Shanghai Java

East Coast family and friends, look what we found at a nearby food court! I guess I should also mention the Starbucks Coffees on every other corner, and the Coffee Beans where there's no Starbucks, not to mention the Costa Coffees, if you're familiar with the British chain. Coffee addicts will have no problem finding their fix, but it comes at a price -- $5 for a tall/small latte. 

I miss the local, artisanal coffee shops of San Francisco -- Blue Bottle and Ritual Coffee Roasters -- but I've found the rough equivalent here, at a French bakery down the road and a cupcake shop (of all places!) around the corner. They make Starbucks look cheap.    

Fatty Tuesday: Sproutworks

I've been waiting for one of these to pop up, and as it turns out, I didn't have to wait too long. LA friends, think: Clementine (a lunchtime favorite in Century City), Huckleberry, or Joan's on Third. Not too far from us is Sproutworks, a restaurant that not too long ago served very mediocre Japanese cuisine. The restaurant was more famous for its decor than its food; a large boulder was the restaurant's centerpiece, making for an awkward seating arrangement. 

The rock's still there (come to find out it's an historic relic), but the restaurant now serves up soups, sandwiches, salads, and sides, cafeteria-style. It's the perfect healthy lunch spot, offering up various lunchtime deals (a soup or sandy or salad with two sides for $10) served with a choice of juices and iced teas. Sides include various veggies (roasted beets, carrots, cauliflower) and rarely-found dishes in Shanghai like couscous and quinoa. The best part -- those of us who can't decide and who like variety can split the two sides into four. It's a nice break from Chinese staples of pork, rice, and cooked greens. 

Given my last few Fatty Tuesday entries, you'd think I never eat Chinese. It's not true! I'll prove it to you next Tuesday. 

The Most Dangerous Job in the World?

A while ago, I posted about some of the crazy jobs locals have taken on, one of which was washing the windows of high-rise buildings. This weekend, I finally got some decent photos of these professionals in action, and I'd dare say it might be the most dangerous job in the world, don't you think? 

Here's what we saw out our window while eating breakfast Saturday morning.  

Now keep in mind that we're on the 36th floor. 

Some ropes and a small piece of wood keep this man suspended more than 500 feet above ground. At a certain point, things didn't seem to be going according to plan and, I swear, he was at a 45 degree angle. I couldn't look.  

Here are some more washers at work at our neighborhood Uniqlo (one of my favorite stores in these parts; but I digress).  

Zhoumo kuaile!

Weekend plans?  (One day, someone will respond to me in the comments section below, and they will be my favorite.) 

We have a couple of social engagements (yay for friends!), but other than that, we'll most likely recuperate from last weekend's hosting duties. With a bit of practice recently, we're getting our tour of Shanghai down. Here's what you can expect when you come to visit: 

• A walk on the bund to see the famous Shanghai skyline, down to the Nanjing pedestrian walkway
• A trip to the fabric market to get shirts made and buy silk souvenirs 
• A soup dumpling taste-test to try out different kinds from various locales
• A drink (or five) at Senator Saloon, our favorite (Prohibition Era) bar that's right around the corner from our place
• A self-guided tour through the Shanghai Art Museum (check out my most recent Instagram pics here) and/or the Urban Planning Museum (which is a lot cooler, and more fun, than its name denotes)
• A stroll through Xintiandi, the bougiest part of town (fun fact: we lived here for six weeks upon our arrival) 
• A visit to the Yuyuan Garden, a tourist must
• A weekend morning crepurrito 
• A stop at the Jing'an Temple for some peace amidst chaos
• And more shopping (at the fake market, the pearl market, the antiques market, the ceramics market) and more eating (Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, American, Italian, San Francisco-an) 

As time goes by, we're discovering more awesome spots to add to the list. That's been the fun part. 

    

Chinglish Part II

You knew it was coming -- a second Chinglish post. Long overdue, I know, but I've working on my collection. Here are some favorites seen in and around China. 

There's nothing terribly wrong with this sign, I suppose (other than the seemingly random placement of the word "multiple") -- but it's the name of the shop (and its BOLD font and graphic) that cracks me up.  

 Would it be better if they were dressed?

 Woah! Makes you wonder what else they can deliver.  

I quickly crossed the street when I saw these signs on a building I thought was maybe a public restroom: (from left to right, top to bottom) Warning Danger, Warning Daop Down (what?), Warning Ovntilating (whaaat?), Must Wear Defence Mask (really?), Must Fastened Seat Belt (for the bathroom?!). And don't you love that last sign -- Superman with an awkwardly placed arrow?    

The funny part about this one is the fact that it's found on the front desk of our lobby late at night. What do you think "Ken" actually does when he "sends the newspaper"?  

Now this isn't chinglish, per se, but it is a complete rip off of two beloved American brands. Can you recognize them? If you look closely, you'll notice that the logo for Gina's Gelato looks a lot like a combination of Wendy's and Ben & Jerry's. 

 Entertaining, no? 

Fatty Tuesday: Homies

I mentioned last week that I'd begin recounting our food adventures every Tuesday -- either ones at home in our Shanghainese kitchen, or at one of the hundreds of restaurant options located outside our doorstep. 

One of the things I love about this city is that new restaurants pop up all the time. In my one week back from the States, Mike and I tried two places that opened for business while I was gone -- one of which was Homies, located right around the corner from us.  

I had walked by the place one day and hadn't seen much, just a sliding door with the word "Homies" in a cowboy/western font. After a quick Google search, Mike and I found out that the restaurant was owned and operated by a professional skateboarder and his girlfriend serving American-style breakfast at reasonable prices.  

With a friend in town who had had his share of Chinese food prior to staying with us (he was in Beijing on business), we walked over to Homies last Saturday morning. The place is tiny, and seats 15 or so on tables and seats that looked like they had been found at the antique market (in a good way). Upon our arrival, the owner seemed a bit frazzled, running from the dining room to the kitchen, apparently missing a few key staff members. They showed shortly after we did, and things seemed to go smoothly thereafter. 

The menu is small -- eggs, pancakes, waffles, french toast, and a breakfast burrito -- but I like that (makes the decision-making process easier). And food is served on orange trays -- a fun touch. Mike got the sampler (eggs, sausages, and french toast), I got a banana walnut waffle, and our friend got the burrito (much smaller in size than its American counterpart, but good nonetheless, I was told). It was a great taste of home, and I for one really enjoyed my waffle (not too heavy, with an obvious taste of banana, an often miss for banana nut waffles these days). 

It'll be interesting to go back after they've worked out their kinks, and we'll see how long they can sustain breakfast service at a low cost (we read that their current prices are temporary; they'll likely go up when the restaurant settles into a groove). I wouldn't mind having that $5 banana walnut waffle again...

Zhoumo kuaile!

What's everyone up to this weekend?  I feel as if this is my first real weekend back considering I was knocked out by 8:00 p.m. both nights last weekend (so much for Jet Lag Rooster). We'll be hosting a friend who's in town (yay for business trips to China!), which means lots of eating and drinking (again).  

In the meantime, preparations for Chinese New Year (CNY) are under way. It's as if no one told shopkeepers here that Christmas is over -- lights are still up, decorations haven't been taken down, and sales are in full swing. Now among expats, "where are you going for CNY?" replaces "are you going home for the holidays?" Many of us are taking advantage of the week off to travel. With some friends, Mike and I will be venturing to... wait for it... South Korea! And for those of you who know Mike, yes, there is snowboarding in Korea. In fact, we'll be heading to the home of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Cool, huh? Much more to come on the trip. For now, I leave you with the image below taken at Carrefour this week. Apparently, CNY is celebrated with dried ducks (I think those are ducks). And lots of them.    

It's Gross Out

I've complained about the air pollution before, but now it's making international headlines. Did you hear about Beijing and its off-the-charts air quality index? Keep in mind that 500 is the top of the Air Quality Index scale, which uses standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On Saturday at 8:00 p.m., the index read 755, "when all of Beijing looked like an airport smokers' lounge" (New York Times). And would you believe that Beijing's air pollution can be seen from space?! See scary pictures here, and more here.

What's slightly worrisome is the fact that the pollution seems to be moving south toward Shanghai. See below and notice that "protection is recommended." You may soon be seeing Mike and I sporting some stylin' masks.  

 

Introducing: Fatty Tuesday

To change things up a bit in the new year, I've decided to dedicate each Tuesday entry to something I love and wish I could have less of because it does nothing for my fat, jiggly thighs: food. Each Tuesday, I'll review a restaurant we tried (which won't be hard in this city; new ones pop up every few weeks) or a recipe I attempted (in a city where an ingredient like flour is considered foreign). 

To kick things off, I'll begin with my food favs from home, which is kind of cheating since this blog is about my Asian adventures, but living in China has made me miss these places:

• In-N-Out:  How could anything else top the list? When it comes to In-N-Out, I'm a simpleton -- #3, no onion. And yes, I know all about the not-so-secret menu; I just choose not to overcomplicate a good thing.  
• Huckleberry: I mentioned this was a must on a my visit home. I went twice -- once for lunch (burrata and roasted red pepper sandwich) and once for breakfast before heading to the airport (poached eggs over market vegetables -- kale this time of year -- and a side of meatballs for the plane ride).     
• Nagao: Every LAer has their go-to sushi spot. Nagao is mine and has been for years. And I never veer from ordering the same three items (no matter the party size): spicy tuna dombori (finely chopped spicy tuna, asparagus, carrot, and avocado topped on a bed of sushi rice); lemon box (if memory serves, from bottom to top: sushi rice, salmon, a thin slice of lemon, avocado, and shrimp); and moonlight #2 (wrapped in cucumber, crab, salmon, carrots, and asparagus).  
• Cafe Vida: A Palisades favorite. Chicken chipotle quesadilla and sweet potato fries.  
• Bay Cities: I know that most people go for the "godmother," but my sandwich is a caprese (mozzarella, basil, tomato, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, hold the onion), add proscuitto.  

What are your hometown favs?  

Zhoumo kuaile!

I'm back! My trip home was a bit longer than planned, and I'm happy to be back to it (although I think I need to better define what "it" is now; stay tuned).  

Here's how I knew I was back in China: 

• As I was getting on the plane in Los Angeles and getting off in Shanghai, the person behind me was right behind me. Like touching me. Personal space? What's that?  
• Leaving the airport, I heard that lovely loogie sound, the sound of coughing up and spitting on the ground.  
• Back home and watching CNN, I heard the reporter say, "And in China," before the screen went black then returned to a segment on Syria.  

Welcome back!  

On another note, I'm trying out Jet Lag Rooster (thank you, nbcnews) who gave me the following schedule in order to avoid/minimize jet lag. I'm usually pretty good with jet lag, forcing myself upon arrival to get on the locals' schedule. We'll see if this helps.  

Wed, 9 Jan 2013
	11:30 AM	Depart, set watch 16 hours ahead (3:30 AM)
Thu, 10 Jan 2013
	6:00 PM	Arrive
Fri, 11 Jan 2013
	4:00 PM–8:00 PM	Seek light
	8:00 PM–12:00 AM	Avoid light
Sat, 12 Jan 2013
	5:30 PM–9:30 PM	Seek light
	9:30 PM–1:30 AM	Avoid light
Sun, 13 Jan 2013
	7:00 PM–11:00 PM	Seek light
	11:00 PM–3:00 AM	Avoid light
Mon, 14 Jan 2013
	8:30 PM–12:30 AM	Seek light
Tue, 15 Jan 2013
	12:30 AM–4:30 AM	Avoid light
	10:00 PM–2:00 AM	Seek light
Wed, 16 Jan 2013
	2:00 AM–6:00 AM	Avoid light