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Asia » China » Shanghai
September 21st 2007
Published: September 21st 2007
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There's a guy with a fruit stand that he cycles around. He is usually in front of the apartment complex every evening, and I buy fruit from him almost every time I see him. I've enjoyed the most delicious watermelon in China. It's filled with flavor and juice. You can buy a good sized watermelon for about 8 rmb, or $1 USD. Large Chinese pears are about 4 rmb or $0.50 USD. The fruit is quite inexpensive. However, I really like Hami melon, which is a cantaloupe-honeydew type melon. Last month I picked one out, and fruit man said it was 20 rmb. Woah! I said, "Oh no, no thanks. Too expensive." The melon is often imported from another province. Two weeks later, I asked "Is it cheaper now that it's the season for it?" He weighed the smallest one for me, still 18 rmb. He told me the smaller one might not be as sweet. I bought a watermelon instead that time. Yesterday I decided it was THE DAY I would buy the melon. He looked at me and said "It's going to be at least 20 yuan." I said, "Just give it to me!" He must have thought I saved up for weeks to buy it, because he gave me two bananas and an orange for free. My Hami melon was 25 yuan. I took a picture, especially for tf. I am so silly sometimes. It is beyond me why I choose to be cheapie sometimes. 24 yuan for a melon is a lot of money for an average local! Then again, you can barely get a drip coffee from Starbucks for 24 yuan.

Typhoon in Eastern China the past few days. 1.8 million people were evacuted in Zhejiang. Pouring rain and wind. Yucky.

It's Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Moon Cake Day) next week and it's quite obnoxious. Everyone is buying moon cakes. Starbucks sells their own line, Haagen Daz has ice cream moon cake, the candy store has chocolate moon cake, there are even mama moon cakes that are over two feet in diameter, or ones shaped like little pigs or animals, you name it. This is a big business. Do you know that moon cakes are a 14 billion yuan industry? Yes, that's nearly a $2 billion USD business! The upscale cakes have barcodes on the cakes, and you can go on the internet to validate the producer. I live next to a Crossiants de France Chinese Bakery and it's an absolute zoo there. Boxes everywhere, people lined up. Over moon cakes? I went there to buy a coffee and the lady told me, "We're busy with moon cakes, no coffee for the next few days." Sure enough, the entire coffee area upstairs has been replaced by boxes of... mooncakes. Geez.

Roast chestnut stands are everywhere on the street. I love chestnuts and they are usually expensive in the States. I'm getting my fix now.

I'm going to go see Broadway's 42nd Street tonight!


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