Shanghai
My last international trip for the year. Headed out to China on United Airlines over the holiday week and bring Thanksgiving to the expats in Shanghai. :) I was able to bring in a Honeybaked Ham for the dinner plus boxes of stuffing and instant mashed potatoes with gravy.
On the way from the airport, stopped at a grocery store inside the Portman Ritz Carlton plaza. At least I call it that, there might be an official name that I haven't figured out yet. Grabbed some groceries before hitting the sack for the night.
Unfortunately for me, the holiday week did not mean much of a break from school work so I spent most of my first day in Shanghai researching articles for my paper. Late afternoon/early evening, I went out to the fabric market to order some shirts and jackets. Now that it is winter, I thought it a good time to go order some warmer clothing. Apparently textile costs have gone up since the summer as the vendors were not willing to honor the same prices as my previous visit. The jackets were close to US prices but at least it was tailored. Afterwards, I went to Crystal Jade in Xintiandi for dinner. I still think this is one of the better restaurants in Shanghai.
The next day, I continued researching for my paper. Internet speeds are not the greatest in China and layered with the censorship, it definitely feels like I'm at dial-up mode access at times. When I got back home, it seems that I somehow picked up a Trojan chinese virus so be careful of the popups when on the internet. Took a break during the day and wandered out to get some lunch and money from the ATM to pay for my clothes I ordered. A friend gave me a Shanghai transit card good on all modes of transportation in the city. I went down to the Jian'an temple area and found China Construction Bank. Bank of America has a stake in the bank and I was able to withdraw without paying ATM fees. A word of note, the more money you withdraw the better the exchange rate. So try to take what you need at one time.
Being flushed with cash, Donut King caught my eye on my way to the bank. So I wandered in and looked at the donuts on display. I have to say, I wasn't very impressed with what I saw. The doughnuts didn't look appealing and it seemed expensive for what it was. I decided to take a pass and wandered into the building next door. I don't know the name but it sits on top of the Jing'an stop on line 2 and 7. It looked to be a corporate building with a very extensive food court. I wandered into the food court looking at all my options. Not really knowing what I was looking at and looking at the office workers milling around, I settled on kaya toast from Happy Toast. Went back to the apartment via subway and grabbed a chicken sandwich from KFC. I was curious about KFC since I haven't ever tried but heard that the chicken here was better than the American counterparts...something about less indigestion. I do find their takeaway packaging interesting. It is very common to see drinks in plastic bags and I guess KFC's way of blending in was to make the typical plastic bag with a drink holder compartment.
Later that evening, went out to The Shed. Known as an Australian bar, the grilled chicken drummettes are its specialty plus being a sports bar. I found the chicken ok but I thought the popcorn chicken was really good. I wouldn't be surprised if there was MSG somewhere in the batter though. Afterwards, wandered next door to Kaiba for a last drink. Quieter and less smoky, this Belgium style bar was pretty laid back. It also had the best grilled cheese sandwich. I am not sure what kinds of cheeses but it also had bacon bits in it too. It definitely hit the spot for me since I didn't eat much at The Shed.
The next day was pretty much Thanksgiving at least in China. It wasn't yet T-Day in the US so no football during dinner kind of thing but still observed it on the right day. Went around during the day for some grocery shopping for dinner. Went to the Carrefour in the Renaissance Hotel plaza. At least that's how I looked at it. :) It was interesting to me that the imported milk was in the juice box cartons. It makes sense since it has to travel far. Makes me wonder why the Philippines rely on powdered milk instead of liquid milk. Maybe too high of a price point? Not trusting the domestic product, grabbed some whole milk from Australia. I also discovered my favorite flavor of Lay's potato chips. It was the numb and tasty hot pot flavor. So many incorrect ways to interpret the packaging, the taste was great. I'm going to have to find more to bring back to the States. Luckily, I'll have an empty suitcase handy.
After the errands, grabbed lunch inside a food court in Raffles City Shanghai in Huangpu. A pretty impressive looking mall, I had some fries from a fries only stand and some fried chicken from Carl's Jr. Fried chicken is really popular around here and even a burger joint has to sell it. I had a classmate from my MBA days who works for Carl's Jr HQ and found out the back story to the franchise here in Shanghai. Apparently, the owner frequents LA alot and loves Carl's Jr. He decided to open up three locations in Shanghai. The man definitely has some crazy money.... :) I also found a station that sold red bean fish but it didn't taste as good as in Kyoto. The dough just wasn't as crisp. There was a deluxe Japanese mochi shop and the mochi was good but the fillings were a little too creamy for my taste. The egg tart shop was pretty good and I would have bought more if it weren't for the fact that Thanksgiving dinner was going to be an obscene amount of food. Wandered up to the higher floors and saw BreadTalk bakery. Bought some items for breakfast the next day and bought some gifts in the retail shops nearby. Interestingly, this company also runs Din Tai Fung restaurants and Carl's Jr franchises in Asia.
Turkey in China is not a common bird nor popular. (Imagine that!) Some of the restaurants catering to expats offered a roasted turkey for $100 US. My eyes popped out when I heard the price but even a frozen turkey from the grocery store was the same price. So why not have it cooked? That night, enjoyed an American style Thanksgiving dinner and crammed about a dozen people in a two bedroom apartment. The turkey and ham was a great hit with everyone. Mental note, the plane did squeeze the juices out of the ham. Even though the ham was vacuum sealed, it still leaked some (perhaps it was not that vacuum sealed.) Because it leaked, I think the ham tasted saltier than it should have.
The next day, I decided that I needed to finish my paper so I can enjoy the weekend and spent the day pounding out a topic. I mixed it in with watching some American TV ala Slingbox. For an expat, the Slingbox is a nice device because it allows you to watch your TV anywhere in the world as long as you have internet connection. Not the greatest quality, it was still better than watching Chinese shows. :) And possibly made my writing slower... :) Luckily, there was a lot of leftover food so I didn't starve.
The next day, headed out to the Pudong area to grab some korean chicken wings from Kyochon. I also went back into Carrefour to get some missing ingredients for fried rice for dinner that night. I was sidetracked at the exotic Oreos ie raspberry/blueberry cream and mango/orange cream. Not what I would call appealing combinations, I did buy the raspberry/blueberry Oreos and wafer Oreos. After stocking up on my new favorite Lays flavor, headed over to the Shanghai World Financial Center.
The SFC was intended to be the tallest building but was beat out by a building in Taiwan. Affectionately called the Bottle Opener, there is an observation deck of the very top. It was about $50 US to gain access to all the floors of the observation deck and I would say that if you were in the area, it is a nice view only if the pollution is held back. Even though it was relatively clear, it was difficult to see the outskirts of the city because of the smog. It was mid-afternoon so the view may have been better at night with the city lights. Overall, the atmosphere had this very W hotel/Japanese motif with the slow techno music and the pulsating lights in the elevators.
Afterwards, went back to the fabric market to pick up my tailored clothing. OUtside the building, there are a number of street hawkers trying to get you to buy stuff. Be prepared for the onslaught of both hawkers and beggars.
Later that night, went out to meet some people at a couple of bars. Went to the French Concession area and had an intro drink at Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen to wait for others to join. The Alchemist is the first "molecular gastro-bar" where the drinks were as complex as its prices. Wandered over to the Apothecary when the entire group showed up. Apothecary has a very American modern feel and the drink menu is pretty extensive. I opted for ginger beer because it sounded appealing and something I wouldn't think would have popped up in Shanghai and paired it with some sweet potato fries. The night ended on a high note for me. :)
On my last day in Shanghai, there was a leftover T-day brunch while watching college football. Again, thanks to Slingbox, I was able to watch the game in real time. Afterwards, I hopped onto my flight back to the US.
On the way from the airport, stopped at a grocery store inside the Portman Ritz Carlton plaza. At least I call it that, there might be an official name that I haven't figured out yet. Grabbed some groceries before hitting the sack for the night.
Unfortunately for me, the holiday week did not mean much of a break from school work so I spent most of my first day in Shanghai researching articles for my paper. Late afternoon/early evening, I went out to the fabric market to order some shirts and jackets. Now that it is winter, I thought it a good time to go order some warmer clothing. Apparently textile costs have gone up since the summer as the vendors were not willing to honor the same prices as my previous visit. The jackets were close to US prices but at least it was tailored. Afterwards, I went to Crystal Jade in Xintiandi for dinner. I still think this is one of the better restaurants in Shanghai.
The next day, I continued researching for my paper. Internet speeds are not the greatest in China and layered with the censorship, it definitely feels like I'm at dial-up mode access at times. When I got back home, it seems that I somehow picked up a Trojan chinese virus so be careful of the popups when on the internet. Took a break during the day and wandered out to get some lunch and money from the ATM to pay for my clothes I ordered. A friend gave me a Shanghai transit card good on all modes of transportation in the city. I went down to the Jian'an temple area and found China Construction Bank. Bank of America has a stake in the bank and I was able to withdraw without paying ATM fees. A word of note, the more money you withdraw the better the exchange rate. So try to take what you need at one time.
Being flushed with cash, Donut King caught my eye on my way to the bank. So I wandered in and looked at the donuts on display. I have to say, I wasn't very impressed with what I saw. The doughnuts didn't look appealing and it seemed expensive for what it was. I decided to take a pass and wandered into the building next door. I don't know the name but it sits on top of the Jing'an stop on line 2 and 7. It looked to be a corporate building with a very extensive food court. I wandered into the food court looking at all my options. Not really knowing what I was looking at and looking at the office workers milling around, I settled on kaya toast from Happy Toast. Went back to the apartment via subway and grabbed a chicken sandwich from KFC. I was curious about KFC since I haven't ever tried but heard that the chicken here was better than the American counterparts...something about less indigestion. I do find their takeaway packaging interesting. It is very common to see drinks in plastic bags and I guess KFC's way of blending in was to make the typical plastic bag with a drink holder compartment.
Later that evening, went out to The Shed. Known as an Australian bar, the grilled chicken drummettes are its specialty plus being a sports bar. I found the chicken ok but I thought the popcorn chicken was really good. I wouldn't be surprised if there was MSG somewhere in the batter though. Afterwards, wandered next door to Kaiba for a last drink. Quieter and less smoky, this Belgium style bar was pretty laid back. It also had the best grilled cheese sandwich. I am not sure what kinds of cheeses but it also had bacon bits in it too. It definitely hit the spot for me since I didn't eat much at The Shed.
The next day was pretty much Thanksgiving at least in China. It wasn't yet T-Day in the US so no football during dinner kind of thing but still observed it on the right day. Went around during the day for some grocery shopping for dinner. Went to the Carrefour in the Renaissance Hotel plaza. At least that's how I looked at it. :) It was interesting to me that the imported milk was in the juice box cartons. It makes sense since it has to travel far. Makes me wonder why the Philippines rely on powdered milk instead of liquid milk. Maybe too high of a price point? Not trusting the domestic product, grabbed some whole milk from Australia. I also discovered my favorite flavor of Lay's potato chips. It was the numb and tasty hot pot flavor. So many incorrect ways to interpret the packaging, the taste was great. I'm going to have to find more to bring back to the States. Luckily, I'll have an empty suitcase handy.
After the errands, grabbed lunch inside a food court in Raffles City Shanghai in Huangpu. A pretty impressive looking mall, I had some fries from a fries only stand and some fried chicken from Carl's Jr. Fried chicken is really popular around here and even a burger joint has to sell it. I had a classmate from my MBA days who works for Carl's Jr HQ and found out the back story to the franchise here in Shanghai. Apparently, the owner frequents LA alot and loves Carl's Jr. He decided to open up three locations in Shanghai. The man definitely has some crazy money.... :) I also found a station that sold red bean fish but it didn't taste as good as in Kyoto. The dough just wasn't as crisp. There was a deluxe Japanese mochi shop and the mochi was good but the fillings were a little too creamy for my taste. The egg tart shop was pretty good and I would have bought more if it weren't for the fact that Thanksgiving dinner was going to be an obscene amount of food. Wandered up to the higher floors and saw BreadTalk bakery. Bought some items for breakfast the next day and bought some gifts in the retail shops nearby. Interestingly, this company also runs Din Tai Fung restaurants and Carl's Jr franchises in Asia.
Turkey in China is not a common bird nor popular. (Imagine that!) Some of the restaurants catering to expats offered a roasted turkey for $100 US. My eyes popped out when I heard the price but even a frozen turkey from the grocery store was the same price. So why not have it cooked? That night, enjoyed an American style Thanksgiving dinner and crammed about a dozen people in a two bedroom apartment. The turkey and ham was a great hit with everyone. Mental note, the plane did squeeze the juices out of the ham. Even though the ham was vacuum sealed, it still leaked some (perhaps it was not that vacuum sealed.) Because it leaked, I think the ham tasted saltier than it should have.
The next day, I decided that I needed to finish my paper so I can enjoy the weekend and spent the day pounding out a topic. I mixed it in with watching some American TV ala Slingbox. For an expat, the Slingbox is a nice device because it allows you to watch your TV anywhere in the world as long as you have internet connection. Not the greatest quality, it was still better than watching Chinese shows. :) And possibly made my writing slower... :) Luckily, there was a lot of leftover food so I didn't starve.
The next day, headed out to the Pudong area to grab some korean chicken wings from Kyochon. I also went back into Carrefour to get some missing ingredients for fried rice for dinner that night. I was sidetracked at the exotic Oreos ie raspberry/blueberry cream and mango/orange cream. Not what I would call appealing combinations, I did buy the raspberry/blueberry Oreos and wafer Oreos. After stocking up on my new favorite Lays flavor, headed over to the Shanghai World Financial Center.
The SFC was intended to be the tallest building but was beat out by a building in Taiwan. Affectionately called the Bottle Opener, there is an observation deck of the very top. It was about $50 US to gain access to all the floors of the observation deck and I would say that if you were in the area, it is a nice view only if the pollution is held back. Even though it was relatively clear, it was difficult to see the outskirts of the city because of the smog. It was mid-afternoon so the view may have been better at night with the city lights. Overall, the atmosphere had this very W hotel/Japanese motif with the slow techno music and the pulsating lights in the elevators.
Afterwards, went back to the fabric market to pick up my tailored clothing. OUtside the building, there are a number of street hawkers trying to get you to buy stuff. Be prepared for the onslaught of both hawkers and beggars.
Later that night, went out to meet some people at a couple of bars. Went to the French Concession area and had an intro drink at Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen to wait for others to join. The Alchemist is the first "molecular gastro-bar" where the drinks were as complex as its prices. Wandered over to the Apothecary when the entire group showed up. Apothecary has a very American modern feel and the drink menu is pretty extensive. I opted for ginger beer because it sounded appealing and something I wouldn't think would have popped up in Shanghai and paired it with some sweet potato fries. The night ended on a high note for me. :)
On my last day in Shanghai, there was a leftover T-day brunch while watching college football. Again, thanks to Slingbox, I was able to watch the game in real time. Afterwards, I hopped onto my flight back to the US.
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