Shanghai Junk

Thursday, January 14, 2010

JANUARY 15, 2010

Last weekend, we made arrangements with the recently returned Larry & Therese to meet for lunch and then a trip to the Fabric Market. We decided to include our friend, Tom, as well who is "batching it" while Mimi finishes her holiday vacation in Texas. We agreed to meet at Pier 39 for what is known to be the "best clam chowder in Shanghai" which is served in a giant bread bowl. Sounded good on a cold winter's Saturday.

Randy and I decided to take the subway to Jing An Temple station and walk the remainder of the distance to Pier 39 as is our habit when we can ascertain where an establishment is located from the nearest subway stop. As we were waiting for the train to arrive at our station here on Weining Lu, we noticed one of Shanghai's more "finely" dressed women waiting there too. The style on the street lately is rather unique (and maybe this is what everyone is wearing in other parts of the world but we just haven't read the latest fashion mags) .... leather hip boots (or else those ugly Ugh boots ... I hate those things .... they look like over sized slippers to me) with either hot pants or a very short skirt, dark tights, a puffy, quilted jacket (usually metallic or at the very least, VERY shiny), and a garish hat and bag (the more garish, the better). OK, maybe we're getting old but we do stifle a giggle or two sometimes about what passes for fashion in this city .... it's usually a Chinese twist on something that might indeed be straight off the runways of Milan. We don't know, obviously. But it's a good source of entertainment.

Anyway, this particular gal had the requisite "uniform" of the day ... black leather hip boots, tights, short skirt, I think her jacket might have been fake fur. But the thing that really caught our eye was her shoulder bag. It appeared to made out of a dog!!! No lie ... the bag portion looked just like a medium sized Pekingese with the legs lopped off. But the REALLY disturbing thing about it was that the flap closure of the shoulder bag was actually the DOG'S HEAD!!!! When I decided that my eyes were not literally going to pop out of my head, I started to laugh. And then I couldn't stop laughing (having what our friends Judy and Neal call a "tut" attack). We really chuckled as we speculated about the possibilities on the theme of the "doggy bag." A Chihuahua would make a lovely wallet, a Bull Mastiff could be a very handy piece of luggage!! If you can't bring yourself to completely dispose of dear, old Spot, he could certainly become your next accessory to be cherished for a lifetime (or until Vogue decides that that particular fashion statement is now "out")!! Oh, gosh ... PETA would have a field day with this situation!!!!

Well, we shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. After all, this is the country that has an actual "dog" exhibit at the zoo (living ones, not stuffed). And we won't even go into the culinary possibilities! Yikes!!

Pier 39 turned out to be a VERY small cafe (I think we have closets bigger than this place) where the clam chowder was pretty good but not stupendous. Randy and I later commented that it does seem a waste in this day and age where people are starving to death to throw out an entire loaf of bread after you eat the soup it once contained. And maybe the point is that you would eat the bowl yourself but none of us did.

Tom begged out of the Fabric Market for a conference call but promised to join us later for dinner at a destination that had yet to be decided. We agreed to call him. So we piled into Larry & Therese's van to head to Luijiabang to the Fabric Market. Mr. Ji remembered us and we exchanged, "Ni hao's."

I guess I hadn't been to the Fabric Market on the weekend much because it was crazy busy and jammed with people. I had a remote idea of where we wanted to go because we'd ordered a cashmere coat for Randy there a couple of years ago (has it been THAT long?). Larry & Therese had a particular vendor in mind for some jackets for Larry so we temporarily parted company for our particular stalls. Randy and I found the cashmere vendor and I picked out a charcoal grey trench coat to be made for me. Got measured, paid a deposit, and went off in search of L & T.

We had fun at L & T's vendor where Larry was trying to decide upon a coat for himself. I'd seen a color that I thought would look terrific on him (sort of maple syrup-ish) as Larry is a blue-eyed, redhead. He tried on the sample coat in that fabric and we started telling him how great he looked. We decided that color should be dubbed "cinnamon." Larry ordered his coat, and we wandered out sort of window shopping at that point.

Randy had twice gone over to a shop where they specialized in leather goods. They did indeed have some beautiful leather coats and jackets. We were speculating about the source of the leather as it was absolutely "buttery" in terms of the texture. We were informed that this was lambs leather. I tried not to think too much about that. Larry and Therese started trying on jackets. I wasn't all that interested until I spotted a matte silver leather bomber-type jacket displayed in the corner. I decided I'd try it on just for grins. The proprietor slipped the jacket over my shoulders and it actually fit pretty well. I turned around to face Larry and Randy who were watching me from the opening of the store. They both were staring at me with jaws agape. Randy told me to turn around. I did. Larry told me to turn around again ... slowly. I did. I have to say that I was very much enjoying this moment. I don't think a man has looked at me like that since I was 28 (a very long time ago)!! Finally, Therese said, "You absolutely MUST have that jacket ... it was MADE for you!!" Well, we hadn't planned to spend that money but I glanced at Randy and he was nodding approvingly. By the time we left the leather stall, Larry, Therese, and I had all ordered jackets (our apologies to PETA again). And Randy, the guy who'd started it all by wandering over there in the first place, decided he really didn't want one.

I have to say that this is one of the nicer features of living in Shanghai ... the Fabric Market. You can get anything made, tailored to fit YOUR body perfectly, for VERY reasonable prices. I have taken items that I particularly liked from the states there to be copied in other fabrics. They normally do a very nice job. Randy has mentioned taking some blazers there when we go back to pick up our orders to have them taken in because of his weight loss since we've been in China (around 20 pounds). And we've also thought about having some Chinese specialty items made for us before we move back to the states. Maybe a mandarin dress or jacket for me, and a mandarin jacket for Randy ... just some mementos of our stay in the Orient.

After drinks and cards with Larry and Therese at their place, the four of us met Tom at Element Fresh for some dinner. After dinner, we walked across to the Hard Day's Night bar, a Beatles-themed establishment that had a pretty decent band playing, and had a few drinks. Mimi returns this week and we'll all be meeting again for dinner on Saturday evening as Larry and Therese have guests coming into town and want to show them a traditional Chinese dinner. So the destination is South Beauty on the Bund.

Tonight, we are scheduled for dinner at 1221 with our dear Australian friends, Michael and Ali. After 16 years in China, Ali has decided that she needs to spend more time at home with her kids and grandkids. So Michael has taken a studio apartment here in Shanghai, and Ali has shipped home most of their furniture to a larger apartment in Sydney where they will do the "long distance" relationship for the foreseeable future as Michael's work will not allow him to leave Shanghai. I'm sure they will both be back and forth as often as finances allow. Ali leaves this Sunday, and as she is the first good friend that I made in Shanghai (and you may remember, mother of Ralphy, my sweet doggy companion), I am saddened by her departure. But Randy and I certainly understand missing home, and friends and family there. We wish her and Mike all the best and hope with our entire hearts that this works out for them.

Just a final thought about the current events of this week ... the Haiti earthquake. What a tremendous tragedy! Randy and I have been somewhat glued to the TV this week watching the events unfold. Of course, this brought back all the memories of my very scary experience during the Sichuan earthquake in May of 2008. But of course, my fright pales in comparison to what these folks must be going through. No one is less prepared for a catastrophe than the people of Haiti who have not only dealt with unsettled governments, poverty, and devastating hurricanes in the last few years, but now this. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti. Angelie would say, "Keep thinking good thought .... good will come."

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