MARCH 22, 2007

Randy and I decided to get a famous Chinese massage. They are BIG into massage here (I even received a lovely head and neck massage when I got a shampoo and haircut that lasted about 15 minutes), and there are several spas in every street block, although one must be careful. There are massage parlors, and there are "massage parlors," if you know what I mean. We laugh about the places we pass on the street called, SHAMPOO & LEISURE. There will be a handful of girls in very short skirts and dresses sitting in the front window waiting for you to come in and make your choice. We wonder what kind of shampoo you receive in there (well, OK ... we don't wonder THAT much)!

Anyway, I digress. Our relocation service recommended a place called Dragonfly. Dragonfly is a chain of businesses that seem to cater to expats offering several types of massage (body and foot, aromatherapy, Chinese and Japanese), manicures, pedicures, waxing, and various types of legitimate service like that. The Dragonfly ads in magazines and newspapers are quite distinctive. They will have in big bold letters right across the top of the ad "NO SEX, NO FOOD, JUST MASSAGE." Gets the message across pretty well, I'd say. We'd heard that they offer "couples" massages there and that appealed to us, so I made an appointment.

The Dragonfly nearest us is located on Hong Mei Lu which is our favorite restaurant neighborhood, so Randy came home from work early and we took off on foot to locate Dragonfly. In Shanghai, there are many smaller alleys off the main streets on which many business will be located all utilizing the same address but different villa numbers. Dragonfly shared a cobblestone alley with four restaurants (Indian, Thai, Mexican, and Spanish). Since we were early for our massage, we decided to try the Spanish place for a pre-massage drink. It helped that the owner was out front and personally invited us in. Seems that Micasa is a brand new restaurant and the owner (a Brit) charmed us bit with his invitation. We had a beer and perused the menu which looked quite intriguing. We made mental notes to try Micasa soon.

Dragonfly has a really pleasant atmosphere, candles lit, soft music playing, smells great, and the staff does a good job of making you feel welcome. It helped that there was a German couple just arriving to get massages, so we felt we'd made the right choice. After making our choice of a traditional one-hour Chinese massage, we were escorted into a changing area where we were handed Chinese pajamas (there is probably an appropriate name for this, but I'm not aware of it), and straw flip flops. We changed into our pajamas and followed a woman up the candle-lit steps to the massage area. Along the way, I could see into a room where there was a row of large Lazy-Boy chairs where I assume the foot massages and pedicures are given.

The massages are administered right over the pajamas (which is nice for really modest folks). Randy and I were in the same room, but with a shear curtain between us. The masseuses seem to be well-trained and were certainly effective. Their trained hands found all the tense and tight spots, and worked their magic to relax and relieve sore muscles. Randy and I both found the massages very soothing.

Once the massage was finished, we were escorted back to the changing area. When we came out, we were greeted with a tray of steaming cups of hot tea. I have to say, they certainly know how to relax the customer. I slept better that night than I had in ages ... wonderful!!

We did try Micasa later that week, and were not disappointed. Micasa is a Spanish establishment, not to be confused with Mexican ... Spanish is not really spicy, and is more Mediterranian in nature. The owner remembered us and was very welcoming. Micasa not only has a great menu, but has a beautifully appointed dining area. The walls are peach and terra cotta, the tables are covered with linen, and the plush, upholstered chairs in sienna are comfy and inviting. There are large windows with huge stands of bamboo just outside creating quite an exotic atmosphere. Another great feature of this restaurant is the fact that they offer pitchers of any mixed drink on the menu for a discount. Randy and I enjoyed crab cakes, mushroom soup, and a delightful Paella for dinner, and immediately declared that we'd be returning soon!

Randy's boss, Carrie, was in town for about 10 days, and we celebrated St. Patrick's Day while she was here. Shanghai hosted the first annual St. Patrick's Day Parade this year, so we decided we'd go have a look-see. The parade took place in what is known as the Xintiandi, a large block of pedestrianized area with a host of lovely restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. The square was filled with folks getting ready for the parade. There were balloons, men on stilts, face painting, Irish music blaring, and of course, LOTS of green apparel. I looked for someone with bagpipes but they never materialized. There was a marching band that led the parade through a large arch of green and white balloons. There parade took no more than 10 minutes to pass us by, and I dare say that there were more people IN the parade than were spectators, but it was fun. Obviously something to build on in the future. I heard that there are currently approximately 300 Irish expats in Shanghai.

After the parade, we took a walking tour of the area surrounding the Xintiandi into some of the more local shopping areas. These areas are quite fun to stroll even though one must steel themselves against all the hawking of the wares ("Hello ... watch? Hello ... DVD?"). I'm convinced that the only English that some of these folks know is "Hello." But part of the fun is the fact that one can negotiate for anything. The vendor will offer you a price by pecking out the number of RMB being asked into a calculator. Then they will hand you the calculator for a counter offer, and the bargaining begins. Typically, one can expect to pay half to two-thirds the asking price for a product.

We wandered into an area known as Old Shanghai which is an area of traditional Shanghai buildings and temples converted into shops and restaurants (mostly tourist stuff), but we are realizing that some of the more touristy areas should be avoided on the weekends. It was SO crowded that we could hardly move. We'd planned for a late lunch there, but instead grabbed a taxi back to Xintiandi where we knew we could sit down for a relaxing lunch.

We're told by the Chinese that everyone shops on the weekend, and I believe that is true, at least in Shanghai. Shanghai as a city seems to be a teenager with a brand new credit card, metaphorically speaking. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to buy new, flashy things in order to prove that they now seem to be earning some expendable income. Of course, after many years of poverty, many of these folks are very excited about being able to have clothes, cars, and the trappings of "wealth," as well they should be. This is one of the reasons that they seem to be so interested in Americans and what they are purchasing. I have had locals push their faces right into my hands to get a look at what I am purchasing in a store. Westerners in general, and especially Americans, are perceived as extremely wealthy and, as such, are often expected to pay a premium on goods and services. We try not to dicker too much about this premium as quite often, the price is usually still a bargain. For example, yesterday I purchased cabbages, onions, carrots, apples, strawberries, and bananas all for around $5 total from the open air market across the street from our apartment complex. I don't dicker with these folks. They are coming with their wares from somewhere out in the countryside on a daily basis (no weekends off) to try to earn a few RMB for their home grown produce. It's a great deal even at the asking price, and I feel good about attempting to contribute to the burgeoning economy here.

Having said that, we Americans seems to be getting a bad rap from other expats about the practice of tipping. Apparently, before so many American expats arrived on the scene, tipping was a rare occurrence in Shanghai, and indeed, China in general. We do notice that, for the most part, tipping is not expected. And maybe it's a cultural thing, but I guess we feel compelled to tip for exceptional service, so we do. Randy and I often check an expat website that has some good information available, and we've noticed lately that the chat has been that the Americans are ruining Shanghai for the rest of the expats. Americans are a little late on the economic scene here in Shanghai, and the other expats (mostly European) have enjoyed many years of the no tipping situation. Now they are complaining a bit about our practice of tipping and how it may be becoming expected of them too. Not sure what to make of that. I doubt that we will change our habit because we do feel that most of these service employees are earning a pittance and are very grateful for whatever extra they can acquire. There's also that adage "you get what you pay for" to be considered as well.

MARCH 14, 2007

I have been debating what to write about next. I think the thing I chat about the most with the family is the food. I have to say that in Shanghai, anything and everything is available. There are restaurants for every nationality imaginable, and some I HADN'T imagined (Iranian, anyone?).

We have experienced Italian, German, French, Indian, Spanish, Mexican, Thai, American (including Texas BBQ) and of course, Chinese. Of course, Chinese can come in any number of specialties ... Hong Kong, Szechuan, Cantonese, Taiwan, and even Shanghai has it's own specialty. I can't say that I could tell the difference yet, but maybe with time. The problem is that most of the Chinese restaurants do not have any English on the menu, and we haven't been brave enough to simply go in, sit down, and point at something on the menu. But walking down the street, we can see folks in restaurants poking around with chopsticks in huge, steaming pots on their tables ... it looks and smells delicious. We should get one of our Chinese acquaintances to go with us sometime and help us out.

But the really interesting stuff is sold right out on the street. Every block in suburban Shanghai includes lots of street vendors cooking and selling all kinds of things to eat right outside. Many of them have a couple of tables, sometimes just benches, out on the sidewalk where folks are seated slurping noodles and fishing dumplings out of bowls of broth. But lots of them just sell out of a store front and you simply take it with away with you.

There is the aforementioned mystery meat on a stick, but we are also discovering that there are all kinds of food on a stick ... candied fruit (pineapple, strawberries, plums, and mandarin orange sections dipped in some kind of surgery glaze), various veggie "kabob" type things (mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc.) that all look interesting. There are even vendors where you can make up your own kabobs with selections out of baskets, and they will grill it for you right on the spot.

There are also various bread type novelties available ... things that look like pizza crust, bagels, and various other buns that may or may not have things stuffed inside of them. Sometimes these things are "baked" right on top of 55 gallon drums that have a charcoal fire burning inside of them.

Other treats available are sweet potatoes (again cooked inside the big drum) that smell just fantastic, peanuts, corn on the cob to name a few. There are also popcorn vendors selling large paper bags of popcorn straight from a popper that is being cranked by hand. The popcorn in China is quite often sweet, but not sweet like caramel corn. I am not sure if the oil is sweetened or if they put powered sugar on it or what, but you can smell the sweetness when you pass it on the street. We had a friend tell us about ordering popcorn in a bar here, and he took a handful and was quite surprised that it tasted sweet, not salty. Not good with beer. You can get salty popcorn here though, as we found in a German bar that we have frequented. They asked us our preference.

The other day, we were on our way to a Spanish restaurant we wanted to try, and there was a huge crowd of people around a fellow selling cotton candy. That was the first time I'd seen that here. There were all kinds of folks walking around that block with huge clouds of the puffy stuff on a cone. They were going crazy for it! It is almost a carnival atmosphere at times. People walk down the street with a sweet potato or cob of corn wrapped in aluminum foil munching away. Combine that with the vendors selling pirated DVD's, Rolex watches, Gucci bags with the folks walking their dogs in designer sweaters ... well, you get the picture, and it's a pretty funny one!

We are finding that, regarding shopping for food and groceries, almost anything is available, but sometimes for a price. The only cereal made in China is corn flakes (and they're good corn flakes ... just like Kellogg), but one gets a little tired of corn flakes after a while. They have a lot of American cereals available, but they are around $9 or $10 per box. You gotta want cereal real bad for that price. We haven't caved in on that yet. We can get Quaker Oats, and good bread for toast, eggs, and bacon (although we got something called mala bacon last week and it was REALLY hot and spicy ... not good), so breakfast isn't really a problem. There are also croissants and muffins available in the many bakeries in our neighborhood. Of course, there is a Starbucks on every corner too.

Probably the toughest thing is finding meat that is somewhat familiar. Chicken can still have head and feet still attached. Pork is OK, and we've gotten some lovely pork loins lately. Beef is scarce and pricey. Last weekend, we found a German butcher shop located on the second floor of the Sheraton a few blocks away (not sure why they put it there, but oh well). Lots of really nice looking sausages, meats and cheeses, and the prices weren't too bad. We'll be going back there for sure. Many groceries stores have live fish and shellfish available (eels were on special at the Jiadeli last week) which are killed and cleaned on the spot. You can't get fresher than that unless you catch them yourself.

As you can see, eating is an adventure in Shanghai. We'll continue to report as we experience more interesting cuisine. Cheers!

MARCH 5, 2007

Greetings all. After having promised more frequent blog entries, I am sorry to say that I ran into numerous problems since the last post. The first being that the new laptop, while lovely in most every way, is having issues connecting to our broadband connection in our Shanghai apartment. I have had 'hit and miss' connections with the wireless, but one never knows when she will be kicked off line with the wireless. Also, upon attempting to create a new list of 'favorites,' my 'create-a-post' URL updated to all Chinese characters. I'm sure this is Google's way of making things more convenient (by detecting that I was connecting from China therefore automatically updating me to Chinese ... thanks, Google!!). It took some doing, and some help from Randy, but I found the place to change the language, and I think we're back in business. I know ... I'll quit whining now. It is easy to become a whiner here. The simplest things become complicated due to the language barrier. One must be quite tenacious to accomplish anything (and also very brave at times!).

The remainder of our stay in Scotland passed uneventfully, but the return home was fairly ugly, punctuated by a four-hour delay (sitting in the plane) for repairs after a three hour layover in Amsterdam. Then, of course, a 9 hour flight to Shanghai, an hour in customs and luggage pick up, then an hour to find Shao, our driver, just prior to an hour drive to our apartment. The airport in Shanghai was a nightmare. Apparently everyone was returning just then after their New Year holiday. Traffic snarls that make Atlanta look like a drive in the park. This was a week ago, and I dare say that I am just barely adjusted to the Shanghai time schedule. This old body doesn't bounce back from jet lag the way it used to .... sigh!

The New Year celebration continued for another week. Moderate firework displays every night and still lots of decorations and lights. On Saturday, Randy and I were watching CNN (our only source for news in English) with our morning coffee when we heard music coming from behind our apartment. We went to the small utility patio off the kitchen and looked outside. The entire courtyard was filled with people in brightly colored costumes dancing, playing various instruments, waving banners and lanterns. Some were in pig costume (Year of the Pig), and the music sounded very Oriental with crashing percussion (think trash can lids being banged together loudly). It was all very festive!! We wished we'd known sooner but we were still in PJ's so we watched from the patio. Randy took a few photos. There probably were announcements posted in the complex, but in Chinese of course, so we hadn't a clue.

Saturday, we took the subway to Nanjing Road which is a pedestrianized shopping district that is quite popular in city centre near the Bund (an historic riverwalk). It was something to see ... very crowded and colorful. Many different shops and malls, street vendors, little trains carrying parents and kids going from one end to the other. It's probably a mile long, and some of the malls are 4 or 5 stories tall. Every few feet, we were approached by someone wanting to sell us a Rolex (knock off) or a designer purse or wallet. Several young people wanted to pull us into their 'art gallery' to see their exhibit, but surely there is something (or someone) for sale, or a pitch made for a donation. We are getting quite good at saying, "Bu yao (Don't want.)." We went into a chopstick store (that's right ... nothing but chopsticks and chopstick rests) which was really fun. I never knew all the materials that can be used for producing chopsticks ... wood, metal, porcelain, ebony, mahogany, ivory, jade ... you name it, they can make chopsticks out of it. Some of them were quite beautiful ... almost like jewelry or artwork. We treated ourselves to some Haagen-Daz ice cream from a little cafe near there, and listened to a man playing love songs on a saxophone from a nearby balcony.

We fought the crowd the remainder of Nanjing Road all the way down to the Bund and walked along the river a bit (it was not quite as crowded there). It was a warm, grey day (upper 60's), but the breeze coming off the river was cooler so there weren't as many folks there. The river was full of barges, junks, and tugboats which we watched pass by for a bit. There was a barge that had this GIGANTIC TV screen mounted on it (think drive-in theater size and add several feet on each side). There were brightly colored advertisements playing on the screen while the barge slowly moved along the riverwalk taking advantage of the large audience. We laughed about this being the Chinese version of a plane pulling a banner over a large crowd for advertising. I've never seen this elsewhere, so of course, we thought, "Only in China!"

On a whim, we decided to call our friend, Cathy, who is Chinese and lives here in Shanghai. Cathy had escorted Randy and his boss, Carrie, back in December on a walking tour of these same areas. We made a date for dinner that evening at a BBQ place that we thought would be fun. It was called Bubba's Texas Roadhouse, so we imagined a large place with hardwood floors, ten gallon hats, and great steaks on the menu. Not so. It was small, VERY loud country music playing (so loud it was hard to converse), and a menu of mostly bbq sandwiches and fried appetizers. Somewhat disappointing ... we had our mouths all set for a big, juicy steak. But this was my first time meeting Cathy, and it was great getting to know her. Her English is excellent, and she was full of great advice (such as, next time, let's go to the terrific Chinese restaurant right next door to Bubba's ... we heartily agreed).

Sunday, Randy was scheduled to play 'old man football' (flag football) with some Delphi fellows, but the day dawned cold and rainy ... NOT a good day for doing anything outside. So we stayed home and Randy made chicken soup which really hit the spot on a cold day. Later after dark, we were treated to one of the most spectacular fireworks shows I've ever seen. Sunday was the last day of the New Year holiday (it apparently lasts two weeks). I'm not sure what it was like while we were in Scotland, but the locals may have saved the best for last. There were fireworks exploding in the air between every building that we could see from our patio for MILES! Pretty incredible ... and this went on for HOURS!!! There would be barrages that were larger and flashier than others, and we noticed that, after some of the more flamboyant displays, many of the folks in the taller apartment buildings would then flash their lights in their apartments to show their approval, adding even more spectacle to the scene. Of course, with all the incredible lights that the Chinese mount on all their larger buildings, and I have to say that it was something I'll never forget!! When it comes to lighting, the Chinese have Westerners beat by a mile.

OK, I'm currently waiting for someone to come over and get me connected to the broadband, so yes, I'm taking my chances on the wireless at this point. Keep your fingers crossed.