More western food

Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. This year has been a wonderful culinary adventure. However, my readers may have noticed that lately, I have been trying to find sources of good Western food to sustain my need for something different. A few weeks ago, I had the best pizza I have ever tasted outside the continental US. It had a thin crust, and a delicious amount of cheese that was oily enough to require napkins to sop up the excess. It was almost like being in New York. And the quality was a huge surprise, because I found my pizza at an oasis within the desert of culinary experience known as Shanghai Hongqiao airport.

One of the many reasons Chinese air travel sucks is that the food is uniformly bad in the airports. There isn't even a random McDonald's or food court to take away the monotony of rice and noodle places that all have different names but identical menus. In Shanghai, though, a branch of the Italian Bricco Cafe chain was recently opened by an American. At least, I assume he was American because the guy was wearing a Yankees hat and was speaking to his Italian partner in English.

God bless globalization. Now if only Beijing Capital Airport could add a Starbucks.

Chinatown in China

This picture could very well have been taken in San Francisco. There is a steeply inclined street, signs in Chinese and English (if it were a movie, you could even hear them speaking Cantonese). Of course, the photo is of Hong Kong, but my latest trip to Hong Kong reminded me of how similar it is to so many Chinatowns in the United States. Familiar smells, a mix of Cantonese and English, dirty water from wet markets running down otherwise clean streets, and the occasional Caucasian face make you forget that you are in fact in a region of China. I have many friends out here who want to move back to the West Coast, but I have to say, if you have to live in China, there are much more difficult places to live (like Beijing).

More things to remind me of home

Went to brunch today in Hong Kong with friends. The restaurant was very Western -- it was filled with Caucasians and had an English-only menu. They had a sign noting that their bagels were from H&H in New York, so of course I had to order one. While it didn't taste exactly like the warm original, and it wasn't slathered with tons of cream cheese, the lox and onions were good enough to remind me of how some things are impossible to get in China.

Things to do in Shanghai

Some friends of mine came through China last week on a two week tour. I met up with them in Beijing for a few nights, but didn’t get a chance to spend a lot of time until they arrived in Shanghai last weekend. For other potential visitors to town, let me share a few bits of their itinerary to help you out.

Sights to see

Overall, I have to admit that Shanghai is a little short on high quality tourist locations. It doesn’t have the history of Xian or Nanjing, the culture of Beijing, or the beauty of Hangzhou. But here are a few suggestions.

The Maglev – If you fly in or out of Pudong airport, be sure to take the Maglev at least once. I doubt you will ever go so fast so close to the ground.

The Bund – A must-see destination, but don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s essentially just a photo opportunity. This is the riverbank where old Shanghai, represented by the 19^th century buildings, faces new Shanghai’s 80 story skyscrapers. A writer once remarked that the Westerners in Shanghai like to take pictures of the old Shanghai and marvel at what it was. Chinese like to take pictures of new Shanghai and wonder at where it’s going. A bit of a stretch, but not altogether untrue; I have never seen any locals taking pictures of the old buildings.

Xin Tian Di – Good place to wander for an afternoon, especially if you are into real estate development. Should be a case study on how you can change people’s conception of retail and dining.

Grand Hyatt – Another example of how Shanghai’s best sights show off the modernity of the city. You can pay 50 RMB to visit the observation deck on the 89^th floor, or go to the 88^th floor and spend a minimum of 100 RMB on drinks and food. My suggestion is to go to the 88^th floor and relax while enjoying the view.

Places to shop

Shanghai should be on every shoppers list of cities to go to. Forget about branded items, but everything else is cheaper.

Yu Yuan Bazaar – Souvenirs and jewelry make this a good place to get all your gifts for friends back home.

Fabric Market – Don’t leave town without getting a few shirts or a suit made. I have never heard of someone complaining about the overall value of a custom fit $10 shirt. Even if it’s not designer, the fit will be better than any off the rack shirt.

Tea shop – I went with my friends to a tea mall for the first time. Even if you don’t want to buy tea, go for the experience. The vendors will take the time to pour you a whole bunch of different teas for tasting.

Fake market – If you don’t want to go to Hong Kong to lay down $2k for a watch, spend $20 on a fake one instead. There’s one at 580 Nanjing road and another set at the Science Museum Metro stop in Pudong.

Places to eat

If you’re in China, you need to experience the range of food. Even if you’re not adventurous enough to want to try abalone, shark fin, or dog, you’ll find all sorts of delicious yet unique foods to suit your tastebuds.

New Jishi – Homestyle Shanghainese food at reasonable, but not really cheap prices. They have a location in XinTianDi that is perfect to contrast old Shanghai vs. new Shanghai.

Yu Xin Sichuan – Like New Jishi, this is a small chain (5-15 locations) that has succeeded thanks to its good food, clean environment and moderate prices. Get the Ants Climbing Trees noodles (no ants or trees involved in the dish) and anything “water cooked” which is not really simply water but really hot peppers, Sichuan peppercorns and meat boiled in a liquid that helps the flavors mingle.

Hot pot – I prefer Dollar Shop because it offers individual soup bowls to cook your food in. That way if people like the traditional spicy hot pot they can get it, but others don’t have to suffer. This meal takes a while to eat, so don’t go if you are in a rush, but I think Westerners like the experience of cooking their own food and also knowing exactly what they are eating.

Din Tai Feng – Yes, it’s originally from Taiwan, but no better place than Shanghai to experience what is regarded to be the best place for xiao long bao (soup dumplings) in the city.

Sheng Jian Bao – I personally like a place just south of the City Temple. It’s quite the opposite of Din Tai Feng. While they offer xiao long bao, the better choice is zheng jian bao. Similar filling, thicker fried wrapper. Prices have recently gone up to 2.5 RMB for an order of 4, but it’s still quite the deal. Eat on the street with greasy fingers, or eat upstairs for a slightly more civilized snack.

Luxury watch shopping in HK

I’m on my way down to Hong Kong right now. I’m going to Taiwan again, so of course I have to stop by HK first. Instead of a quick transfer, I figured I’d go a little early and spend an extra day meeting up with friends and looking for watches. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, Hong Kong has more luxury watch retailers than any other city in the world. I heard that 15% of all Rolex watches are sold in Hong Kong. The lack of sales tax combined with its central location in Asia with easy access to China, Japan, Korea and the rest of Southeast Asia make for a ripe opportunity.

Coincidentally, as I was waiting in the Dragonair lounge, I picked up a copy of Time Style & Design which features a story on the luxury markets in the emerging markets of China, India and Russia. The data presented is very interesting.

Russia

Stereotypes hold true. Russians seem to love to flaunt their wealth with extravagant items like helicopters, bejeweled pencils and gold baby bottles. The best known luxury brands are flashy designer labels like Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabana, and Dior. They want to be smelled as well as seen; “75% of affluent Russians bought one or two new fragrances in the past six months.”

India

The country continues to take one step towards the west while remaining distinctively Indian. The three best-known luxury brands in India are all from India: Park Avenue, Allen Solly, Reid & Taylor. It’s just another example of India’s insular nature (especially in regards to consumer goods and retail.) Less than 10% of Indians know of Marc Jacobs or Yves Saint Laurent.

China

The middle kingdom is already the battleground for luxury brands. China is projected to surpass the US to become the world’s second largest consumer of luxury goods behind Japan by 2015. Chinese preferences tend to be more understated (relative to Russia, not necessarily the US.) The best known brands are Rolex, Lacoste, and Chanel. According to the article, “22% of affluent consumers in China own a (real) Rolex.”

Well, count me in. While Rolex is a little flashy for me, I too want to be able to wear a watch that is hand crafted and assembled in Switzerland. People definitely look at watches out here, so it would be nice to have something for them to notice.

Mmmmm, roast beef

To celebrate my imminent return to the United States, I ordered a roast beef sandwich from NYC Deli located in downtown Shanghai. The picture shown here is not my sandwich, but representative of what I got. Prices are reasonable (~40RMB) and include delivery, unless you live on the further reaches of downtown like I do. Then, it costs 15 RMB extra to deliver. The meat was good and the was lettuce crisp. Bread could definitely use some work. I don't know why it's hard to make bread in China. Maybe it's the lack of experience with ovens. Nonetheless, 'll definitely be ordering from them again.

End is near

Another long drought of posts caused by some busy weeks at work securing my next project. Well, now that's done and it looks likely that I will be done with my work here just before Christmas. Twelve more weeks and I'll be filling out the paperwork to confirm my move back to the US. Due to a wedding in India, I probably won't physically return to stateside until early January, but it's nice to know that I am almost done with work.

It's not that I have not enjoyed my time out here, but anybody who lives out here for a little while will understand when I say that I am looking forward to being back in United States. If presented with the right opportunity to return (this time with Katie), I would definitely consider it; China is going to be powering global economic growth for a number of years to come. However, it will not be an easy decision, because China still has so much room to develop on a social level.

Needless to say, though, I'll be home before the year of the Pig turns to the year of Rat.