Bombed Before Breakfast

Bombed before breakfast!  And a heavy one too.  Several alarms today at supper time - a wounded plane landed here.  A wire from Wanhsien today was like a slap in the face telling us to turn orphans over to govt. cable board if necessary.  We just don't know what to do.  Latest plan to send Simon on Sunday with the babies.  Elsie + I follow a few days later.  Coolies are asking $1200.00 - outrageous.  Elsie + I are going to walk.  Poor Clary - he is thinking so much I think its getting him down he looks so weary.  - Annette, May 1943

This part of Annette's diary is so exciting - mostly because I know she makes it out ok.  In May 1943, the front lines shifted and their little village was right in the center of all the action.  Let's unpack this entry a bit.

A wire from Wanhsien today was like a slap in the face telling us to turn orphans over to govt. cable board if necessary.  The Japanese were bombing them regularly.  They received a letter saying that they had to evacuate, and leave the orphans behind.  After more than two years of setting up the orphanage, church, school, and hospital, they were told to abandon the children and get out.  Can you imagine?!

We just don't know what to do.  Latest plan to send Simon on Sunday with the babies.  Elsie + I follow a few days later.  Understandably, Annette was worried and scared.  Their plans changed each day, based on whatever new information they received.  Here, they planned to send the orphan children towards Wanhsien (the city now called Wanzhou), with Miss Simon, one of the Chinese helpers at the orphanage and hospital.  Annette and her friend Elsie would head out after with their own children (my uncle and dad included!).  I'm not sure how many orphans they had at the time, but even relocating a few would be a true feat.  Again, can you imagine?!

Coolies are asking $1200.00 - outrageous.  Elsie + I are going to walk.  The 'coolies' here were laborers who were paid to transport people and their belongings between villages.  Apparently, when faced with a price-gouging situation, Annette and Elsie decided they would walk.  To Wahnsien, now called Wanzhou.  I just checked Google Maps and plugged in Enshih to Wanzhou.  It was 204 kilometers - 56hours on foot.  Two American women in their twenties, each with two American babies.  Walking 204 kilometers.  During an air strike in WWII.  Let that sink in.  CAN YOU IMAGINE?! 

Poor Clary - he is thinking so much I think its getting him down he looks so weary.  With all these plans swirling in her head, Annette is still thinking of her husband.  Clary is trying to be strong and decisive in making plans, but at the end of the day, he will have to go ahead and leave his wife and young sons to travel on their own.  I can't even imagine.

Usually, I try to rotate through each woman's diary, but we're going to stick with Annette for a bit here.  This story is just getting started....

Wrote Letters Today And Canned Beans

Still preparing to evacuate.  The Japanese have advanced to Geinshih.*  Coolie hire + baskets for carrying are almost impossible to get.  Our funds are here so we have money.  Wrote letters today and canned beans.  Starting to plan what we take along.  I guess as soon as we leave here our houses will be looted + sacked.  - Annette, May 1943

Even though it's not yet Halloween, I find myself daydreaming about Thanksgiving.  It's my absolute favorite holiday.  So far, I've been through Food and Wine, Southern Living, and Cooking Light, searching for new ideas for the perfect side dishes.  For me, the most perfect vegetable is the green bean.  I can eat green beans for every meal of the day (and have done so, on occasion).  I always seem to find new green bean recipes around Thanksgiving  - variations on the classic casserole, sautéed with bacon, scattered with almonds....you get the idea.  Thinking about beans made me think about Annette.

Each year she was in China, usually in late May, Annette wrote about canning beans.  They grew the beans in the garden - she often mentioned the harvest, whether they had a lot or a little, etc.  But this entry stood out.  In 1943, the front lines shifted, and suddenly, their village was in the line of fire.  Soon, Enshih would be cut off from food supplies.  Annette was preparing to pack up their home (along with two babies!) and head to Wanshien.*  Major life decisions here!  In the middle of all that, she wrote letters and canned those beans! 

For me, writing and cooking are both therapeutic.  It helps me process the events of the day, and sometimes, distracts me from my obligations.  Clearly, I get this trait from my grandmother!  In her diary, I found this recipe for Sweet Sour Beans.  Maybe these are the Thanksgiving update I was searching for?!?  I'll give it a try and keep you posted!

Sweet Sour Beans

1 qt beans

1 teasp salt

1 tablespoon flour

1 qt boiling water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

pepper to taste

Cook beans in boiling water with salt.  Drain, reserve 1 cup bean liquid.  Heat + melt sugar in frying pan.  Stir in flour.  Add grad. bean water, vinegar, salt + pepper.  When smooth add the boiled beans.

*When Annette mentions cities, they are usually the Romanized Chinese names, or what she heard and recreated phonetically.  On top of that, the names are different now that they were 75 years ago.  I have found "Enshih" (now spelled "Enshi"), but have not yet figured out "Geinshih" or "Wanhsien."  They did evacuate to Wanhsien, but I'm still not sure where that city is now.  I'll keep investigating.