AUGUST 21, 2007
Our Tai Chi group (the class with the expert instructor) decided that we'd treat Luo Shu to a lunch at a nice restaurant in order to thank him for all his efforts on our behalf. Toni recommended Din Tai Fung which is very well known in Shanghai for it's dumplings (or "boadze" meaning anything that is bundled up, or a stuffed thing). I had my doubts that feeding Luo Shu would be a big treat for him .... the man is 5'3" and probably weighs 85 pounds. I wondered aloud if he ate anything beyond lettuce, but having heard so much about Din Tai Fung (or "The Dumpling Place" as Toni referred to it), I was excited about trying it.
Din Tai Fung is actually a chain of restaurants. Toni claimed that the original was indeed the only 5 star restaurant in Shanghai (located on the Pudong side of the Huang Pu river), and typically has a line around the block to get inside for lunch or dinner. But the Din Tai Fung nearest our compound is actually just a few blocks away, and is much more accessible. Phil Hu very graciously made our reservation, and also offered up his car and driver for service (it's STILL bloody hot here!!).
I will say that Luo Shu cleans up rather nicely. He appeared in khaki slacks and a handsome pink polo shirt which set off his black hair and tanned skin quite nicely. Phil did all the ordering for the table, and I think he may have been worried about a famine or something. I'm quite sure that he ordered everything on the menu and two of a couple of things.
The vegetable dishes were presented first ... sliced cucumber with a bit of marinade, pickled tripe sliced in very delicate, wafer-thin pieces, various leafy spinach like greens and asparagus all either lightly steamed or again marinated. And again, the cold, soy drenched chicken (with the bones) like we had at Morning Shanghai. This seems to be a traditional favorite in Shanghai.
Eventually, the dumplings started coming out in big stacks of wicker baskets used for steaming the "boadze." Stuffings were seafoods, meats, vegetables, and various combinations of each of these things. There was soy sauce and soy vinegar for dipping, and very thin slices of ginger with which to spice the sauces. Also, a big pile of fried rice showed up. Beverages were jasmine and chrysanthemum tea. Really excellent!! I will be dragging Randy there soon as another phenomenal meal was consumed.
We had several serious discussions about the "proper" way to hold chopsticks (as most of the expats are still new to this skill), and eventually a big laugh when Luo Shu used one chopstick to stab a hunk of cucumber just to prove that however you manage to get the food to your mouth, it's really OK.
Phil had his camera handy and we took photos to document the event. After dinner, Toni, Suely, Johanna, and I decided to stroll down Shuicheng street instead of riding in the car. It was nice having some female companionship, but being the oldest of the group, I was really feeling the heat about halfway back to the apartment complex. I can understand why the locals don't seem to move too fast in this weather .... I was thoroughly wet and exhausted by the time we returned.
When we arrived at the complex, the Yanlord staff was busy setting up a stage and lighting for a special event for the next evening in the plaza. Suely, who is fluent in Mandarin AND can read and write, said that the signage displayed the information for a summer dance to be held in the plaza of our complex on Saturday evening. It was decided that we'd each bring our husbands, a bottle of wine, and a couple of glasses, and meet there for the festivities. I also decided to call our friends, John and Nicole, who are an American couple that we'd recently met here in the complex.
When we arrived at the dance, the staff had set up some tables and chairs, and a small (about 8 instruments) band was tuning up. I was really tickled when their first number happened to be "The Beer Barrell Polka." Talk about homesick .... all I could think was, "Where is my dad when I need him?" He is my favorite polka partner. None of the Chinese folks seemed willing to attempt a polka, so we just enjoyed the Asian rendition of a German favorite. The band easily transitioned from polka to waltz, and quite a number of Chinese couples showed their talents in ballroom dancing. Apparently dancing is a favorite Chinese pastime. I've been told that most of the public parks in Shanghai are filled with music and dancing on Saturday evenings.
Toni and Simon, along with their three children, kept us company, as well as Johanna and her husband, Juha (pronounced YOO-ha), and their two kids. In fact, the entire Finnish contingent seemed to have arrived. It was interesting listening to their hard, clipped syllables in stark contrast to the wide, yawning Mandarin spoken all around us. It seemed everyone had a camera, and there was even a video camera rolling. These are the moments when I sometimes think that some of these local folks have never seen a non-Asian person. We must have had our photo snapped a hundred times.
Soon, one of the staff told Toni that she simply MUST take her friends out onto the dance floor. She thought she would outsmart him by asking for music that was, no doubt, not available. When the band was not playing, CD's were utilized for dance music, so she told them she simply couldn't dance unless they played ABBA. Not more than a few minutes passed when, lo and behold, the strains of "Mamma Mia" soon reverberated through the plaza. Well, we couldn't exactly go back on our word, so out we went to the dance floor (only the women, of course ... the men hadn't NEARLY enough to drink to move their bodies in THAT direction).
I think had a few moments of fantasizing that I was on the red carpet at the Academy Awards .... every camera within three city blocks of us was flashing furiously, and the video camera was right in our faces!! They couldn't get enough of us. I told Toni that we need to ask for royalties ... I'm certain that our likeness is going to appear in brochures and marketing videos lauding the festivities of the Yanlord and the attendance of the expats (to whom they direct their marketing). Oh well. It sure seemed to give them their jollies for the day!!
John and Nicole showed up eventually, and we made a date for dinner Monday evening at a hot pot restaurant they liked. Little Sheep is a chain of hot pot restaurants that, according to Phil Hu, originated in the USA, but has recently found it's way to China. Hot pot is a very popular way of Asian cooking that Randy and I had not yet attempted. We'd seen folks hovering over steaming pots and picking out delectable morsels from the wonderful smelling broths through the windows as we passed by on the street, but had been intimidated by the possibility of the language barrier previously.
The four of us were seated at a second floor window looking out over the street. The center of the table held a gas burner upon which a large, divided metal pot was placed. One side of the pot held a chicken broth steeped with herbs, spices, and various roots. The other side was similar except for the fact that it was reddened with chopped hot chilies. Both sides smelled fantastic!!
Nicole did the ordering for us as she was the experienced consumer in this case. We ordered various meats, seafoods, and veggies that were served to us raw and sliced paper thin .... beef, lamb, chicken, shrimp, lotus root, at least three kinds of mushrooms and fungi, cabbages, and other leafy greens. These were brought to our table on platters as the pots began to boil. We began to place these items on each side of the hot pot, and they cooked very quickly in the boiling broth. Then we simply used our chopsticks to fish out the delicious bites from the mild or spicy soup. It was really yummy!! Not that we didn't thoroughly enjoy ourselves, but we all agreed that this was the PERFECT thing to do on a cold, winter's day in January or February.
It was lovely getting to know John and Nicole, and having some time with other Americans was a nice treat too. We all agreed that we'd keep in touch and plan other adventures together soon.
Din Tai Fung is actually a chain of restaurants. Toni claimed that the original was indeed the only 5 star restaurant in Shanghai (located on the Pudong side of the Huang Pu river), and typically has a line around the block to get inside for lunch or dinner. But the Din Tai Fung nearest our compound is actually just a few blocks away, and is much more accessible. Phil Hu very graciously made our reservation, and also offered up his car and driver for service (it's STILL bloody hot here!!).
I will say that Luo Shu cleans up rather nicely. He appeared in khaki slacks and a handsome pink polo shirt which set off his black hair and tanned skin quite nicely. Phil did all the ordering for the table, and I think he may have been worried about a famine or something. I'm quite sure that he ordered everything on the menu and two of a couple of things.
The vegetable dishes were presented first ... sliced cucumber with a bit of marinade, pickled tripe sliced in very delicate, wafer-thin pieces, various leafy spinach like greens and asparagus all either lightly steamed or again marinated. And again, the cold, soy drenched chicken (with the bones) like we had at Morning Shanghai. This seems to be a traditional favorite in Shanghai.
Eventually, the dumplings started coming out in big stacks of wicker baskets used for steaming the "boadze." Stuffings were seafoods, meats, vegetables, and various combinations of each of these things. There was soy sauce and soy vinegar for dipping, and very thin slices of ginger with which to spice the sauces. Also, a big pile of fried rice showed up. Beverages were jasmine and chrysanthemum tea. Really excellent!! I will be dragging Randy there soon as another phenomenal meal was consumed.
We had several serious discussions about the "proper" way to hold chopsticks (as most of the expats are still new to this skill), and eventually a big laugh when Luo Shu used one chopstick to stab a hunk of cucumber just to prove that however you manage to get the food to your mouth, it's really OK.
Phil had his camera handy and we took photos to document the event. After dinner, Toni, Suely, Johanna, and I decided to stroll down Shuicheng street instead of riding in the car. It was nice having some female companionship, but being the oldest of the group, I was really feeling the heat about halfway back to the apartment complex. I can understand why the locals don't seem to move too fast in this weather .... I was thoroughly wet and exhausted by the time we returned.
When we arrived at the complex, the Yanlord staff was busy setting up a stage and lighting for a special event for the next evening in the plaza. Suely, who is fluent in Mandarin AND can read and write, said that the signage displayed the information for a summer dance to be held in the plaza of our complex on Saturday evening. It was decided that we'd each bring our husbands, a bottle of wine, and a couple of glasses, and meet there for the festivities. I also decided to call our friends, John and Nicole, who are an American couple that we'd recently met here in the complex.
When we arrived at the dance, the staff had set up some tables and chairs, and a small (about 8 instruments) band was tuning up. I was really tickled when their first number happened to be "The Beer Barrell Polka." Talk about homesick .... all I could think was, "Where is my dad when I need him?" He is my favorite polka partner. None of the Chinese folks seemed willing to attempt a polka, so we just enjoyed the Asian rendition of a German favorite. The band easily transitioned from polka to waltz, and quite a number of Chinese couples showed their talents in ballroom dancing. Apparently dancing is a favorite Chinese pastime. I've been told that most of the public parks in Shanghai are filled with music and dancing on Saturday evenings.
Toni and Simon, along with their three children, kept us company, as well as Johanna and her husband, Juha (pronounced YOO-ha), and their two kids. In fact, the entire Finnish contingent seemed to have arrived. It was interesting listening to their hard, clipped syllables in stark contrast to the wide, yawning Mandarin spoken all around us. It seemed everyone had a camera, and there was even a video camera rolling. These are the moments when I sometimes think that some of these local folks have never seen a non-Asian person. We must have had our photo snapped a hundred times.
Soon, one of the staff told Toni that she simply MUST take her friends out onto the dance floor. She thought she would outsmart him by asking for music that was, no doubt, not available. When the band was not playing, CD's were utilized for dance music, so she told them she simply couldn't dance unless they played ABBA. Not more than a few minutes passed when, lo and behold, the strains of "Mamma Mia" soon reverberated through the plaza. Well, we couldn't exactly go back on our word, so out we went to the dance floor (only the women, of course ... the men hadn't NEARLY enough to drink to move their bodies in THAT direction).
I think had a few moments of fantasizing that I was on the red carpet at the Academy Awards .... every camera within three city blocks of us was flashing furiously, and the video camera was right in our faces!! They couldn't get enough of us. I told Toni that we need to ask for royalties ... I'm certain that our likeness is going to appear in brochures and marketing videos lauding the festivities of the Yanlord and the attendance of the expats (to whom they direct their marketing). Oh well. It sure seemed to give them their jollies for the day!!
John and Nicole showed up eventually, and we made a date for dinner Monday evening at a hot pot restaurant they liked. Little Sheep is a chain of hot pot restaurants that, according to Phil Hu, originated in the USA, but has recently found it's way to China. Hot pot is a very popular way of Asian cooking that Randy and I had not yet attempted. We'd seen folks hovering over steaming pots and picking out delectable morsels from the wonderful smelling broths through the windows as we passed by on the street, but had been intimidated by the possibility of the language barrier previously.
The four of us were seated at a second floor window looking out over the street. The center of the table held a gas burner upon which a large, divided metal pot was placed. One side of the pot held a chicken broth steeped with herbs, spices, and various roots. The other side was similar except for the fact that it was reddened with chopped hot chilies. Both sides smelled fantastic!!
Nicole did the ordering for us as she was the experienced consumer in this case. We ordered various meats, seafoods, and veggies that were served to us raw and sliced paper thin .... beef, lamb, chicken, shrimp, lotus root, at least three kinds of mushrooms and fungi, cabbages, and other leafy greens. These were brought to our table on platters as the pots began to boil. We began to place these items on each side of the hot pot, and they cooked very quickly in the boiling broth. Then we simply used our chopsticks to fish out the delicious bites from the mild or spicy soup. It was really yummy!! Not that we didn't thoroughly enjoy ourselves, but we all agreed that this was the PERFECT thing to do on a cold, winter's day in January or February.
It was lovely getting to know John and Nicole, and having some time with other Americans was a nice treat too. We all agreed that we'd keep in touch and plan other adventures together soon.
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
10:39 PM
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