Portions at Chinese restaurants are sized to share. It's really great, but when you're only going to lunch with one other person, you're guaranteed to have leftovers. Often enough for a whole 'nother meal. This afternoon, Corey and I decided to take our leftovers to go since there was an extra large amount left.
We were walking down the street, and rendezvoused with a coworker. We were chatting and what not when I feel a tug on my bag of food. I turn around to see a near-toothless old man pulling at my bag. Confusion sets in, but it only gets worse when a woman (my guess is his daughter or something) starts speaking rather loudly and agitatedly at me in Chinese, gesturing that I should be giving my food to this man.
Thoroughly confused, I have no idea what to do. On the one hand, I'm all for giving my food to a (potentially) homeless man. He needs it WAY more than I do, it's a non issue. But then there is his daughter who is now pretty much yelling at me. Do I say no?
The decision is made from me when she just yanks the food out of my hand, and the two of them frolic down the street with my... err.. their lunch.
I could have said no. I could have made a scene. I could have yanked my food back, but really I just didn't know how to react to something like this. If it was just him, this would have been a non event, but really what happened was that my food was removed from my hands by someone so they could eat it themselves. No attempt was made to bridge the communication gap. She could have tried to make me understand the situation, but there was no concern there. No bother. She wanted my food, so she took it. I mean, there was no reason for her to assume that they were leftovers to be honest. They could have just as easily been my takeaway lunch.
As they walked away, Corey, Vicky (my coworker) and I were pretty stunned. I mean, it wasn't scary. It wasn't dangerous. It was just... weird. I mean, who does that?
I'm not sure how I feel about this, or how I'm supposed to feel either. Just... strange.
- S
Showing posts with label Dalian Dining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dalian Dining. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Mooncakes
Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Day Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, also known as the second biggest Festival in China.
The day before the festival, the foreign teachers of Future 2 were invited to a classical concert put on by the Dalian Government in appreciation to foreigners contributing to the city's economy. It's weird being thought of that way, but it was an interesting and enjoyable concert nonetheless.
And of course, there were a good amount of really strange instruments to pierce our ear drums.
The next night was the festival proper, and we picnicked out on a beach by our school, and ingested some mooncakes. Mooncakes are small special cakes flavored (but not filled) in a variety of "exciting" ways. At their best, they are edible enough to enjoy one bite, but for the most part... let's just say I've had better.
We had some Black Sesame, Red Bean, Corn, Date, Pineapple, Peach, Green Tea and other mystery flavors. None were particularly great. Some were rather bad.
It was fun though in the past month or so to see western entities like Starbucks and Hagen Daz come up with their own versions of moon cakes. A bit pricey unfortunately, although I did snag a free sample Starbucks one, and as weird as it was, it was the best tasting one. Although something tells me the Brooklyn Ice Cream ones would have ruled.
Happy Moon Festival!
- Shawn
The day before the festival, the foreign teachers of Future 2 were invited to a classical concert put on by the Dalian Government in appreciation to foreigners contributing to the city's economy. It's weird being thought of that way, but it was an interesting and enjoyable concert nonetheless.
And of course, there were a good amount of really strange instruments to pierce our ear drums.
The next night was the festival proper, and we picnicked out on a beach by our school, and ingested some mooncakes. Mooncakes are small special cakes flavored (but not filled) in a variety of "exciting" ways. At their best, they are edible enough to enjoy one bite, but for the most part... let's just say I've had better.
We had some Black Sesame, Red Bean, Corn, Date, Pineapple, Peach, Green Tea and other mystery flavors. None were particularly great. Some were rather bad.
It was fun though in the past month or so to see western entities like Starbucks and Hagen Daz come up with their own versions of moon cakes. A bit pricey unfortunately, although I did snag a free sample Starbucks one, and as weird as it was, it was the best tasting one. Although something tells me the Brooklyn Ice Cream ones would have ruled.
Happy Moon Festival!
- Shawn
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Yes, We've Eaten Dog
The headline really says it all. I could probably leave it right here and let you imagine the rest, but where would the fun be in that. So here we go, I now present you with your main course tonight: Stir Fried Dog.
And you know what, I know there are a bunch of you out there giving your computer monitors strange and dirty looks... whether your poor desktop deserves them is up to debate, but come on... when in Rome...
The meat was heavily seasoned, to the point were it would be difficult to say "It tasted like Chicken." If anything, it had more of a Mutton-y taste I guess. The consistency was the real killer. Overly gamey, stringy, and way too fatty. They could have definitely taken Rover for a few more walks it would seem.
It's still sort of weird to think of I guess. But it really had to happen. Korean designed, Chinese approved "gourmet"... dog. Can't really put an "mmmmmm" here, but you get the point.
and that's that,
- Shawn
And you know what, I know there are a bunch of you out there giving your computer monitors strange and dirty looks... whether your poor desktop deserves them is up to debate, but come on... when in Rome...
The meat was heavily seasoned, to the point were it would be difficult to say "It tasted like Chicken." If anything, it had more of a Mutton-y taste I guess. The consistency was the real killer. Overly gamey, stringy, and way too fatty. They could have definitely taken Rover for a few more walks it would seem.
It's still sort of weird to think of I guess. But it really had to happen. Korean designed, Chinese approved "gourmet"... dog. Can't really put an "mmmmmm" here, but you get the point.
and that's that,
- Shawn
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
CT Pre-End of Semester Dinner
The other night, a healthy chunk of the Future 2 teaching staff went out to dinner at our local restaurant here in the DMZ. With almost 80% of them leaving next semester, we figured it would be a nice gesture of our appreciation to take them out to dinner, and force them to eat dishes off of the lists they gave us at the start of the year.
Fun was had by all as we ingested far too many dishes, and several spoons of corn too many. No real story here, but just a good excuse to throw up a nice group shot:
Also, we wound up playing Truth or Dare (as most dinners with the Chinese strangely turn out) so I've been dealing with the harsh reality of what happens after you down a giant plate of corn. Also worth sharing is this great video of Winnie, one of our Chinese Teachers, singing a Ricky Martin classic:
- Shawn
Fun was had by all as we ingested far too many dishes, and several spoons of corn too many. No real story here, but just a good excuse to throw up a nice group shot:
Also, we wound up playing Truth or Dare (as most dinners with the Chinese strangely turn out) so I've been dealing with the harsh reality of what happens after you down a giant plate of corn. Also worth sharing is this great video of Winnie, one of our Chinese Teachers, singing a Ricky Martin classic:
- Shawn
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Beer Brawling
I know the blog has been in a bit of a dry spell, and I know that that is my fault. There has been a lot going on here, some of which will be detail in this post, some in future posts, and some that I should be able to talk more about soon. (Ominous hype!)
Today though, we're here to talk about Beer...
Anyway, over the last two weeks, the Dalian International Beer Festival was in town, converting Xinghai Square - the self proclaimed largest square in Asia - into a festive ode to Beer. The square was covered in tents representing the finest beers China has to offer (and some of the not so fine ones), and in an effort to back up the claims of being an "International" beer festival, some foreign beers were present. Asahi from Japan, a few tents peddling Germanic Brews, and the old reliable: Budweiser, representing home.
The idea of cold Budweiser on tap was appealing on many levels, not just to the Americans among us but everyone looking for something different than Chinese Beer. We had a good time, meeting a few new people along the way. As the night went on, some of us ventured off to other tents, others stayed.
About two hours later, I realized that Aaron hadn't joined us at the Bavarian Beer tent. Bianca, Corey and I went back to Budweiser when Bianca said that when she left Aaron was arguing with the wait staff at the Bud Tent. What had happened was a simple misunderstanding when Aaron ordered a single pint (for 10 RMB), and gave the waitress a 100 RMB note expecting change. Instead, she brought him a massive Beer... thing...
No harm no foul, right? Just swap out the beers and bring the change. Of course, somewhere along the way the waitress decided this was a big deal and started arguing and screaming, refusing to refund Aaron his money. By the time we had arrived at the Budweiser tent, Aaron had been arguing for almost two hours. The management was their, and for some reason, no one wanted to give him his money.
The three of us went to go and see what exactly was going on, but out of no where, we found ourselves caught up in the arguments. We were being verbally assaulted, asked why we want their Chinese money, if we want to do their jobs, and other ridiculous lines. We want your Chinese money because we get paid Chinese money and we're living here. We want your Chinese Money because we don't like being cheated. Then, a waitress started cursing at Corey, unprompted. I butt in, asking what she thought she was trying to say here, and quickly found myself surrounded by four large Chinese men, pushing me away. I backed away not wanting to be leveled by Chinese bouncers.
Eventually Aaron did get his money back when he started asking for names of the managers and wait staff.
We came back to the Beer Festival two nights later, forgoing the Budweiser tent for its neighbors Asahi. It's strange to think Budweiser tastes significantly better than Asahi, but it could be all in my Americanized head.
A few days later when we returned to the Beer Festival, Corey and I decided: Hey, T.I.C., I'm sure the Budweiser thing must have been an isolated incident. It was at the end of a long night, I'm sure putting up with drunken Chinese for a day would get anyone cranky. Let's go back and have some more Ice Cold Bud. We're Americans, Brand Loyalty is instilled in us at an early age, it's futile to try and fight something so deeply ingrained. Plus, Asahi is just too bitter.
We sit, chat and have a good time. A few hours later, Bianca and some of her friends show up, and we order another round. The next thing I know, a waitress is leaning over and whispering in my ear.
"Can I help you?"
"No, it's ok, we're being helped."
"You will need to pay 500 RMB to keep sitting at this table."
"Excuse me? What did you just say?"
The waitress was trying to extort 100 RMB a head, for no reason at all. There was no such charge to sit and drink at a table, and in the impossible event that there was, it wouldn't be charged two and a half hours after we got there.
Also interesting is how none of the Chinese around us seemed to be subject to the same ummm... cover charge.
I refused, and we argued for a bit. She told us if we didn't pay, we'd have to leave. I told her I'm not leaving until I finish my beer. She just walked away.
Bianca recognized her as the waitress from the other night. Either she just didn't like us, or... well, I can't really think of any other reason.
We finished our beers, and left (in no particular rush). But I just couldn't figure out why the only American tent at the festival was working so hard to piss off foreigners.
We went back to the old faithful Asahi, and had a good time. The girls found themselves in a drinking contest, and I got to compete in a Dumpling eating contest (too bad the camera was dead by then). The beer still sucked though.
Since then, I wrote to Budweiser. They expressed great "concern", and said they would like my address so they can send me a free gift. Nothing helps buy out distressed, racially harassed customers like a free t-shirt. Although, I COULD use a free t-shirt.
Man, I really am American.
I need a beer,
Shawn
Today though, we're here to talk about Beer...
Anyway, over the last two weeks, the Dalian International Beer Festival was in town, converting Xinghai Square - the self proclaimed largest square in Asia - into a festive ode to Beer. The square was covered in tents representing the finest beers China has to offer (and some of the not so fine ones), and in an effort to back up the claims of being an "International" beer festival, some foreign beers were present. Asahi from Japan, a few tents peddling Germanic Brews, and the old reliable: Budweiser, representing home.
The idea of cold Budweiser on tap was appealing on many levels, not just to the Americans among us but everyone looking for something different than Chinese Beer. We had a good time, meeting a few new people along the way. As the night went on, some of us ventured off to other tents, others stayed.
About two hours later, I realized that Aaron hadn't joined us at the Bavarian Beer tent. Bianca, Corey and I went back to Budweiser when Bianca said that when she left Aaron was arguing with the wait staff at the Bud Tent. What had happened was a simple misunderstanding when Aaron ordered a single pint (for 10 RMB), and gave the waitress a 100 RMB note expecting change. Instead, she brought him a massive Beer... thing...
No harm no foul, right? Just swap out the beers and bring the change. Of course, somewhere along the way the waitress decided this was a big deal and started arguing and screaming, refusing to refund Aaron his money. By the time we had arrived at the Budweiser tent, Aaron had been arguing for almost two hours. The management was their, and for some reason, no one wanted to give him his money.
The three of us went to go and see what exactly was going on, but out of no where, we found ourselves caught up in the arguments. We were being verbally assaulted, asked why we want their Chinese money, if we want to do their jobs, and other ridiculous lines. We want your Chinese money because we get paid Chinese money and we're living here. We want your Chinese Money because we don't like being cheated. Then, a waitress started cursing at Corey, unprompted. I butt in, asking what she thought she was trying to say here, and quickly found myself surrounded by four large Chinese men, pushing me away. I backed away not wanting to be leveled by Chinese bouncers.
Eventually Aaron did get his money back when he started asking for names of the managers and wait staff.
We came back to the Beer Festival two nights later, forgoing the Budweiser tent for its neighbors Asahi. It's strange to think Budweiser tastes significantly better than Asahi, but it could be all in my Americanized head.
A few days later when we returned to the Beer Festival, Corey and I decided: Hey, T.I.C., I'm sure the Budweiser thing must have been an isolated incident. It was at the end of a long night, I'm sure putting up with drunken Chinese for a day would get anyone cranky. Let's go back and have some more Ice Cold Bud. We're Americans, Brand Loyalty is instilled in us at an early age, it's futile to try and fight something so deeply ingrained. Plus, Asahi is just too bitter.
We sit, chat and have a good time. A few hours later, Bianca and some of her friends show up, and we order another round. The next thing I know, a waitress is leaning over and whispering in my ear.
"Can I help you?"
"No, it's ok, we're being helped."
"You will need to pay 500 RMB to keep sitting at this table."
"Excuse me? What did you just say?"
The waitress was trying to extort 100 RMB a head, for no reason at all. There was no such charge to sit and drink at a table, and in the impossible event that there was, it wouldn't be charged two and a half hours after we got there.
Also interesting is how none of the Chinese around us seemed to be subject to the same ummm... cover charge.
I refused, and we argued for a bit. She told us if we didn't pay, we'd have to leave. I told her I'm not leaving until I finish my beer. She just walked away.
Bianca recognized her as the waitress from the other night. Either she just didn't like us, or... well, I can't really think of any other reason.
We finished our beers, and left (in no particular rush). But I just couldn't figure out why the only American tent at the festival was working so hard to piss off foreigners.
We went back to the old faithful Asahi, and had a good time. The girls found themselves in a drinking contest, and I got to compete in a Dumpling eating contest (too bad the camera was dead by then). The beer still sucked though.
Since then, I wrote to Budweiser. They expressed great "concern", and said they would like my address so they can send me a free gift. Nothing helps buy out distressed, racially harassed customers like a free t-shirt. Although, I COULD use a free t-shirt.
Man, I really am American.
I need a beer,
Shawn
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Carbo-Loading with Eddie the Baker
See anything interesting when peering into our chilly Chinese 'fridge? If you don't, it's probably because it's a bad picture. In that case, let me just tell you what we have going on here: You might be able to make out some Bagels (plain and whole wheat), stacked on some Ciabatta Bread, on top of Tortillas!
Yes, Corey and I have stumbled on Carbohydrate Heaven here in China. And that heaven comes in the form of a man named Eddie. Eddie the Baker, to his friends.
From the legends surrounding him, Eddie the Baker spent a good portion of his life in Canada, learning the art of Baking. As a snobby New Yorker, I'm still not sure if that makes him qualified to make Bagels, but they're passable.
Eddie the Baker currently owns a small shop under Zhongshan Park. His business seems to cater specifically to ExPats that he will deliver to all across town. Did I mention his English is perfect? Fluency when dealing with people you're giving your money to is a real treat here, let me tell you. But not as big of a treat as having Bagels and Tortillas is.
So thank you Eddie the Baker for helping to knock some things off the list of things I'm going crazy craving here. And thank you for helping to wipe the smug, bagel eating smirk off of my family's faces when they taunt me over video-chat with fresh New York Bagel goodness in their hands.
Eddie, this post is for you.
- Shawn
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