7/23/06 ~ Three weeks down

On the Rio: The Temptations ~ Don't Look Back.

Well, I've successfully completed 3 weeks in Shanghai.

It rained most of the day, so I watched Asian TV: a sumo wrestling match, a National Geographic show on Chinese foot binding and shoe making for those feet (they showed the bound feet of some women who are now over 100 years old), and an international badmitton competition.

I did end up going for a walk to find the German brew pub, which I did not find, apparently because all of the streets aren’t marked and I missed my turn. And by then it was getting dusk, so I headed back to the hotel. But the areas I walked in were not crowded for a change, and it was interesting to see some of the local grocery stores, street vendors and furniture and non-Western clothing stores.

I ate in the hotel Chinese restaurant, and thought, I’ll order something normal: wonton soup and chicken and rice. I know what you are thinking, picturing in your head. Well, you are wrong. The wonton soup had wontons (pasta filled with spinach and something), but also included whole shrimp (eyes, shell, antennae), some green bulb vegetable, a large mushroom, and lots of spaghetti. The chicken was cold, served with the skin, and very difficult to maneuver with chopsticks. There were 3 small bowls of dipping sauces: ginger, red pepper sauce, and soy sauce. There was another bowl with bean curd and scallions, which I presumed was to pour the hot chicken broth on top of. I really could have used a dinner guest to show me how to eat this meal. The rice was delicious!

I hope I’m not boring everyone with my food experiences.

Well, back to another week of work, and then I’m off to Hong Kong on Saturday.