The three figures on the right welcome visitors to the Chinese Center in Austin, Texas. I suspect each statue represents something, but have no idea what. Do you know? — Photo by Pat Bean
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“Assumptions allow the best in life to pass you by.” — John Sales
Travels With Maggie
My big adventure today was drinking an avocado milkshake.
Just the thought of such a thing when my granddaughter, Jennifer, insisted I try it, made my stomach turn. While I love avocados, I simply could not get my mind to imagine them tasting anything but nasty mixed in a milkshake.
Yes Virginia. There really is such a thing as an avocado milkshake. And it's yummy. -- Photo by Pat Bean
I kept saying I’d rather just have a chocolate shake during our hour-long drive from Harker Heights to Austin, where Jennifer, her best friend, Ellen, and my daughter-in-law, Cindi, were all excited about visiting the Asian market in the Chinese Center. All three are big fans of Asian food.
The salted duck eggs were a popular item at the Asian market. Photo by Pat Bean
While they bought such things as salted duck eggs, chow mun noodles, mochi and other exotic goodies not available in your regular supermarket, I contented myself with just a box of hibiscus tea.
The four of us ladies then had a Chinese Buffet Lunch at the Fortune Restaurant (good and reasonably priced) before Jennifer was back to talking about those avocado milkshakes again. They would be our dessert, she said, and her treat.
While a chocolate shake still sounded better, I didn’t want my granddaughter to think her Nana was a wimp, and so agreed I’d try her avocado shake. Jennifer bought one for each of us at the Lily Sandwich Shop around the corner from the Fortune Restaurant in the Chinese Center.
I have to admit it was quite tasty. Perhaps I should have bought some of those salted duck eggs, too.
Pat Bean's blog 
Good for you, Pat, both trying an avocado milkshake and bringing more of your personal voice to these posts! I was charmed by your candor in admitting that you tried the milkshake mostly because you didn’t want your granddaughter to think “Nana was a wimp,” and delighted by your adventure. The only thing I’d add would be an explanation of mochi and some of the other exotic goodies were. (And what goes into an avocado milkshake anyway?)
Thanks Susan. Mochi’s sort of a rice cake. It looked yucky and I’m not a picky eater. I asked the question about the milkshake (I didn’t see it made) and Jennifer said she didn’t know. I tasted vanilla ice cream I think. It was sweet, but not very, which is why I think I liked it. My daughter-in-law didn’t like it because she thought it was too bland. You’re absolutely right about not leaving the reader in limbo. Although I’m really trying to keep my blogs short, it would have taken only a few words to explain. Thanks for the comments. Finding my voice has been a big goal for me. It’s has taken time, I think, because I spent so many years as a journalist keeping my personal voice silent. Journalists these days don’t seem as intent on doing that as they did during my days.
I was wondering what goes into an avocado milkshake too. It looks pretty good to me (but I’ve been known to eat some strange stuff). I love Asian markets. Markets of all kinds, really, where one can explore various foods from around the world.
Being curious as to what you do with salted duck eggs (and how they are salted), I looked them up. Apparently the yolk is prized and used in mooncakes to symbolize the moon. Now I’ll have to look up mooncakes. That’s the trouble with learning new things. It’s like following a trail of breadcrumbs that goes on and on and on. (It’s not really “trouble” at all, but fun. An adventure of the learning sort.)
A lot of people are not very daring when it comes to trying new foods. Good for you! (I wouldn’t want to wimp out in front of my granddaughter, either.)
P.S. The average mooncake has a calorie range of 800 – 1200. That may be why they are eaten in small wedges.
Pat – the three figures probably represent (left to right) Good Fortune, Longevity, and Prosperity. I have three similar figures which were a gift from someone who have visited Shanghai on vacation.