Earlier days: Wo Long Nu [1.0]
Later days: The Ting Bu Dong Diaries
Even later days: The Ting Bu Dong Diaries (continued)
(Please say you read that title with the understanding that it was preceded but a deep breath and accompanied by a falling hand motion and nod).
Click here to continue.
Like most people, I have a few modest aspirations in this life. One is to some day have the good fortune of entering Ben Bailey’s taxi in New York City: the elusive Cash Cab. For all I know the show will be canceled by the time I’m ever find myself in the Big Apple again (and as Ben announces at the beginning of every episode: there are over 13 million cabs in NYC– but only one that pays you), so I don’t have the highest of hopes of achieving this one, but I watched it enough this summer to feel as though I’ve almost really lived it.
Another of my goals is to collect an entire deck of playing cards individually on the streets of China. As you can see, I’m doing pretty well for myself (and yes, that’s full frontal on the four of hearts, and only half of the jack of clubs). I think I have a good chance at making this dream a reality.
A third (and little known) ambition of mine is to one day earn world renown for my undeniable and astounding athletic ability. I got one step closer to this on Thursday night when this little gem appeared in the NanHu Evening Post. Last Tuesday and Wednesday I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and, wait for it, go for a run. (For the record, that makes two more runs than I’ve taken in the past year or so.) On Wednesday I noticed a man on a bike snapping pictures when I was on one of the main streets, which sketched me out a bit. When I noticed him biking next to me a few minutes later I was even more sketched out until he mentioned, in English, that he was a reporter and asked my name and where I was from. Between gasps and wheezes I answered, then turned down a side street. 15 minutes later I ran into him again and he actually stopped me so I could write down my name. Sure enough, the next evening two of the Chinese ladies who work at the front desk came running giddily into our office with this page of the little local paper. I think the story translates roughly to, “BREAKING NEWS: AMERICANS DO KNOW WHAT EXERCISE IS; DISPLAY PIGEON-TOED TENDENCIES WHILE DOING IT.” Don’t worry– I haven’t let the fame go to my head. I’m still just a small-town girl at heart.
One of the reasons I feel I’m in need of a little exercise is because I have a love affair going on with some Breakfast Street confections, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to tip my metaphorical hat to jian bin, a crepe-like delicacy that has won my heart. The man who used to run the show disappeared after our National Day/Mid-Autumn holiday at the beginning of October, but a few weeks ago there was a lady to take his place. I think she used to be his apprentice of sorts (usually it’s a two-man effort; she’s the only one I’ve seen crack her own eggs and put in her own fillings) and at first wasn’t quite up to snuff but she’s improved. The price went from 2 yuan to 2.3 when she took over too… I tell you, inflation these days…
paper thin crepe layer
cilantro, chives, minced pickle things
mystery sauce of deliciousness
spicy sauce… the man who used to make them always remembered that i only wanted a little bit and would endearingly mimic my finger pinching gesture to indicate it
crunchy stuff
they do tag-team the bagging process still
finished product (though my camera seemed more intent upon focusing on the street)
chomp
The jian bin isn’t really the problem though. The problem is a bread whose Chinese name I still haven’t quite gotten down yet, so we all just know it affectionately as “onion bread.” And I don’t have a step by step rundown of how it’s made, because I don’t know, but I suspect it involves some combination of MSG and crack cocaine with a light dusting of angel tears because I think I’ve developed somewhat of a problem. In fact, now that I think about it, the news article probably read something more along the lines of “WHITE GIRL SEEN MAKING A DESPERATE BUT PROBABLY FUTILE ATTEMPT TO WORK OFF ALL THAT ONION BREAD, AND IT’S ABOUT TIME.”
This past week I’ve had a legitimate excuse though: our propane tank was empty. That’s right, our stove runs off of a propane tank, and we couldn’t get our empty one replaced for a week. So it was either instant noodles by way of our electric kettle or jian bin/onion bread for me. Ohhhhhh China…
the wind and rain are from heaven and earth
and even these do not last long
how much less so the efforts of man?
-tao te ching, v. 23
Oh, one last thing. I’ve managed to just about fill up my allotted 2000 megabytes for this blog, so I’m going to have to take my business elsewhere. I think this will be my last official post here (but of course I’ll post the link to the new one when it’s up and running)… It’s been real…
In a previous life I was a waitress slash bartender, and so found myself chatting with new people on a daily basis. The subject of China came up pretty frequently, and everyone had their two cents to contribute concerning my future plans. One conversation that stuck with me involved a man’s experience in a market. It was the first thing he mentioned when we began discussing China, and its atmosphere and oddities were something that had left a clear impression on him. Having seen some funky and interesting things in various European markets (and they’re, you know, civilized over there…), I could only imagine what was in store for me in China.
The Stranger from Siips made it seem like you couldn’t walk two steps over here without coming across some bizarre open air market, so I was a little surprised and disappointed that for the first few weeks of my stay here I was relying on TrustMart for my groceries. Julianne had shown us a small one by Breakfast Street early on, but it there was nothing too exciting about it. A week or two ago we hit the jackpot– there’s a massive one next to Moon River. It’s not exactly open-air because it’s the entire bottom floor of a building, but it still has that feel since the walls at either side stay open. And it has some real treats.
Oh, and this entry is a bit of a game too. I call it the “Spot the Sleeping Chinese People” game. Hint: There are nine. It’s… not creepy… right? I’ll start with an easy one.
not too concerned with the safekeeping of his cuts of meat, dried animal parts, and grains
the back half is all your normal stuff: stand upon stand of fruits and vegetables. not sure what merits one stand has over another; it all looks pretty much the same to me, so i kinda choose at random
however, it does help to be awake when a white girl wants some cucumbers
otherwise someone else will get your sale.
honk shoe
don’t get the wrong idea; i think this one’s just reading
pickle bar, chinese style
a lady with a big ol somethin-or-other
duo shao qian?
grindin something
begawk!
before
after (and there are chickens and ducks in BOTH of these pictures emilie!)
yeah, so before getting to all the normal fruits and veggies you gotta get past some less-conventional wares. this generally requires holding one’s breath for at least the first thirty seconds. chicken feet, anyone?
or perhaps some brains, heart, kidneys, or pig’s feet?
eh, it’s pretty chilly in there… i feel like it’s fine
grindin up some beef… or shall i say, ‘niu rou’
STOP! it’s ground enough.
xie xie! (oh, and it’s laura’s… for all you out there wondering if i’ve broken the veg yet)
eggy weggs!
little eels and man that tried talking to us
little eels and camoflauged sleeping person
big eels. yeah… the seafood stands are where things start getting real crazy.
bloody
gahhhhh get me outta here! crabs is feisty
one of these things is not like the others…
stingray, anyone?
inky squid
assorted shellfish
keeping a watchful eye on her shellfish
keeping a watchful eye on her… bubbling tanks of… whatever that is
my favorite pie is octopi
snails and frogs: not just for the french anymore
lobstah
evidently edible translucent stuff. my guess is jellyfish
bags o’ clams
rainbow fishies
psh. why sleep in the market when you got a van?!
free peanuts!
Then we figured since we were right there we might as well hop over to Moon River. Plus it had been awhile since I’d seen my girl Qian Li so we stopped in to get some nai cha. She proved useful in providing a few new phrases to our ever-growing (but still unfortunate) cache of Chinese knowledge. If you need to say you’re hot, cold, or thinking– I’m your man! She also offered me a job opportunity as a tutor to her 12-year-old daughter. I said I’d think about it (or, as she instructed me, wo kao lu). I don’t have the easiest-to-work-with schedule, and as per our contract we’re not really supposed to do tutoring work on the side. I still thought it was sweet. Then we picked up some traditional Chinese paper cutting art and came home for another Lost marathon.
all i want is to try the onion bread from this place and they never have it when i comeeee
paper cutting man gave us two free ones he made of the expo 2010 mascot. it’s in shanghai… keep that in mind, all you people who had no interest in visiting me in china…
We went to a big grocery/surplus store yesterday and they had a lot of familiar brands. We got a bunch of Italian pasta and sauce and I got Bisquik. The milk I bought at TrustMart on Sunday was actually yogurt and the replacement milk I bought this morning was actually strawberry milk, but I still had wonderful pancakes for the first time in ages this morning. Okay, and this afternoon for a snack.
It’s actually gotten pretty chilly here, quite suddenly, so we also bought really awesome, soft blankets for our couches (making the Lost marathon that much more enjoyable). Another thing to keep in mind, for any people on the fence about a visit. Soft. Blankets.
[edit] Forgot my Tao Te Ching… thanks again Dad. Glad you reminded me– this is one of my favorites!
see with originial purity
embrace with original simplicity
reduce what you have
decrease what you want
tao te ching; v. 19
Last night we had the long-awaited and much anticipated English First Jiaxing Halloween Party. And by that I mean that once a week for the past few weeks we’d be taken in a room and we’d gripe and groan while various assignments were given to various people and we’d half-heartedly turn ideas for decorations and activities over like those last few unwanted peas on the plate of a five-year-old. The joke was on all us though, because it ended up being a pretty good time.
I was in charge of the Wrap-the-Mummy activity, which ended up being a little ironic considering how conservative the Chinese tend to be with their toilet paper. I went through miles of it. Laura let her dance roots shine by teaching kids a modified “Thriller” dance for an hour and a half. Vicky headed up “Feed the Monster” (what I considered to be a nod to the UVA fraternity Cornhole tradition). Richard had apple-bobbing; and Pieter, Gareth, and Wayne scared the bejeezus out of kids in the Haunted House. I went in on Wednesday to decorate my room, intending to get it out of the way so as to plan classes for the majority of yesterday. As it turns out, I like decorating more than planning, so that’s what I ended up dedicating most of my time to yesterday as well.
my mummy room
by my spidey door… complete with EAP shoutout!
laura by skelly door
laura’s tombstones. my favorite’s the one on the right (man, boogie)
vicky and feed the monster
richard cleverly decorated his room as an everyday classroom… what could be scarier?
zomg the guy from scream…
jokes! just gareth.
one of wayne’s guises
scary boss
terrifying
shirley, wendy, linda, and helen getting ready
i read this book by chuck palaniuk once called rant about a really messed up boy who does messed up things, like put real animal organs in a halloween ‘feel the organs’ activity when everyone knows it’s supposed to just be peeled grapes and noodles. he would have done well in china, where the ‘heart’ is… a real pig’s heart.
By the time 6 o’clock rolled around the lobby had filled up with mini-pirates, superheroes, witches, and even a Zorro and a gladiator. And… roll the (probably unnecessarily long) “kids-dressed-up-looking-cute” reel.
you know how i feel about fake mustaches…
the gladiator… so precious. and awesome that i had this very costume in bronze two years ago…
and there were spideys…
two spideys actually
spiderman, spidermummy, and scream villain?
there were also two supermen
observing her handiwork
lolz to that face…
one of my students, dragon, punchin some chump in the head
why neither dragon nor the complexion of my forehead will ever be the same
two of my other students, annieoke and hester
look how fun being a mummy is!
getting there…
and he’s on the loose!
i’m telling you. this activity was tremendously fun.
star mummies
shirley got bombarded
and helen is the master wrapper
after effects
totes worn out
Then in a fraction of the time it took us to set up we’d torn it all down and it was business as usual today. I go to the police station on Monday to take care of the last bit (hopefully…) of my residence permit ish and then I’ll finally be a real live legitimate foreigner in China. Hooray!
if you need rules to be kind and just
if you act virtuous,
this is a sure sign that virtue is absent.
thus we see the great hypocrisy
only when the family loses harmony
do we hear of ‘dutiful sons.’
only when the state is in chaos
do we hear of ‘loyal ministers.’
tao te ching, verse 18
This “weekend” we made good on our plans to get back to Shanghai, and Wayne and Gareth accompanied us for the journey. We think we need to take them along on all subsequent adventures because the weather was absolutely perfect, which is more than can be said for the majority of our solo trips. They met us at our place and we cabbed to the train station. Getting tickets is always a shot in the dark (I just show and old ticket stub and say “two of these,”) and we ended up having nearly two hours before our train out of Jiaxing. We stumbled into the People’s Park just across the street where we saw people playing some music and then chilled by a canal for a bit.
We were starving when we got to Shanghai, but Wayne and Gareth really needed shoes. Nanjing Lu (the central shopping street), like most of Shanghai, is crawling with people advertising their watchesbagsshoes-youlikeigiveyoudiscount, whom Laura and I swiftly walk past and sometimes acknowledge with an assertive “Bu yao…“. The boys were intrigued though, and a quick stroll down what seemed like the entirety of Nanjing Lu found us all cramped in a tiny shop down an alley off a sidestreet filled with Converse and Nike and Puma, except on one shoe it was amuP. They found some suitable pairs and we feasted on ramen.
The trek to the hostel was shorter and drier than last time, and didn’t involve an accidental trip to Yu Yuan. By virtue of all of this, we were able to see the Pudong skyline in delightful sunlight.
The view inspired us to actually cross the river to Pudong and go up the Oriental Pearl Tower. It happened to be right as the sun was setting, which afforded some really terrific views. The cheapest (100 yuan) option took us up to the second ball, 200 some meters high.
sunset from the ground
sunset from the tower
the lower level had glass floors… stomach did a few somersaults
At the bottom of the tower was a museum of Shanghai’s history; kind of like the one in Seoul, only without teddy bears. (The first photo in this entry is a shot of 1930′s Nanjing Lu.) A nighttime boat ride in the channel was next on the agenda, so we waited around on the boardwalk until seven and then made it so. It was nice.
We grabbed dinner and picked up a few beers at a convenience store to drink at the hostel before delving into the Shanghai nightlife. They wouldn’t let us take them to our rooftop bar (something about not wanting outside food or drink… crazy!) so we hung out in the common area of our floor with a group that grew to consist of Jess (a Canadian out of Istanbul), Luc (a Canadian actor who used to be on a popular teen TV show out of Quebec, currently traveling on his off-season and writing a novel by hand), some French guy whose name I didn’t catch, and Stefan (a South African about to start graduate studies in Hong Kong and was disappointed that even “Thank you,” the only bit of Mandarin he’s picked up, is obsolete there. Luckily it’s the only bit of Cantonese I picked up over there, and I filled him in.)
We didn’t end up making it to the club, opting instead to get a good night’s sleep before our sightseeing on Tuesday. In Wayne and Gareth’s room, this effort was interrupted when Wayne fell from his top bunk in the middle of the night. He walked away slightly rattled but unscathed. I managed to stay in my bed, but slept pretty poorly myself so at around 7:30 decided to take a walk around the area. It seems appropriate that I happened to wander right into Shanghai’s version of Breakfast Street, complete with all my favorite treats. No 30 yuan Captain Hostel breakfast for me this time!
When everyone was up the plan was to go to the Longhua Temple, which was a little ways away but we thought we had a sound gameplan. Unfortunately a portion of this plan relied on the use of my trusty compass, which unfortunately turned out to be not-so-trusty. This will sound suspect, but the red tip legitimately points south now, and we didn’t immediately recognize this. After a long walk we did eventually make it, and I took a bunch of pictures that look a lot like pictures I’ve taken at other temples but I’m going to post them anyway…
‘i used you as an excuse to take a picture of that monk eating.’
‘um… i think that’s a cleaning guy angela…’
So… the internet’s being weird and I need to go to bed (Halloween Party at school tomorrow, holler!) so I think I’ll just have to post the rest of the pictures later. There were real monks (singing real monks, even!) there, so I guess that’ll be something to look forward to?
[edit: rest of pictures]
see, real monks
‘no, you may not enter. this is where we grow the clones!’
Then we were starving again so took a cab to where we thought there was a market– the biggest one in Shanghai, we’d read! However, we got to where it was supposed to be and were informed that it had been torn down and relocated. Instantly the shoesbagswatchesyoulikeigiveyoudiscount vendors swarmed in, but we told them we were hungry. One of them instantly led us to this bangin Indian restaurant (which reminded me of my old friend Rishi), and then actually waited outside for an hour while we finished to take us to his sketchy hole-in-the-wall tiny shop down an alley off a sidestreet. I don’t think the boys got anything this time but Laura and I each got a bag. Oh, and I saw this amazing sign.
I managed (somehow) to pull myself away from the phat hip hop bling bling and settled for a book of Orwell’s essays and a Shanghai murder mystery from the English language bookstore across the street instead.
Alright, Halloween party decorating time!
[edit 2: Tao Te Ching]
D’oh! Forgot my requisite wisdom! Thanks for the reminder, Daddy!
there is neither darkness nor light.
just an unbroken dance of shadows.
tao te ching, verse 14
