked in and the farmers started to use hot air like balloons filled with hydrogen to carry the harvester from tree to tree towed along with ropes from the ground. The hero of our story is “Mr. Hu.” Mr. Hu, and a partner were collecting pine nuts on Sunday in a forest park in Heilongjiang province in northeastern China when they lost their tether and the balloon sailed off. The helper jumped to the ground, and a search was launched for the escaped balloon and Hu. Fortunately Mr. Hu had a cellphone, and the farmer and then emergency services could talk to him as he floated higher and then got carried away in the breeze.
When emergency officials contacted the floating Mr. Hu, they instructed him on how to let hydrogen out of the balloon a little at a time. Now being closer to the ground they had the advantage of tracking Hu’s location with his cell phone signal. Mr. Hu had floated about 200 miles in the meantime. With no food in the balloon, Hu spent two hungry and cold days floating aimlessly across China. He ended up tangled in the balloon’s basket in a tree above a swamp. The rescue effort was still no small feat due to low temperatures and hard rain. “It was raining heavily in the dark forest, which was really hard for us to see anything clearly,” said Meng Qingchun, a member of the rescue crew. Finally, after spending 10 hours looking for him, the rescuers found Hu’s balloon and brought him down. Despite being cold and hungry, Hu was in good health with only some back pain from remaining on his feet for two days straight. According to Chinese officials, Hu is now recovering in a hospital. The next time your sprinkle pine nuts on your salad, say “thank you” to Mr. Hu and his colleagues.
Chinese Food for thought
China has now banned any military personnel to use apple watches due to security reasons.
One soldier says with tears in his eyes, “But, but my daughter made it for me.”
What do you call a Chinese food truck?
A Wok in the Park.
I just checked to see if my Chinese food was being delivered yet
Site says it’s still in the woks.
Why is suicide illegal in China?
Destruction of government property.
September 20th Birthdays
1996 – Sophia Linkletter, 1934 – Sophia Loren, 1996 – Sammi Henratty, 1993 – Taylor Parks
1985 – David Allen, 1951 – Guy LaFleur, 1977 – John Bernthal, 1978 – Dante Hall