searching for pumpkins….

October 20, 2012 –

Want to go with us on a wild goose chase to find pumpkins to carve for Halloween?????  

All I've seen in the fruit and veggie markets are winter squash – not pumpkins.  I heard from some friends that last year they saw lots of pumpkins for sale around the Tianjin section of the Great Wall.  Some other moms ordered pumpkins from a veggie vendor at one of the big fruit and veggie markets but I didn't know about it until too late.  Darn. 🙁  

Sooooo….we'd really like to carve a pumpkin.  Let's try to find one!

Mr. Li- our assigned company driver – picked us up.  We told him we wanted to go to the Great Wall but we also told him and showed him photos of pumpkins that we were hoping to buy.  He swore that those pumpkins don't grow around the Great Wall and that he knew of a market where we can buy them.

Let's go!

Thankfully our driver accompanied us on this particular outing- he just asked someone where to buy pumpkins and they pointed in this direction.

Nope. No pumpkins.

Want some stinky, smelly fish???  Nope.  No pumpkins here.

Hey!  There's something that resembles a pumpkin (but they're winter squash).  At least they're orange.  We'll keep looking.  Someone pointed us on further…

And now we've been directed to look down here.  Do you see any pumpkins? 

Nope. Still no pumpkins.  

Check out these weird squash – NOT zucchini – thingies! Wonder how you prepare them????

***

Do you know what's missing from these photos???  The fact that you can't tell what it smells like from them.  This market REEKED!!!! Oh my.  Some parts of the market I thought I'd lose my cookies (as you know – I've already lost my marbles!).  I was sooooo glad when we left!  You're really very, very lucky that they haven't invented Smell-O-Internet!!!!  (and yes, I'm washing my fruits and veggies.  After seeing where they come from and hearing what they grow in…I don't consider it an option!)

***

And now someone has pointed us in another direction.  I don't see any pumpkins, do you???

Carrots are orange! some how I don't think they'd be easy to carve. Check out this poor person sacked on a cot. I'm sure farming and selling your goods at the market must be a tough job!!!! Sssshhhhhh!  Don't wake her up!

And now some one has pointed us back to where we started from…..round and round we go.  

Check out the ocean of ginger! That's a LOT of ginger!!!!! Need any????

 Here's something orange:

WOW! WOW! That's a LOT of crates of oranges!!!! (I wanted to buy a handful of oranges but they'd only sell a crateful of them. We'd never be able to eat that many before they go bad! And…yes, fruits and veggies just don't stay good as long as they did back home. Fruit usually goes bad a few days after bringing it home and washing it here)

Well, we're right back where we started from!  With NO pumpkins! Huh.  Let's go get that bag of orange winter squash and see what we can do with them.  

Even our winter squash are being chauffeured! I think we bought this bag for only 42 RMB (less than $7US).

And here they are – all washed and ready to go!

Do you want to know what really gets me?????????  

The fact that pumpkins DO grow near the Tianjin section of the Great Wall!!!!

 We had a few friends go there after we'd gone on this wild goose chase – and they were able to easily find them!!!!  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh well, the winter squash did in fact carve up easily and nicely and our driver, I'm sure, only tried to be helpful.

 Guess where we're going next Halloween when it's time to get pumpkins to carve?????????????????