Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my life and adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 persists in the US and around the world, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside, avoiding large gatherings, and social distancing, I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy and that my blog highlights what the world can look like once the road to recovery begins. Once things improve, I hope you enjoy small gatherings with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable as I have.
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Life in Shanghai
I hope that this latest blog post continues to find all of you staying safe and healthy. If any of you (or your family and friends) are in Texas, I hope that you (and they) are safe during this troubling power outage. Hopefully, the power grid will be repaired and power will be restored throughout the state soon. Moreover, for those of you who are experiencing cold weather around the world, I hope that you are finding ways to stay positive and do fun things to minimize any seasonal depression.
As with recent posts, I’ll begin by commenting on the political situation in the US. First, I sincerely hope that the power grid in Texas can be repaired soon. It’s very sad to hear about people who are suffering from hypothermia and even dying as a result of the power outage combined with the fact that many of the residents don’t own proper cold weather clothing. It also saddens me to see so much politicization and political animosity (nearly all stemming from the Republicans) during this time. It’s disheartening to hear the Texas GOP leadership blame the green new deal and green energy (wind mills) for this outage, when in fact much of the outage resulted from natural gas pipelines freezing. That leadership used this as an opportunity to bash the Democrats green energy initiatives only further emphasizes their lack of caring. Additionally, the repulsive actions of Ted Cruz, fleeing with his family to Cancun, must be highlighted as further evidence of the moral vacuum that exists within the Republican party. However, there are bright spots that have me hopeful. Actions taken by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (from NY) and Beto O’Rourke to raise money and provide assistance to people in Texas (as well as actions taken by other local leaders, athletes, and celebrities) highlight how people should respond. Hopefully, people will recognize the real traits of leadership and vote for those kinds of leaders in the future.
In terms of covid-19, I’m happy to hear that cases appear to be decreasing in the US. Hopefully, the vaccine roll out will continue more smoothly in the future, as well. That being said, based on my experience in China, it’s really important to continue to follow social distancing practices, wear masks, and wash your hands at this time. Outbreaks can still happen, so even if you’ve been vaccinated, it’s important to continue to do your part so that everyone can be safe. In terms of cases, there are currently 87 cases in Shanghai (16 local) with a recovery rate of 94.7%. In Beijing, there are just 25 cases, and the recovery rate is 96.7%. For China as a whole, there are only 806 cases, and the recover rate is 94.4%. The majority of current cases are either in Hong Kong or in Hebei (northern China).
In terms of Astronomy, since this was the week of the Lunar New Year Holiday/Spring Festival, I decided to take a few days off from doing work and give myself some time to relax, refresh, and recharge. I still did a little bit of work on building my mock galaxy catalog and on my high-redshift intra-cluster light research, but hopefully this first week back on the SJTU campus and in the office will allow me to make more research progress.
By taking some time off, I was able to go for 6 runs this week! This weekend it’s been in the 70s, so I went for a long 6.5 mile run on Sunday morning! In addition to my normal runs around Xuhui and Xujiahui Park, on Saturday, I went for a run along the Bund (Pudong side) with Heather! I hadn’t been to that side of the bund before, so it was really cool to see some of the buildings (like the Pearl Tower) up close! Below are some photos from my run on the Bund!
There are really nice running and walking paths along the bund (on both sides), so running there is definitely something I’d like to do again!
In addition to the cool sites along the Bund, I also saw some fun things on my other walks/runs around Shanghai! Some of my favorites included more Chinese New Years decorations, cats, Gal Gadot’s latest ad campaign (all over the metro) for Boss in China, and a really awesome Dragon Ball Z jacket!
In addition to my runs, I did have some other fun activities with friends this week. On Tuesday, my friend David and I hosted another Kehilat Shanghai/Moishe House Trivia night! My questions are at the bottom, so let me know what you think! We tried to have all the questions related to the Chinese New Year theme, so this included, Zodiac Animals, The Golden Calf and other Jewish iconography, Idols, and New! We had over 30 people join us, our best turnout to date! Overall, it was a really fun night!
Also, on Thursday, I got together with Clem, Hannah Maia, and a few other friends for a dumpling making night! Since I made dumplings a few weeks ago, I was able to do it a lot more efficiently and was even able to learn some new techniques for making prettier dumplings (thanks to Hannah Maia’s help)! I think I ended up making ~ 50 dumplings! Like last time, we started with already made dumpling wrappers, which made the process easy and fun for everyone!
As you can see, I helped make the vegetarian tofu dumplings! After we boiled them, we had a feast of delicious dumplings! It was a great opportunity to relax and hang out with friends!
Overall, this was a very relaxed week, which allowed me to recharge my batteries for a productive semester of Astronomy research! This upcoming week, I’ll have plenty to share with you, including Purim celebrations and the highlights from our next anti-racism discussion (on black history month, Purim, and the recent attacks on Asian-Americans in the US).
I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my week and seeing the photos from dumpling making and from around Shanghai! If you have any questions about life in Shanghai, please let me know!
In peace,
Jesse
Trivia
Fictional, Cartoon, and animated, Zodiac Animals
1). Ox
The main character of this children’s story, which is an allegory for the Spanish Civil War, is a bull who loves peace and loves to sniff the flowers.
2). Tiger
Though not shown in the recent movie, this DC Comics character has a friend named “Talkin Tawny,” who is a talking Tiger.
3). Rabbit
Two of the most famous literary character created by this British author are Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.
4). Dragon
In this Hayao Miyazaki anime masterpiece, one of the main characters, Haku, is actually a river spirit in the form of a Dragon.
5). Snake
In the Harry Potter series, what is the name of Voldemort’s giant snake?
6). Monkey
This legendary manga and anime series was inspired by the Chinese epic, Journey to the West, starring the Monkey King.
7). Horse
In the childhood classic, Toy Story, what is the name of Woody’s horse?
8). Dog
Bandit is the small dog who accompanies this title character, his father, and his best friend Haji on their “New” and “Real” adventures.
9). Pig
In Animal Farm, this is the name of the pig who leads the animal revolution and later establishes a dictatorship.
10). Rat
Master Splinter is the mutated rat who trains these 4 brothers in martial arts.
The Golden Calf and other Jewish symbols and imagery
1). The story of the golden calf appears in this book of the Bible.
2). The golden calf is made when Moses climbs what mountain to receive the Ten Commandments.
3). Only members of this tribe, which later became known as the priestly class, did not partake in sacrifices to the golden calf.
4). After the golden calf incident, Moses returns with the 10 commandments. How many of the 10 commandments specifically refer to things that are done to other people.
5). On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, what horn is sounded to ring in the New Year?
6). Which of the twelve tribes of Israel is associated with the symbol of the lion?
7). The mezuzah, which is traditionally hung on the doorpost of one’s home, contains which Hebrew prayer on a scroll inside of it.
8). This other Jewish symbol, which nowadays can be found on keychains, necklaces, and wall ornaments, features a hand and the evil eye, and is said to bring good luck.
9). At Purim, we honor Esther’s triumph over this wicked man, by making noise each time his name is said and eating deserts shaped like his traditional tri-cornered hat.
10). In Jewish mythology, in the most widely recognized story of the golem (which involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel), the golem was built to protect the Jews of what city?
Hi Jesse!
Dumplings look delicious!!!
What kind of sauces?
Love seeing the sites from your runs!
Sunny here today… makes the snow sparkle!
Have a good day!
XoxPam
Hi Aunt Pam! Thanks!! Rice vinegar is most commonly used, but we also had soy sauce and a spicy chili sauce as well. Glad you’re making the most of the cold. Hope you continue to stay safe and healthy!
Hi Jesse,
I’m glad to hear you took a little time off this week to rest and recharge before the semester starts next week. I can’t believe that it’s in the 70s there. It’s certainly not that warm here when Dad and I go running (probably closer to 20 degrees). I love the pictures you took of the tower on the bund and of all the flowers and cats! It’s nice to see some of the real cats again, too! I also enjoyed seeing the red lanterns. The Gal Gadot ad and the DragonBall Z jacket are awesome! I’m glad to hear that trivia went well! The Dumplings look fantastic! Do any of them explode/not stay formed when you cook them? We made hamentaschen this weekend, and about half to a third didn’t keep their shape. I hope you have a great first week back! Stay safe and healthy!
Love,
Emmet
Thanks Emmet! I also can’t believe how warm it’s been here. I’m glad that you and Dad are still running though. I’m glad you enjoyed all the photos :). Some of the dumplings did explode, that happens when they aren’t sealed properly. I’m glad you made hamantaschen! Even if not all kept their shape, I hope they came out well! I hope you also have a safe and healthy week!
Dear Jesse,
What a great week. I loved seeing Shanghai in bloom. And there were lots of handsome cats in your pictures. I love seeing the cat in the shoe store as well as the icon of the cat holding a letter in its mouth!
I am so glad that you are able to be so productive as a scholar and live in such a lovely place, too. I hope that I can visit you there next spring! Perhaps you can make dumplings for me?
The weather here is cold, icy, and snowy. My teaching is going well, but I miss my student who died unexpectedly and was registered for my class. There is an empty screen/seat. I gave a memorial tribute and wrote a letter to her family, and these gestures are comforting. I made some rye bread, and Emmet and I made hamentaschen using my homemade jam. And I am continuing sending jam packages to friends in different states to sweeten this trying pandemic.
Miss you and love you.
Mom
Thanks Mom! I’m glad you liked seeing all the photos, especially of the cats! I also hope that you’re able to come visit Shanghai soon! And we can definitely try to make dumplings (either in Shanghai or in the US). I’m glad that your teaching is going well. Though, I’m sure the semester must be very hard with your students passing.
I’m glad to hear that you and Emmet made hamataschen! I hope you enjoyed them. It’s so nice of you to send jam to others. I hope that you have a safe and healthy week!
Hi Jesse,
Just a second hand report on the situation from Houston – it’s been awful, it’s better now, but it’s still bad.
Zack lives in a nice area of the city
so he did better than many. His power went down Sunday night & when it came back on Wednesday evening his apartment was in the mid 40s. A pipe burst and he had no water. He was very fortunate that a plumber came yesterday to fix the pipe so he now has water, but only cold water and it’s not potable.
As an experienced, resourceful camper, he had lots of gear to help him cope. We’ve been in close touch with him, especially after the power came back. But so many folks have fared much worse. I’m grateful he’s doing okay and am keeping Texas is my heart.
Glad all’s going so well for you.
Love, Judy
Hi Aunt Judy! Thank you so much for updating me on Zach’s situation. I’m so glad to hear that he’s safe. It certainly sounds like a very scary and trying situation. I’m glad to hear that Zach was so resourceful and that he had some of the necessities and skills to keep himself safe. Hopefully the situation will improve for everyone else as well this week. Hope you, Uncle Keren, and Jared are also all staying safe as well.
Hi Jesse, As always a great blog.
Pointing fingers is always something pathetic politicians do to politicize their own crass actions and inaction. Blame the other guy. But Texas experienced a bitterly cold winter 10 years ago and they blatantly treated the scientists who told them they needed to beef up their power infrastructure if they wanted to avoid a similar problem in the near future. But Hey! Texans don’t believe in paying taxes for public goods. It’s every man (and woman) for themselves. There is no “we” in Texas. There is only “me”. And when Biden agreed to declare a State of Emergency in that state it’s the tax-rich states in the Union (NY and CA among others) who now bail out the tax-poor Texans.
Your discussion of those dumplings is enticing me to try to make some but there is so little time and so many delightful dishes to try to make. As an aside, we sliced open a blue cheese (not vegan) I started a month ago and the blue veins created by the roqueforti bacterium were like rivers throughout the little wheel (about 1.5 lbs). I wonder if you can grow roqueforti in a vegan cheese? I know you can use sourdough bread to grow the culture (the sourdough has enough acidity to allow the bacterium to grow without the bread spoiling from the spread of other less desirable bacterium.
Purim begins this Thursday night and Lisa and I are planning on making some hamentaschen. Lisa’s favorite filling is chocolate chip but mine is the more traditional poppy seed.
Interestingly, you refer to the shape of the hamentaschen as coming from the tri-corn hat but I think “taschen” in Yiddish is an ear (Hamen’s ears). Central European Jews may have been familiar with three-cornered hats but I wonder if the shtetl Yidden would ever have seen one. What is also fascinating to me is that Mizrahi Jews have lots of vegetarian and vegan dishes on Purim because according to the Megillah, Esther’s diet before she was chosen by Ahashverot as his queen was vegetarian.
I am jealous of the heat you have in Shanghai. This morning our actual (pre-wndchill) was 13F. Brrrrrrr.
I didn’t watch the Mars landing but I did see some of the first photographs beamed to Earth. It’s exciting that we are on the cusp of exploring our solar system up close and personal (OK so not so personal just yet) But I wonder how we might process the idea IF -IF – we find evidence of life on Mars when it possessed water on the surface of the planet and if those life form/s might resemble life forms on Earth at the same stage of our early evolution. What will it mean to us to know that we are not alone in the universe? Will that idea transform how we think about our common humanity and indeed, our life on this planet. so that we see ourselves as truly a “we” – that includes every human being and every mammal and invertebrate and insect and plant and amoeba… We of this planet. That would be a gift to ourselves as that might unlock so many things and improve our spaceship Earth as we hurtle through the cosmos.
Stay safe.
Stay well, and stay curious.
Stay safe. Stay healthy and stay curious.
Thanks Bernard! You’re points about the situation ring true. Hopefully, this will be the end to some of Texas’s arrogance and I agree that it’s incredibly frustrating that states like NY and CA, which use taxes to pay for public services will end up having to cover much of the cost.
That’s an interesting point about vegan blue cheese. I’m honestly not sure, though I’ll have to take a look.
I’m glad that you and Lisa were able to make hamantaschen! I hope that they were tasty! That’s interesting that taschen may refer to Haman’s ears. I was always told the story that it was his hat growing up, but maybe there are different interpretations. And that’s fascinating that Mizrahi Jews eat vegan/vegetarian food at Passover, I’d never heard of that before (though it does sound like my kind of meal 🙂 ).
I also saw photographs and videos of the mars landing. It was really exciting. I think you raise some really interesting philosophical questions about what life on Mars would mean. Scientifically, I’m not sure it would have a huge impact (since we now understand the conditions needed for life), but I think there are a lot of religions that would immediately not accept such a discovery. But, I’ll have to think a little more about that as well.
Hope you continue to stay safe and healthy.
Jesse, Art and I enjoyed reading your blog! It is wonderful that you are fully embracing your experience in Shanghai. Thank you for sharing your week with us. I’m glad that you could relax this week and enjoy experiences and time with friends.
We are now up in Lake Placid and will receive our second Covid vaccine tomorrow in Saranac Lake. This will enable us to travel to Texas to see Eric, Kelly, Asa, and Romi!
Take care and have a good week ahead!
Peg
Hi Peg! I’m glad to hear you and Art are still enjoying the blog. I’m glad to hear that you and Art were both able to get vaccinated! I hope that Eric and his family are all safe and have power/water again in Dallas and that you get to visit them soon. Hope you both continue to stay safe and healthy.