china's food is good...but i'm totally craving these...

lasagna with corn & small kine cheese!

spicy ahi bowl from kozo HK

potable tap water

bangkok chef

poke...and garlic soybeans while we're at it...

breakfast jack



...i'd like all of these and about a zillion other things. whoever wants to join my massive eating frenzy when i get home please leave your name, number and a brief message after the beep.

FIC Expo

Last week was the Food Ingredients China (FIC) Expo in Shanghai. This was a trade show for for companies that specialize in food ingredients to showcase their products and secure trade agreements with local Chinese companies. At first I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a really interesting and fun event! There were companies from all over the world! And the best part...tons of samples! I ate tons of dried fruit, candy, various teas and fruit juices, bread products, beef jerky...you name it, I tried it! One booth even had two soft-serve ice cream machines and an oven where they baked cookies right there. Dipping warm cookies in soft-serve ice cream (in a cone!) while you're working really isn't so terrible. ;)

The booth for the Food Export Association of the U.S. Midwest and Northeast was tended to by yours truly :)

I had my own interpreter and everything! Her name was Xin Xing...but she asked to be called Star. (Xing xing is star in Chinese...makes sense!) We actually became good friends and I went to her university the other day to hang out with her. You can expect a blog on that for sure!


Star made my hair in a traditional Chinese style. Pretty snazzy, ey?

The FIC Expo was a great experience. You never really think about how restaurants and grocery stores get their products...but now I know! We also got to sit in on one-on-one meetings between the manufacturers and the retailers which was really interesting. I realize trade agreements don't sound like the most fascinating thing in the world...but it's a really intricate process and I'm stoked that I got to see it all go down!

so many CARDS in my life!

I can't get into my apartment building without this card.

My transportation card! Useful on the metro, the bus, taxis and...boats?


My keycards for work! One is to get into the building and the bathroom, the other is to get into and out of my office. Kind of awesome...kind of a pain...

20 million people!?!?

Today I learned that there are 20 million people in Shanghai. I knew there were a LOT of people...but woah. (Just to put this into perspective, the entire state of Hawaii only has 1.3 million people…and even Honolulu feels crowded…)

Pua Goes To Xi Tang

Last weekend, excitement loomed over the interns from my program. It was the first organized field trip that I’ve been on since I arrived in Shanghai. We got to visit a water town called Xi Tang. To get there, we traveled south to an adjacent province called Zhejiang. The trip was 1.5 hours by bus. 10 interns and 4 program staff occupied the back half of the tour bus. I don’t know when the last time was that I went on a field trip! But in case you were wondering…field trips haven’t changed. We were noisy and rowdy on the way there, taking lots of silly pictures and eating snacks and standing up in the bus and singing the “oldies” of our generation. And after a long, exciting day, we slept the whole way home.

(Interns from Next Step Connections & some NSC staff)

But let’s back up, shall we? Our journey to Xi Tang took a little longer than we expected. We drove for about 45 minutes, then stopped at a museum. (The woman guiding the tour explained everything to us…but she spoke in Chinese, so I still don’t know why we stopped there…) Upon entering the museum, we filed into a small movie theater where we watched a 10-minute long documentary about some famous guy. Yup, everything still in Chinese. Then we were sent to a museum about some guy…we figured out he was a famous film producer…but beyond that I have very little information about this place and that guy. I don’t even remember his name. (I know this comes across as ignorant, I won’t argue that. But it was really bizarre and I decided not to give into my confusion and just go with it. I’d at least tell you his name, but I can’t read it…I’m useless.)

(roomie love!)

After our random museum visits, we had a delicious Chinese-style lunch. We all sat at a big round table and enjoyed meeting new people and trying different food. We talked and shared stories and it felt like we were all really close friends, even though that was the first day we had all hung out together. I guess when you’re thrown in a situation like this where you live in a new place, in a city where no one speaks English, you latch onto the people who make you feel comfortable. I must say, it was nice to speak English freely and know that you’ll be totally understood.

After lunch, we FINALLY made it to Xi Tang. We entered the complex and were herded over to small boats, similar to the gondolas used to navigate through the canals in Venice. They provided dashing bright orange life vests for each passenger. (I have a special place in my heart for bright orange life vests…but if any SASers are reading this…we were not fortunate enough to do a lifeboat drill…sad.)

The trip down the river was so peaceful. Xi Tang was the complete opposite of Shanghai. It felt fresh and natural. The air was so clean, I felt like I was actually breathing fresh air for the first time since I arrived in Shanghai. There were no cars, only boats, bikes and mopeds. Life seemed very relaxed in Xi Tang. People smiled at us as we sailed past. Some people were having lunch, others were washing their clothes in the river, children were playing with their dogs. I could have stayed on this boat forever!

(fishing ducks...the guys in the boat release the ducks into the water, the ducks get fish and bring them back to the boat. so awesome!)

Alas, we reached the end of the river. We got out of the boat and were throw into a completely different environment. On land was a maze of crowded markets and small stores that lined both sides of the river. These stores had everything you could imagine. Some sold clothes, others had food, deserts, snacks, drinks, souveniers, random weird trinkets, jewelry, you name it…you could buy it at Xi Tang. Part of me wanted to take my time and check out some of these places, but the other part of me was overwhelmed by the massive crowds and wanted to get outta there. We somehow kept most of the group together as we walked through the markets and slowly made our way back to the bus. Along the way, we saw people playing music and singing and dancing. We also got to smell the “stinky tofu” (that’s the literal translation) which smells so gross…and they were making it everywhere! Yum.

(I got my hair stuck on my candied dates :( I ate them anyway...)

(My roommate, Juljia. She's from Lithuania!)

(dead ducks need love too!)

(oh, hey there...)

(I spy white people...)

(rice dumpling thingies. DELICIOUS!)

(chickens!)

(musicians)

We made it back to the bus and everyone knocked out on the way back to Shanghai. I slept like a baby until I woke up and had to pee worse than I ever have before! I was suddenly very aware of the crawling afternoon traffic we were stuck in. It was a close call…but I made it home :)

That night, our program also planned for everyone to go out together. We all met at a Mexican restaurant/bar and had our names put on the VIP list at one of Shanghai’s fanciest night clubs. I almost bailed, but a t the last minute, I got dressed and went to the Mexican place to meet up with everyone. Sadly, I pulled a Pua (again…) and came home about an hour later. I heard the club was really cool and there were sharks in these big aquariums…but I think I enjoyed my sleep more than I would have enjoyed the sharks. :)

Sunday I had a Chinese lesson in the morning and did a little exploring. I got some deliciously fresh fruits & veggies from little markets and got a little lost in a really cute town. Otherwise, I didn’t do a whole lot. The weekends go by so quickly, I can’t believe it’s already Tuesday. It’s back to the grind.

Until next time…aloha, a hui hou!

pictures!

This is a model of Shanghai. This city is HUGE.



This store was ALL PENS. Just isle after isle of pens...I went a little crazy.


Some guy sent a floating lantern into the sky in an attempt to sell them. I want one!


I take a picture of almost every meal. Don't judge me...


A shark in the subway station!


One of the many manyyyy malls in the subway...


Me & my fasha!

Tallest building in Shanghai...I want to say it's 500 meters...but I don't know if that's right...

I'm at the top of the world!!!! It's a horrible picture...but it's proof that we went to the top of that building. The view was unreal...


Everywhere you go, no matter how nice the neighborhood may be, there is ALWAYS laundry hanging from people's windows. My dad calls it the national flag of China. If that's the case, people here are very patriotic...

Dinner after work with some other interns. The girls left to get their hair done...we finished off the food. :)


This is my roommate, Michelle. We're eating candied dates...street food! It was delicious!!!




This blue creature is EVERYWHERE in Shanghai! He's the mascot for the 2010 World Expo.


It's cabbage. Seriously...




We came across this huge park where all these old men were playing with toys! It was so cute!!!

Some guy set up a karaoke machine & old people were singing old Chinese songs. They asked my dad to come sing...so he sang "I've Got Friends In Low Places"...out loud...for the entire park to hear...

The Mao Zedong museum.



That's all for now...more coming soon! :)

S U B W A Y

Today’s theme is public transportation. I have had several interesting experiences with the Shanghai public transportation system. First, let’s touch on my daily routine. I am an avid subway user for two reasons: 1) I find it easy and extremely convenient, and 2) because I have to.

From my apartment, I walk a whopping two blocks to the entrance of the Shanghai Stadium stop on Line 4…the purple line. Mornings are crowded in most subway stations, but Line 4 is usually pretty mellow by comparison, so I can’t complain. Each train’s arrival is announced through a PA system audible throughout the entire subway station. A countdown for the next 3 trains is also displayed on flatscreen monitors. This information proves to be quite useful for people who carefully time their departures…and even more useful for anyone who is running late. The audible announcements often cause people to run down large flights of stairs to catch the arriving train. But most people maintain a brisk walking pace…I assume the general mindset is that everyone just wants to get where they’re going. They aren’t rushed, but they don’t want to doddle.

Finding a seat on the train in the morning is close to impossible. Most people find a good place to stand in the space by the doors. I try to lean against the corner between the door and the seats…that’s my 2^nd favorite riding spot. My first favorite is, of course, sitting down. People are usually respectful and courteous. They give up their seat for elderly people, pregnant women, and anyone who is handicapped. Sometimes people push to get on or off, but I would push too if the other option was to miss my stop!

After 10 stops on Line 4 (lasting about 25 minutes) I get off at Century Avenue. (it’s just a coincidence that two of my three stops have English names.) From there, I hike the stairs to the lobby of the station and make my way over to Line 2 – the green line. (Most people cram their way onto the escalators…but since my exercise regiment here is minimal, I opt to take the stairs in a desperate attempt to burn a few calories.)

Line 2 is a completely different experience. It is one of the main subway lines that goes into the city, so you can imagine the masses I encounter at rush hour times. Whatever you’re picturing is probably accurate. I make my way through hoards of people, down another set of stairs to the loading dock for Line 2. I was amazed the first day I took this train at the (seemingly) voluntary organization of these crowds. People will make two lines per doorway on the dock…(is it even called a dock? I’m going to call it a dock.) and they will wait in line, standing single-file, for everyone to exit the train, then they will file in and literally cram themselves into the car. I try to be one of the last people on the train because I only ride Line 2 for two stops. Since I’m the inconvenient height of 5’2”…I often find myself eating people’s hair as I stand in this crammed space.

Upon my arrival at Lujiazui, I exit the station and join the flowing river of people pouring out into Pudong, the heart of downtown Shanghai. I walk another two blocks to my fancy shmancy office building & that’s it!

[now reverse that order and cut the number of commuters in half, and that’s my ride home]

I’ve learned a few things in my 2 weeks of subway-riding experience:

1. The occupancy of the cars follow somewhat of a bell-curve pattern. Naturally, there are more people who ride in the cars in the middle, closest to the escalator and stairway. If you walk to either end of the train, the cars tend to be less crowded which makes for a notably more comfortable ride. (at peak rush hour times there is not a huge difference, but it’s still somewhat true.)

2. I have taken a few taxis since I’ve been here, and with the amount of traffic on the roads (at all times of the day) you can easily double your commuting time…even if you include walking to and from the station. Not to mention it costs about 4 RMB each time you use the subway, and taxis start at 12 RMB. By taxi, you will easily end up owing 30 or 40 RMB…especially during peak traffic hours. [US $1 = 6.8 RMB]

2. 3. The floors at the station are shiny and always clean. They are also dangerously slick when they’re wet. Did I mention that it is the rainy season right now? Well, it is. And the floors are always wet. So tread cautiously…I’ve already fallen on my butt. Twice.

That’s all folks!

Next time: Grocery Shopping!