Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had Vietnamese for dinner, but it's only because preparations are under way for a Thanksgiving feast we'll devour tomorrow evening. With some last minute invites, it turns out our little dinner is becoming a bit of a party! Can you tell which dishes we have done so far?


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Fatty Tuesday: Caliburger

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd bring it back with a taste of home found right here in Shanghai.

It may be a complete rip-off of a certain hometown favorite [Cali friends, I'll let you draw your own conclusion], but, I have to admit, CaliBurger offers a decent meal. The star of the menu is the "Cali Double," which can come in a meal (fries + drink), and fries can be "wild style"-ed, topped with American cheese, grilled onions and their signature "Cali sauce". [Rung a bell yet?] The menu, however, is more extensive than the original, offering more than just burgers. I tried their grilled chicken sandwich with an avocado ranch dressing, and even though the avocado is barely noticeable, it's a tasty meal. Mike went for the burger, which he thoroughly enjoyed. His conclusion: "It was good enough to make me miss the real thing."
I've said it before -- you can find anything here. And if you can't find it, you can probably find its fake.

CaliBurger:
1818 West Nanjing Road (but west of the Jingan Temple)
(In the basement of yet another mall on Nanjing)

Friday, November 22, 2013

Zhoumo kuaile!

This weekend, we'll be getting ready for Thanksgiving here in the Goubran-Wang Shanghai household, which means (if you remember last year's Thanksgiving) making the first of several trips to the various foreigner-friendly grocery stores around town. I've been browsing recipes, weeding out those with such "exotic" ingredients as evaporated milk and cornstarch.

We'll be hosting again this year, keeping the tradition going with some of the friends who joined us last year, and introducing the holiday to some new friends we met this year. Below is the invite and here is my expert Thanksgiving timeline.



Thursday, November 21, 2013

Poor Shima!

Our little pup got fixed yesterday and her dew claws (also known as her sixth toe on each hind leg), removed. She's been recuperating and resting, though she tends to do that anyway (lazy puppy!).
Several folks have asked me about healthcare here -- for my dog and myself. I've actually been really impressed with both. Shima's vet is a caring and knowledgable European woman known as Dr. Stephanie. And although I've never been to a vet's office in the States, I'd say her office rivals those back home. The same goes for my doctor's office here where, if I let my mind wander for a bit, I'd turn to Shima and say, "Shima, I've a feeling we're not Shanghai anymore."


If you ever need a vet in Shanghai:
Dr. Stephanie Goltz
St. Anthony Animal Recovery Hospital
440 Hami Road, Changning District

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Taobao-ing

If you read recent entries on Singles' Day, you know that most of the online shopping frenzy took place  on Alibaba's websites, namely Taobao, a C2C platform. Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't until living in China; come to find it out, the term is just as commonplace as "Googleing," and it's a likely bookmark or "page most visited" on a majority of computers here.

It's eBay and Amazon and Etsy combined but bigger, offering a marketplace for small businesses and entrepreneurs to sell new and used goods at a fixed priced (auctions do exist, but they're few and far between). And believe me when I tell you that you can find anything on there -- or believe City Weekend (giant penis costume, anyone?).  I've also heard you can get loans through Taobao, or hire someone to redesign to your signature in case you don't like what you've done with yours.

It's a bit of challenge for non-Chinese readers to navigate the site, but don't worry, this too has turned into a profit. Tao-how acts as a middleman, but Mike and I prefer a combination of Google Translate, guessing, and help from his mom.


Friday, November 15, 2013

Zhoumo kuaile!

Here's what I have for your China news round-up this week:

  • A follow-up to Singles' Day. Mike and I had pondered the connection between celebrating singlehood and spending tons of money so this quote was my favorite, "In a country where males outnumber females by about 34 million, there are plenty of lonely hearts to go around. And they love to shop online." Read more.

  • Another court case based on looks. "Chinese man’s 'hideous' face causes woman to fall and break four teeth;" she pressed charges and won. Yes, really! Read more.  

  • What's getting censored on Chinese Twitter. What I found most interesting were the ways in which users tried circumventing the social platform's censoring filters (using "eye field" to address "liberty," the two terms use similar characters; and using "big yellow duck" for the tanks at Tiananmen Square) -- only to get censored by the human filters employed by the company. As both a language dork and a communications nerd, I found this article fascinating.

  • An ad campaign I can stand behind. Save the Shimas! 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Oh Baby

Chinese merchants really like babies. Mo' babies, mo' sales, mo' money?

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

It's the day after Singles' Day

While back home we honored the men and women who so bravely serve and have served, here in China, November 11 marks Singles' Day (cue Sasha Fierce). Yes, it's in response to Valentine's Day, but more importantly, it's the biggest online shopping day of the year IN THE WORLD.

Cyber Monday has nothing on Singles' Day. According to Bloomberg, last year's sales on Singles' Day for the Alibaba Group, China's biggest e-retailer, totaled more than $3 billion, which more than doubled the amount spent by U.S. consumers on Cyber Monday in 2012. This year, the average person will spend almost $300, and sales are expected to surge to $5 billion. Insane, right?

Within the first hour of Alibaba's 2013 shopping event, Chinese consumers had spent nearly $1 billion. Four more to go...

Friday, November 8, 2013

Zhoumo kuaile!

One resource I have yet to mention on the blog is perhaps one the most important for hungry expats. Sherpa's is an awesome service that delivers food from a majority of restaurants here in Shanghai for less than $3. Menus from a variety of eateries (Italian and French, Chinese and vegetarian) are all online and in English. After just a few clicks, a driver in an orange uniform shows up at your doorstep with your dinner. "Should we Sherpa's tonight?" is about a once/week occurrence at my household. Twice or more if the husband is out of town. 

I now leave you with a gem of a story out of China this week, one that you may have seen making the rounds online. Man successfully sues wife over ugly children. Yes, really. Read more here.   

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

When the cat's away...

Mike is out of town this week on business, which means I'm spending lots of time:

  • Watching girly movies (so far, I've watched The Bling Ring and The Way Way Back
  • Taking yoga classes (at a small studio I just joined, which I love and which reminds me of home)
  • Eating couscous and veggie burgers (because my husband doesn't like either) 
  • Plucking, picking, waxing and face masking, with a mani/pedi thrown in before the weekend

Truth be told, I miss the cat and am anxiously awaiting his return. Life is just more fun with him around. 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Zhoumo kuaile!

Before I leave you for the weekend, here's a recap of Cambodia with our take on some its "bests" --

Best Dish:
We had fish amok at practically every meal. It's similar to a Thai curry (think: lime, lemongrass and coconut milk) but without the heat. We loved it so much we left Cambodia with a few packets of amok spices in order to recreate the dish at home.

Best Temple:
Although Angkor Wat is the main attraction and Ta Prohm is the most popular thanks to Angelina Jolie, we liked Ta Nei the best. The only ones exploring it, we felt like tomb raiders ourselves. Its seclusion and its time-worn beauty was why this one quickly became our favorite.

Best Hotel:
We loved where we stayed, la Residence d'Angkor. It's a beautiful hotel with a lovely staff and a gorgeous pool in a great location. That said, we had drinks one evening at the Park Hyatt, which, from the bar at least, was exquisite.
Best Part: 
The people. Cambodians have such a wonderful air about them. They're warm and gracious, and remain hopeful for the future. Many have lived through hell (also known as the Khmer Rouge) and many live in dire straits, but they exhibit such grace and dignity. There's a lesson there.

Friday, November 1, 2013