My not-so-typical Sunday in January

Last Spring, I attended my first professional conference with the Society of American Archaeology! It is an annual meeting as a way for archaeologists, professionals, students, and amateurs alike, to mix and mingle. There are presentations, forums, and other activities so that those in the American archaeology community can share what they have been working on and provide ideas and avenues for the future of archaeology.

Well, I presented a poster on archaeological geophysical investigations. Geophysical surveys are new(-ish) to archaeology as a way to create maps of subsurface archaeological features. “Features” are structures or traces of human activities that are left in the soil and can be recorded by different types of instruments. These instruments detect buried features by comparing them to their surroundings as a sort of base line. Geophysical investigations are used in association with excavations as a way to give insight to parts of a potential site. They are much less invasive and destructive than “blind digging” and are great in preserving a site for future generations of archaeologists.

Anyway, the purpose of my project was to locate possible “features” of a prehistoric Native American site. Specifically, I was looking for a stockade that would have surrounded a village for defensive purposes, most likely. My partners and I located what we thought was an arc of the stockade but when we excavated, we didn’t come up with much. As always, further research is needed! But, while I was at the conference, I met the owner of local geophysical company and landed my summer job! At school, I mostly deal with GPR (ground penetrating radar) and have gotten quite comfortable with it. But at work, I am able to use magnetometers and resistivity equipment which allows me to broaden my horizons.

Being home on semester break for one month means that I have been working a lot more. But, as an archaeologist I am not familiar with cold-weather, winter work. Field work mostly takes place during the warmer months and the off-season is spent doing lab work or research – traditionally, speaking. Last week was absolutely freezing working in New Jersey, just minutes from Manhattan, so today was shopping day! For work clothes! But not your typical work clothes for a 21-year-old female! Oh no, I am anything but typical.

My parents and I drove up to an L.L. Bean store today to pick up a amazing jacket:

The Baxter State Parka at L.L. Bean was designed for those working in very cold weather. According to L.L. Bean's website, the jacket was tested on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, which has the highest recorded wind speed in the world. At $200, it is expensive, but it’s an investment buy!

We also picked up some Flannel Lined Jeans which are just delightful, and some wool socks and Polartec long underwear. It was windy and bone-chillingly cold today so when I got home, I immediately changed into my new clothes and took Indy out for a run in the backyard. He loved it! And so did I! I couldn’t even tell it was 18° with wind speed at 16mph, making it 6° .

After our jaunt, it was time to start dinner. Recipe time! Tonight I made some jiaozi (Chinese fried dumplings, like potstickers), bok choy, and last night’s leftover wonton soup. I’m on a Chinese kick right now.

The dumpling recipe, which I borrowed from the Appetite for China, was easy and delicious. And exactly like the dumplings I had in China and those at Chinese restaurants in this country. When I come home, it’s a must to visit the Asian market and stock up on dumpling wrappers and rice and other yummies. Without further ado, here are some recipes (still no pictures, but they will be coming eventually).

Filling:

1 lb ground pork

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons shallots (I used garlic)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used dark but I’m sure it doesn’t really matter)

A pinch of black or white pepper

1. Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl and set it aside. This is used to fill the wrappers.

There are plenty of recipes for homemade dumpling wrapper recipes but I just choose to save time and effort (I save the entirely homemade stuff for dessert!)

2. Using one egg, beat gently as an egg wash, spread on outside edges of wrappers and place a small teaspoonful of filling in the middle.

3. Using both hands, pinch the wrapper together in the center, as if folding it in half. On either sides of this pinch, “pleat” the rest of the wrapper. If this is too difficult, you can just fold it in half like Pierogies… Seal the wrapper completely. Otherwise, the filling can leak out while cooking.

4. Once all of the dumplings are made, you are ready to pan-fry. Coat the bottom of a skillet or fry pan with a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil. Before turning on the heat, place as many of the dumplings in the pan as you can flat side down, but be sure to give them some space. You don’t want to overcrowd them. Now you can turn the heat on to about medium. Once the dumplings start to turn golden brown (after about 3 or 4 minutes), add about a half inch of water and cook, covered, about 5 minutes more until the water cooked off.

5. Once the water has evaporated, flip the dumplings over and cook for 3 minutes more.

6. Serve and eat!

Bok Choy – you can either use Chinese Bok Choy or a head of cabbage. I prefer cooking with cabbage. The bok choy has a stronger taste and I can’t seem to conquer it…

Cut about 2 or 3 cups of cabbage into strips

1 shallot sliced thinly

Salt to taste

Water

Place a little bit of vegetable oil in the bottom of a pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add the shallot and let it cook 30 seconds until it is translucent. Add the cabbage, a pinch of salt and about a 1/3 cup of water. You can always add more salt and water depending on how much broth you want. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat until the cabbage is soft enough.

I got my wonton soup recipe from ifood.tv, Cooking with Kai. There is a great video that also accompanies the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

½ lb shrimp, raw or cooked

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 green onion, chopped

1 egg, beat gently, for egg wash

Wonton wrappers

Soup:

1 gallon water

1 can of chicken broth

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 green onions, tied in a knot

1. Mix all ingredients together. Put 1 tsp of filling in center of wonton wrapper and spread egg wash on edges of wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half as triangle, being careful not to let the filling leak out.
2. Place wontons in a large pot of boiling water and cook until the wontons float to the surface. This indicates that they are done.
3. While the wontons are cooking, start to prepare the broth. Add the water, broth, soy sauce, oil, and scallions to a pot. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Place a few wontons in a bowl. Add the broth and garnish with chopped scallions.