Posts from the ‘Living’ Category

May 5

How My Ipod was Stolen

Almost two years. That’s how long I went living in Shanghai without ever being pickpocketed. Don’t get me wrong, I had some close calls.

Most memorably, last Thanksgiving I was strutting down the street carrying an apple pie in each hand, listening to some strut music (obviously), when I felt a hand reach in to the coat pocket that held my ipod. In a moment of desperation, reflexes that have never been useful to me in any sports environment suddenly sprang into action. As my hands were occupied by two apple pies, I pinned the culprit’s hand in my pocket with my elbow and spun around, only to find a kid who couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. Stupidly, I just yelled, “NO!” and he ran away. Crisis averted.

After that, I was careful. I always kept my hands in my pocket when I was listening to my ipod or put it in a zippered pocket in my purse. And then one day, I was biking home from work with it in my pocket. Surely it would be safe; how could anyone pickpocket me while I was speeding by on a bike? I underestimated the skills of the determined Shanghai pickpocket. Sure enough, halfway through my ride I realized that I wasn’t hearing music anymore. I followed the trail of my headphones, which were still in my ears, down to my pocket and it was empty.

To the nimble-fingered pickpocket who managed to steal my ipod while I was riding a bicycle: I salute you. I can’t deny that you have some impressive skills. I have no doubt that you’re enjoying my tasteful collection of Disney songs and NPR podcasts. But, I’m sorry to inform you, you won’t be stealing from me again. I’ve got a new ipod, and it CLIPS on to things, things like bra straps under shirts shielded by jackets. Our brief encounter has left a lasting impression, and I sure don’t intend on repeating it again.

Dec 10

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The Great Food Scavenger Hunt of China

My family is coming to visit in just two weeks! I’ve been stressing out over planning the details of their visit to Shanghai, Yangshuo, and Bejing, but even more importantly, planning their eating itinerary. Enough is enough. I decided to list it all out. I present to you The Great Food Scavenger Hunt of China!

One week, three cities in China, way too many food options. Let the eating begin!

Jiaozi (dumplings)
Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)
Hunan ribs
Lamian (pulled noodles)
Zongzi (sticky rice)
Pretz, pizza flavored
Baijiu (Chinese alcohol)
Shanghai hairy crab
Mapo dofu (Sichuan tofu)
Unrecognizable street food
Yang’s Shengjian (fried dumplings)
Jianbing (crispy filled pancake)
Yunnan goat cheese
Tsingtao in a brown bottle (actually made in Qingdao)
Guobaorou (Dongbei style sweet and sour pork)
Hotpot
Chayedan (tea boiled egg)
Red bean shaved ice
Sichuan qianbian sijidou (Sichuan deep fried green beans)
Lilian Cakes dan tat (egg tarts)
Congyoubing (spring onion pancake)
Cha (tea)
Zhenzhou naicha (pearl milk tea)
Beijing kaoya (Peking duck)
Msg
Taiwanese peanut butter smoothie
Baozi (filled bun)
Chuanr (Xinjiang meat kebabs)
Huiguorou (twice cooked pork)
Mango tapioco
Dandan mien (cut noodles)
Xinjiang fried bread
Gongbao Jiding (Kungpao chicken)

Nov 29

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Home Away From Home

Whether I’m called an expat, a foreigner, a laowai, or a waiguoren, there’s no denying I’m living far away from home. Like, “dig a hole all the way to China” far from home. Most days, it’s different and exciting to be in Shanghai. Other days, like Thanksgiving, I get achingly homesick.

Luckily, Thanksgiving can also be held in China, especially if you have friends hosting an epic potluck Thanksgiving dinner! We had all the traditional fixings, at about three times the normal cost since most of it is imported, or at about three times the normal effort since the ingredients aren’t readily available. A single measly turkey costs a whopping 850 rmb at CityShop (about $130.00)! And I spent an unreasonable amount of time searching for pie tins, making pie dough from scratch, and hovering over the pie as it baked to keep the finicky Chinese oven from burning it.

Why did we all spend all this time and money on Thanksgiving (aside from that one dude who contributed microwaved popcorn)? Because all of us laowais are in the same boat (except popcorn dude, who is no longer welcome on the boat). We’re all living as foreigners, far far from home. The expat experience is a transitory one; we all expect it will end at some point. We’re always saying goodbye to someone leaving or welcoming someone new. We’re always considering what’s next. With the ongoing adaptation required to live in China, traditions from home are welcome reminders of the things that are constant.

I think, in many ways, the expat experience makes Thanksgiving more homey in Shanghai than it is at home. It’s a reminder of the things we miss the most: food, family, friends. But we’ve also created a new home. We shelled out the money for a Thanksgiving turkey, found one of the few coveted imported cans of pumpkin in China, and gathered our closest friends for a traditional Thanksgiving “family” meal. We created home from scratch.

I looked around the table at our Shanghai Thanksgiving and got all sappy, thinking how thankful I was for my home away from home. And then I saw that freaking popcorn and was back to my normal self.

The delicious spread

$130 to be carved into bite size pieces

That's my lattice top apple pie!

One of three platefuls of food I ate that night

I'm thankful for delicious food!

Nov 20

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Have You Eaten?

“Ni chi le ma?” or “Have you eaten?” is a common Chinese greeting, one that I support wholeheartedly. I’m almost always concerned about the source of my next meal, and I appreciate that the average Chinese person is too.

Chinese food has been one of my greatest ongoing discoveries since moving to China. The range of what can even be considered “Chinese food” is overwhelming. Hunnan food, Shanghai food, Sichuan food, Xinjiang food, Yunnan food, Dongbei food, Shaanxi food – it’s all Chinese food. And it’s no simple fried rice and orange chicken. I’ve found that Chinese food ranges from Yunnanese fried goat cheese to Xinjiang lamb kebabs.

My knowledge of Chinese food is still limited, but I consider learning more to be one of the biggest advantages of living here!

Bamboo chicken in Guangxi

A street vendor

Beijing duck

Dried fruits in Xi'an

Clay baked chicken

Nov 13

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A Shanghai Autumn Day

Sometimes I forget that I live in China. I wake up, I go to work, I come home, I make dinner. And then something happens that jolts me back to the reality that, holy crap, I live in China! All it takes is a blocked website or a sudden longing for cheetos that aren’t seafood flavored, and I remember exactly where I am.

But today, I fully appreciated the fact that I live here. Today was one of those delicious Shanghai days, a day during which I was able to leisurely bike around my neighborhood and appreciate the smaller things. There’s my taciturn building complex guard who curtly nods his head when I smile and wave. There’s the old Chinese people dancing to Latin music in the park. There are deliciously greasy noodles that are cooked off of push carts in the street. There’s the satisfaction of expertly weaving through traffic on my bicycle like a true Shanghainese.

More Shanghai moments from today:

A produce cart

People taking advantage of a particularly sunny Autumn day

My shoe and key guy

A tree-lined street in the French Concession

Drying racks upon drying racks

And Doyle, a very handsome dog.

Oct 25

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Local Chinese Markets

As you might guess, the Hongqiao Bird and Flower Market sells….birds and flowers. It’s one of many weirdly specific and aptly named markets here in Shanghai. Need pearls? Go to the pearl market. Need a fake purse? Go to the fake market. Need an…insect? Yeah, there’s a market for that too.

When I first arrived in China, I could not for the life of me figure out where to buy anything. I’m entirely ashamed to admit I solely went to the China equivalent of Walmart for about a month. Not being able to speak Chinese, the monolithic concrete building with its automated walkways, fluorescent-lit aisles, and mass produced products was downright homey.

And then I discovered my local wet market: fresh produce available from a multitude of vendors at a fraction of the price. I haggled over carrots and pitted vendors against one another. I used my caveman Chinese to point and say, “This! I want this!” and “Aiyaaa! Why? Too expensive!” I discovered new varieties of tofu and sampled veggies I’d never seen before. In short, I discovered the joy of local Chinese markets.

Nowadays, I regularly visit markets for my daily needs and even look forward to squaring off with steely-eyed vendors who refuse to budge on price. I recently trekked out to Hongqiao district to visit the Bird and Flower Market, which weirdly also sells dishes, furniture, and live sea turtles. Photos below!

Birds for sale

Baby cacti

Love that shade of green

A depressed sea turtle

Oct 7

4 Comments

The New Apartment

Sure, there are some things that could be improved upon. The windows leak when it rains. The stove makes a strange sound when turned on; a sound that, with not too big a stretch of the imagination, could be the sound a leaky gas pipe makes before spontaneously combusting. And the other day a lady came to the door wearing an official-looking uniform and holding official-looking papers, demanding 40 rmb. I promptly gave her the money, which was completely logical on my part as I could understand no part of what she was saying, right?

The perks of this place remain the same. We have an apartment within our budget on the outskirts of Shanghai’s French Concession to call home. Can’t really complain!