Chinese 351 level students gained valuable cooking experience last week during Chinese class! We paired up, bought our ingredients, cranked up some Chinese tunes, and cooked a big, family-style Chinese lunch in the IES offices. The most valuable lesson? Overkill with soy sauce is sometimes a bad idea.
![cooking instructions Zhang Laoshi instructs us on how to go about making our meals.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.cooking-instructions-150x150.jpg)
![prep table Anything you might need was available!](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.prep-table-150x150.jpg)
![rafa and nicole Rafa and Nicole prepare their fried rice ingredients.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.rafa-and-nicole-150x150.jpg)
![mon mon Our RA, Mon Mon, expertly cuts a carrot in preparation for her green bean dish.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.mon-mon-150x150.jpg)
![Noodle prep table The prep table for stir fried noodles.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.noodle-table-150x150.jpg)
![Gillian at the stove Gillian watches over her egg drop soup and some beans.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.gillian-150x150.jpg)
![Sarahs in the kitchen The two Sarahs at the stove, stir frying like there's no tomorrow.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.me-and-sarah-150x150.jpg)
![nicole frying rice Nicole demonstrates how to properly fry rice.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.nicole-frying-rice-150x150.jpg)
![Ready for lunch We were pretty hungry after all that cooking.](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.ready-for-lunch-150x150.jpg)
![Finished products Ready to eat!](http://blogs.iesabroad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/duncan.shanghai.finished-product-150x150.jpg)
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Sarah Duncan
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Sarah Duncan and I am a junior at Davidson College pursuing a degree in Political Science with a minor in Chinese Studies. I am a member of the Women's Lacrosse Team, and I also enjoy running, hiking, and skiing. I am originally from Houston, Texas, but I have been lucky enough to travel frequently with my family and experience a variety of cultures. I am very excited to settle down in a new place for a while, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with y'all!</span></p>