Friday, August 31, 2012

Have a zhoumo kuaile

It's hard to believe, but this is my last weekend in Shanghai before I fly home (to get married!).  A bike ride, a get-together with friends, and perhaps some preliminary packing is in order.  

What are you up to this weekend? You should make these. (I'm planning on bringing gelatin back from the States. That and peanut butter.) Thanks to Trey (the devil) for bringing these to our attention.   

Some other random stuff on the Web: a clever way to separate egg yolks (in Mandarin!) and, something that has absolutely nothing to do with food or China, balancing elephants
Source: howsweeteats.com via Alexis on Pinterest


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Nothing is as it seems

I’ve thought long and hard about this post because I don’t want to come off as ungrateful -- and what you're about to read could be seen as a laundry list of complaints or judgments. Instead, they are observations based on three quick months of living in Shanghai, observations of a culture very different from my own, one to which I had little exposure before moving here. 

Now that the disclaimer has been stated… Nothing is as it seems in China. 

Chrristian Louboutins
Source: skinnytaste.com via Lisa on Pinterest
There’s the obvious example of the abundance of counterfeit goods for sale, not only on sidewalks, but in malls (literally) otherwise known as fake markets. 


Tomatoes
There’s little I love more than a delicious, end-of-summer heirloom tomato (slice one up, add a little salt and pepper, place on top of a piece of toast with a thin layer of mayonnaise -- yum!). Here, they look absolutely beautiful... but they’re tasteless. It’s all just look (and it's so disappointing). 


"I have two roommates. They're a bit older." 
Since my arrival here, I’ve been astounded by the tremendous wealth of a small segment of the population. It’s all about the car you drive, the purse you’re carrying, the phone you’re using. The crazy part is, most people can’t really afford these luxury items. They save up for years and may live with their parents in the meantime. It’s common, apparently, to spend money on material things rather than on one’s independence. 

This fake reality and constant exposure to materialism permeates daily life. It's made us want to run off in the other direction, to Tahoe for the weekend (!), and reconnect with what's really real. No complaints though. This is an experience of a lifetime, and I’m eternally thankful. 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

And speaking of fashion...

Although this isn't a fashion trend per se, kids in China have been spotted wearing what I call "slit pants," pants with a slit right down the middle for potty purposes. I'm not sure how these work exactly -- does the child provide the parent with some kind of warning sign? Nor am I sure of the reasoning behind these -- are they a form of potty-training? Or a means to save money by not having to buy diapers? Regardless, I think they're pretty funny, don't you? Any thoughts on how these work and why they're used? 

Monday, August 27, 2012

Happy Belated Chinese VDay!

Apparently, Chinese Valentine's Day was last Thursday, and if you're wondering if Mike came home with flowers and chocolate, he didn't. I guess I don't get two Valentine's Days. Not that we're the type to celebrate the Hallmark holiday --
our tradition has been Round Table and a bottle of red wine. 
 

To mark the day, however, I'd like to expand on my first fashion entry and share with you the Chinese way to show one's affection toward another, a display of love in its purest form -- matching t-shirts.
These two like stripes.
It's Mickey Mouse for this couple.
And for these two, it's "watermelon love" and
"strawberry love".



Friday, August 24, 2012

Have a zhoumo kuaile

I hope you've enjoyed this week's recap of our trip to Beijing. To finish it off, I leave you with the photo below taken in front of the "Trees of Loyal Love" (also known as the Love Tree) in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City. The Love Tree is two individual cypress trees that somehow found one another, interlocked, and became one -- just like what will happen in less than 30 days from now.
It is said that Puyi and Wanrong, the last emperor and empress of the Qing Dynasty, had their photo taken in front of the tree after their wedding ceremony, and made the following vow: "We wish to fly to heaven, two birds with one pair of wings, and to grow together on earth, two trees with branches interlaced." Lovely, no? The countdown begins...

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Beijing Impressions

Upon arrival, Beijing certainly seemed more "China" to me than Shanghai. Shanghai is skyscraper after skyscraper; one big, modern rectangle after another. Beijing still has Chinese pagodas and some semblance of the Old World. However, some of the challenges I experienced living in Shanghai seemed heightened in Beijing: the spitting is more frequent; the subway trains, more packed. The streets are dirtier; the cab drivers, ruder; the stares, even harder. Would I go back? Absolutely, there's more to experience! Would I live there? Let's just say I'm happy we were sent to Shanghai instead.  

If you've taken a look at my Beijing photos on Flickr, you may have noticed some critters on a stick. These pics were taken at the night market close to our hotel. Sea horses, star fish, grass hoppers, scorpions, silk worms, animal hearts, livers, snakes -- all on a stick. And candied fruit too, for dessert. Not for me! And not for most. It seemed as if most of it was for show...  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

More on the Wall

Yesterday, I quickly recapped our trip to Beijing, but want to expand a bit on our Great Wall trek. I mentioned the crowds, but what I didn't mention was the smell that came with the crowds -- the sour stench of body odor and urine. The vast majority of the tourists was Chinese, traveling, no doubt, great lengths to see one of their country's greatest treasures. From what I could tell, most traveled in families, which seemed like quite the challenge if a family included small children. Remember the uneven stairs and steep slopes? Not to mention the need for potty breaks -- and hence the lofting smell of urine on the Great Wall of China. 

One of the most amusing moments of our climb was when a little girl saw me, turned to her father and said (in Mandarin), "Look, Dad, a foreigner!" Thankfully, I understood, turned to her and responded with a smile, "Dui, waguo ren!"   

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the Great Wall. More from the Beijing trip is on Flickr



Monday, August 20, 2012

Beijing Recap

We're back from an action-packed weekend in Beijing. The solo journey there was made easy with Bob's help at the train station in Shanghai. I'd like to think I could have figured it out on my own, but it was nice to have the peace of mind and know for sure that I was putting myself on the right train. Mike also spoiled me by coming to pick me up at the Beijing train station. (I promise I'm really not that helpless.)
     
                   FYI, this is how people stand in line to buy
train tickets.
You try figuring out the
gate number.
The highlights:
  • The Great Wall. As planned, we got up at 5:30 a.m. and drove a little more than an hour to reach a touristy section of the Great Wall. Much to our dismay, we were not the first ones there, and the crowds had already begun forming. I use "climb" here, because one doesn't walk the Great Wall. It's an ancient StairMaster with uneven stairs (some maybe 20 inches high) and steep slopes. We made it quite far -- mostly because we were trying to get away from the crowds -- and took breaks to drink water, eat a few snacks we had packed, and admire the view. Unfortunately, the day was overcast, but it didn't take away from the wonderment of the Great Wall. I feel quite fortunate to have
    experienced it. 



  • Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Although we had had a pretty serious workout by 10:00 a.m., we continued the day at these must-see tourist destinations. The heat and crowds were a bit overwhelming at this point, not to mention the fact that our legs felt like jello. 






      • Dadong Roast Duck RestaurantDinner there Saturday night was an awesome reward that exceeded expectations. We ordered half a duck, though we agreed we could have eaten a whole one had we not ordered other dishes (which were also fantastic, but the duck stole the show). The duck is skillfully carved tableside, and served with  pancakes and a plate of condiments (see below). The fat was trimmed, the skin was crispy, the meat was tender -- all in all, a delight. 
                         
      • The pool at the Hyatt. Needless to say, our muscles were in pain Sunday morning, so we decided the pool and jacuzzi were in order. To our delight, we didn't find your typical hotel pool. Under a fake evening sky (complete with stars) and surrounded by fake (but tasteful) palm trees and tropical vegetation, it reminded me of what you might find in Vegas. 


      • Olympic Boulevard. Before venturing off to the train station, we hit Olympic Boulevard where we saw the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Although we couldn't explore the inside of these buildings, it was pretty cool to know that history was made in each one.     

      More to come. Stay tuned! AND, after taking all night, the noodle video finally uploaded. Click here.

      Thursday, August 16, 2012

      Have a Friday kuaile

      I'm off to Beijing tomorrow -- woohoo! Travel adventures await, including a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday, made in hopes of avoiding the heat and the crowds at the Great Wall, and getting our hike on early. Without really intending to, we're following the New York Times Travel Guide recommendations by staying here and planning to eat here. Photos and stories to come next week.

      In the meantime, I received a little Beijing preview thanks to Mike who's been there this week for work. This was taken at Haidilao Hot Pot where they make noodles by flinging the dough over your head. For those who aren't familiar with hot pot, it's essentially your choice of broth (chicken, fish, beef, or some kind of combination of the above) and ingredients (noodles, veggies, slices of beef and fish balls -- which are not my favorite, but seem to be quite the crowd-pleaser). And, yes, this is how all noodles are made in China... ;) 

      Wednesday, August 15, 2012

      Quick Post

      Remember those random street performances I walk by on the way to school? Well, the other week, some performers brought out their swords.  

      Tuesday, August 14, 2012

      An Impromptu Monday Evening

      One of the nice things about living in Shanghai is the fact that you can get almost anything done at almost any time of day. After dining at a neighboring Hunan restaurant (spicy and delicious; a great local find), we ventured to a hair salon down the street. Mike needed a quick cut before his business trip. It was about 8:30 p.m. on a Monday night, and the place was packed. 
      Don't you love the décor?

      Because dinner and a haircut can take a lot out of a person, we decided, on a whim, to get another foot massage -- at about 9:30 p.m. We've actually been trying out different spas with the goal in mind to eventually buy a membership at one of them, allowing for even cheaper massages. It's been a tough research job, but someone has had to take it on, and we gladly obliged. This was our third foot massage and although it was fantastic (I may have fallen asleep for a minute or two), I think we're leaning toward the first spot we had tried. The second massage was more than decent, but freaked me out a bit. The male masseuse working on my feet spent a good portion of the time telling Mike that he could sense that my intestines were blocked (TMI?) and that I needed to eat more fruits and vegetables. Lovely. When he got to my right foot, which, come to find out, is somehow connected to the kidney and the liver, he said he could tell that I had been eating spicy foods and drinking alcohol. What else were the bottom of my feet telling him? I'm not sure I needed them to tell him any more. And hence why we're going with the first spa, where the massage therapists went at our feet without saying a word.    

      Monday, August 13, 2012

      Bikes and Beijing on Friday

      This past weekend we took the bikes out as planned and went out for a long ride to the river and back, with a stop for lunch in between. Biking is such a fun way to see this city and you can find hidden gems more easily than on two feet or by car. In fact, our lunch spot was on this cute, little street, lined with planters and hanging flowers, at a café bar run by some young French folks serving pizza and beer. 

      The exciting news is that I'll be joining Mike in Beijing at the end of this week. He leaves tomorrow, and I'll take the high-speed train there on Friday. I had mentioned I was ready to get out of Shanghai a bit and see something new so the trip comes at a good time. We're planning a full day of sightseeing on Saturday: the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Although I'm slightly apprehensive about going solo -- buying a train ticket, finding my train, and then finding Mike once I'm in Beijing -- I'm looking forward to my first Chinese travel adventure. Have you ever been to Beijing? Any recommendations? 

      P.S. It's official. My bike is cooler than Mike's. Thank you to the two who voted.  :)  

      Friday, August 10, 2012

      Have a zhoumo kuaile

      In case you were wondering, we survived the typhoon and the weather is back to being hot and humid, sticky and muggy. This weekend, I'm hoping to take the camera out and snap more photos as we explore new areas of Shanghai. I'm anxious to get out of the neighborhood and gain a change of scenery. And of course, we're planning on riding the new bikes. (I tried adding a poll to find out whose you thought was cooler, but Blogger wasn't cooperating. Maybe you can state your pick  by adding a comment below.)  

      Up next week: The start of beginner Mandarin, level 3. That's right, I've made it passed two levels and I'm on to the third. Can I carry on a conversation? No. Can I survive? Maybe (certainly in Shanghai). Mandarin is actually the seventh language I've studied: French and English, of course; Spanish in high school; Italian in college; German while studying abroad in Strasbourg, which, if you don't know, is on the border of France and Germany; and Arabic while studying in London. (I told you I was language nerd. Note that I've studied these languages; I'm not claiming to have mastered them, or even come close with some!) And Mandarin is by far the most difficult. Maybe because it's really foreign. Yes, a foreign foreign language, imagine that -- but in all of my previous language courses, there were some elements of familiarity. With Chinese, there are none whatsoever. A lack of tenses only complicates things, as do complex sentence structures and multiple meanings for the same words (or characters). Wish me luck! 

      In other news, we've upgraded our cable so that we can catch the end of the Olympics. I'm currently watching a rerun of the final women's soccer match, USA versus Japan. (USA, USA, USA!) So while we now have Olympics coverage and several more channels, we no longer have any English channels. Sigh. Oh well. Maybe it'll help improve my Mandarin.      

      What are you up to this weekend?  
      Hers or his? Choose wisely.

      Wednesday, August 8, 2012

      The typhoon hits

      "Typhoon? No big deal." That's what I said last week. Today, I sing a different tune. The wind is howling and the rain is pouring, and apparently the Shanghai government just raised its typhoon-alert level (click here to get the details from the WSJ). Thankfully, Mike and I are safely indoors -- although our windows are rattling and water is slowly seeping in from those in the living room. Our Internet is still alive (albeit excruciatingly slow), so it can't be all that bad. Here are a couple of pics from the car ride home from school today (thank God for Bob!): 
      Umbrellas don't help much in a typhoon.
      Notice the guys in the background trying to reinforce the
      Gucci wall.

      Tuesday, August 7, 2012

      My Very Own Velo

      Remember my bike? Yesterday, we finally received word that it was ready for pick-up. After dinner, Mike hopped on his bike, and I walked briskly to meet him at the shop. The guy there installed my pedals and handle bars and adjusted my seat, and we were off. Thankfully, both the traffic and the heat had dissipated -- it was about 8:30 p.m. at that point -- and the first ride on the new vélo was a fun one. I'm not sure I'm ready just yet for Mike's Tuesday night rides (double the speed and triple the distance), but I'll certainly work up to them.  
      On my inaugural ride, outside our apartment complex
      Hers and His

      Monday, August 6, 2012

      Circus Circus Shanghai

      We had heard that going to the circus is a must here in Shanghai so we jumped at the opportunity when our building offered a night out for its residents. Their description was the best -- a "STUNNING, MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ACROBATIC SHOW" (yes, all in caps). 

      Yesterday evening, we joined our neighbors and piled into two tourist buses for a quick, 20-minute ride to the theater. The show itself was great; I'd describe it as a low-budget Cirque du Soleil performance without the underlying story, but with just as much talent.  

      Mike's favorite were the guys that jumped frontwards and backwards through towers of hoops, combined with cartwheels, round-offs and flips. Mine were the motorcyclists trapped in a globe (see pic below); one in there was impressive enough, but at a certain point, he was joined by seven other riders going up, down and around the globe. How they didn't crash into one another completely amazed me.  

      By the way, speaking of Chinese acrobats, have you been watching the Olympics? I've been so bummed to miss out on pretty much all of it. Without premium cable, we get no Olympics coverage whatsoever. I've had to resort to Chinese coverage (read: badminton and ping pong) on televisions in bars.   
      An instagram I snuck at the end of the show

      Friday, August 3, 2012

      Have a zhoumo kuaile

      What will you be up to you this weekend as we battle a typhoon here in Shanghai? Yes, really. Although it sounds way worse than it is. It's really just high winds and maybe rain... but it sounds cool, right?   

      I was hoping to break in my new bike this weekend. That's right, I said BIKE. For as much as I've complained about the traffic here in Shanghai, I'll now be confronting it on two wheels. This was really all Mike's idea: a few weeks ago, we went to this shop and designed our bikes, picking out everything from the handlebars to the color of the hubs (copper for him; bright red for me). Because cooler-looking bikes take a longer time to assemble (!), Mike's bike was ready before mine and he's already taken a couple of rides with Factory Five, another local bike shop that organizes weekly bike rides. In fact, check out who is front-and-center on their lastest blog post (scroll down, photo on the left). Much more to come on our new vélos... (In the meantime, wish me luck. The last time I rode a bike was about 10 years ago when I was studying abroad in a small city in France.)   

      Besides the bikes, we'll be busy running errands this weekend as the idea of heading home in five weeks is now reality; travel has been booked. If you want anything from China, now's the time to tell me!  

      Wednesday, August 1, 2012

      Crazy Jobs

      Among the amusing scenes we've witnessed here in Shanghai (the daily street performances/workouts and the recent trip to Ikea), we've also seen some interesting careers in action.

      First, there's the traveling pet salesman:
      Yes, that's a bunny in a cage hung by the wheel of this
      man's moped.

      Then, there's the  gardener who has to water the plants of a big, busy street, in the middle of day: 

      Notice the traffic having to divert and
      merge right.

      Here's the scariest one of them wall -- window washers.  I haven't been able to get a good pic yet, but they literally hang from these ropes with a bucket by their side. (What safety standards? Apparently, should a window washer die on the job, his family will get compensated a whole $3K.)


      And finally, the styrofoam collector, seen here in a fuzzy picture taken on a rainy evening.

      That's him in the red poncho. Notice the enormity of his styrofoam collection on the back of his BIKE.
      Oh, and the cigarette in his mouth.