Our Home (Is Starting To Look Like A Home)

Over the weekend we did a little shopping. Last weekend we had gone to IKEA and bought a little dresser type deal that we figured would work well for sitting an oven on. This weekend we bought the oven. As you can see, Chinese ovens are very small.

None of the apartments in the LQ are fitted with ovens, and so everybody has to buy these little bitty jobs. They sell them everywhere, and in fact it is relatively rare to see shops selling the big ones, though I do believe they are available.

I don't really know why this is, but if I had to guess I'd say what we'd call a traditional oven is a relatively new concept in China. When we eat Chinese it is fried or boiled food, and not baked. So my guess is that traditionally the Chinese don't bake things, and so ovens are probably typically bought by foreigners. And since the apartments are probably not fitted for real ovens, the small ones have to do.

I could be completely wrong though. Maybe they just like small ovens.

Whatever the case, we have a small one. It does cook to high temperature and will fit enough food for us to enjoy.



We also got a coffee table. This one was given to us for free. Some new found friends we meet on Sundays had this table and decided they no longer wanted it. I suspect it was due to having a new baby girl in the house and not wanting her to hurt herself on the sharp corners.

It is amazing what a little extra furniture does to a place. Before we felt a little like refugees with such a bare living room, but now we have a little table to put our feet on (and all sorts of other junk) and a little oven.

It is starting to feel like a real home.