Finding Hope After The Tohoku Tsunami

Happy Patrick of Ireland Day II

I posted this last year, but since it is March 17th, I thought a reposting was appropriate.

Like most Americans, I grew up not ever knowing who St. Patrick was. I just made sure I always wore green on March 17th so I wouldn't get pinched. Weird. I highly recommend clicking on the links below and learning about this great man of God.

Who Was St. Patrick? by Kevin DeYoung

St. Patrick Knew All About Human Trafficking by Clint Humfrey

Patrick of Ireland by Reid Monaghan

Daddy Date: The Magnetic Capital Videogame Arcade - Tianjin, China

Today Megan and Rose went to the fabric market so Grace and I rode to a nearby videogame arcade. There are
 actually a couple arcades within walking distance, but the environments are not as kid-friendly. The bike trailer 
was a Christmas gift for the girls, and it turns a lot of heads around here. You do not see too many six-year-olds 
pedaling on the streets of TJ.

We've stopped here a couple of times to play games over the years. You pay a little money for a bunch of
 tokens that allow you to play a million games. It's much cheaper to visit arcades here than it is in the States. 

Grace only wanted to play this drum game once. It was givin' her arms a workout that wasn't fun, but 
my mighty pythons didn't have any problemos drumming away.

Grace scored five points in this basketball game. Shewas hesitant to play because 
she didn't  think she would score any baskets, but my girl got game! 

Daddy Date: Golden Hans - Tianjin, China

Last Saturday Megan went to Tianjin's new IKEA, and today she went antique 
shopping. That meant Rose, Grace, and I had another daddy's date. We decided 
to go to a restaurant Megan does not care for much - a chaincalled Golden Hans.

The girls and I really like this restaurant. It's a churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse), but they also function as a 
"German" brewery. Our waiter chuckledwhen I chose not to order any brewskis. I chose to get some Coke, 
instant coffee, and warm milk. Rose and Grace approved. 

The waiters wear cool cowboy hats and bring around lots of meat on bigsticks. 
It is a good thing we aren't vegetarians.

Grace is enjoying some ox tongue. I chose to skip the taste buds, but I did hunker down on some pig heart. 
The girls thought it was too spicy.  

These are fried pumpkin cakes and they are lip-smackin' good. Unfortunately my Chinese readin' skillz are pathetic 
so I'm not sure what the cake says. If I had to guess, it might say, "Put me in your mouth 'cause I b so tasty." 

Here is the menu of 20 items that the cowboys bring to your tables. It includes prawn, garlic belly pork, black 
pepper sausage, lamb's leg, Mongolian style mutton, chicken wings, and more. In addition to this, there is a 
buffet that you can visit repeatedly if you desire to be a glutton. What's the cost? 103 RMB ($16.32 USD) for
 the three of us. You can eat for a lot cheaper in this neck of the woods, but it was a daddy's date. We had fun.

Daddy Date: Harvest Coffeehouse - Tianjin, China

A local coffeehouse recently moved locations so we decided to check out their new facilities. Their 
menu has changed some and has become friendlier to the Chinese college student. The three 
of us enjoyed chicken sandwiches with fries, but Rose and Grace thought the ice cream was the best part.

I was really excited about the chocolate ice cream.

I was not happy when all of my ice cream was gone.

Daddy Date: Maky Bakery - Tianjin, China

Before heading back to school for the start of the second semester, I told Rose and Grace that I would
 take them on a daddy date. We decided to walk to a nearby mall and eat at Maky Bakery.

The girls selected some kind of bread that had a hot dog and mayo on it. I am not a fan of mystery meat, but you 
can see that Rose and Grace werevery happy. There are some items I enjoy here although Megan would not
mind if she never set foot in the place.

Of course the girls love the giant cakes. They probably look a lot better than they taste. Cakes here 
have approved tremendously over the years, but they still tend to be less sweet than in America.
I am all about the sugar.