Team Day

This morning we went to the Wuhou Temple where Zhuge Liang, the “outstanding statesman and strategist of the Three Kingdoms Period” lived and studied.  He was a simple farmer who possessed great wisdom and was consulted by the emperor and advised him in strategy.  The temple was built in the 1600’s and has been rebuilt several times over the years.  Most of the tour was actually not my cup of tea (ha ha,) but there were these amazing 1200 year old trees on the grounds, and others 300 and 600 years old.  They had plaques telling what they were, Catalpa bungei C.A. Mey and Platycladus orientalis Franco for the arborists among us.  There were also some horse statues from the Ming dynasty, around 1600, photos to follow.

After the temple, we went to a jade market.  It used to be an open market with the wares displayed on the ground, very traditional.  However, the central market square is now an empty lot surrounded by jade shops where owners compete for tourist foot traffic.   A few team members bargained prices, more for the experience than for the eventual purchases.  After the market, we went to lunch at yet another traditional hot pot restaurant.  This one was a bit different in that the guests do the cooking in a big pot of broth in a center well in the table.  We were divided into two tables, and ours had all Internationals plus Michael, ethnic Chinese, born and raised in San Francisco.  There is an art to concocting a proper hotpot, and Michael, assured us he could be our guide.  A brief aside about Michael is in order.  We all know people like Michael, Jovial, great at a party and in possession of an endless supply of jokes, mainly on-color.  In general, the “Michaels” I have know are also confident in their knowledge about most everything.  At all of our meals this week, Michael would confidently point out the ingredients of each plate, indicate whether it would be spicy or mild and often give the province of origin.  We soon discovered, often with a mouth full of fiery peppers, that Michael was just a confident guesser.  You’d think by the last day we would have asked for some expert instruction, but that’s the other thing about “Michaels,” they are in general very sweet and nobody wants to hurt their feelings.

Our tray of food arrived, mutton, two kinds of noodles, tofu, potatoes, several kinds of greens, sauces and three raw eggs.  When the broth was boiling, we began adding ingredients under Michael’s direction.  Eventually, everything was in and frothy bubbles covered the top.  We dug in, bringing up a tangle of ingredients that we then had to drape over the edge of the pot and hack loose with our little spoons.  A waiter came by, shook his head and indicated we should skim off the broth, but that was the extent of our help.  Finally we were full, the remnants of our “stew” a rather nasty looking sludge in the bottom of the pot, the table strewn with bits of hacked off noodles and greens.  I wandered over to the other table to check their progress and was astonished to find them dipping noodles out of a pot of pristine broth into clean bowls on a spotless table.  Ken, the Chinese anesthesiologist who lives and works in Seattle came over to our table, looked quietly for a moment, then left and returned with his camera.  After taking a photo of the site, he returned to his table, where there followed an eruption of laughter and exclamations of disbelief.  Of course they all had to see for themselves and trouped over to gawk.  So, how does one cook a proper hot pot?  First you cook the meat, skimming the foam as it forms.  Then you eat the meat, removing any unconsumed pieces before you continue.  Next you add tofu, veggies and egg, all the while continuing to skim if needed and to add more broth from a big pot, conveniently placed on the floor next to Michael.  When everyone is ready for noodles and the remnants of veggies, etc. have been removed, the noodles are added to the now clear broth and are eaten alone at the end of the meal.  As we drove back to the hotel, the Chinese team members cracked an endless stream of jokes about the new American dish, “Hot Pot Stew.”  There is an order to these meals that I finally figured out last night at the team dinner.  Plate after plate of food is brought out, and then, when it seems everyone is completely stuffed, a huge whole fish arrives.  After the fish come the soup, and finally, the rice and noodles.  The noodles signify the end of the meal.

Every Op Smile mission has an end of the mission party.  Some, generally those with a big local donor who owns a restaurant or night club, are big fancy affairs, but most are smaller.  Our team dinner was at the hotel and was modest as befit the mission.  The local dignitaries were there and gave speeches followed by toasts at each table.  Every team member gets a certificate, and the head surgeon and hospital director handed these out.  For the Chinese team members, this was a great honor, and there was much bowing and backing off the stage after each presentation.  I didn’t even consider backing away as I was in heels and there were three steps down.  The photographer had made up the traditional slide show of photos from the week, and it was wonderful to see the before and after pictures along with those of the team at work.  The translators were at the dinner, and I finally got to see the real name of my translator. Like many Asian women who study or work with Americans, she has adopted an Americanized version of her name to make it easier to interact.  Her given name is Quinna.  I was really lucky to have gotten the chance to work with Quinna.  Not only was she an excellent translator, she caught right on to the medicine and was therefore very helpful with explanations to parents and with clarifying Chinese medical terms for me.  We really worked together as a team and though it was only five days, we were together at least 12 hours each day and forged a friendship.  In the little down time we had, she gave me a little window into her life in China and into Chinese culture, a real gift for me.

Tomorrow we fly to Beijing and the next day home.  In all, we screened 101 patients and did 70 surgeries – impressive for just three days in the OR.  I’ll have a wrap up message Beijing.