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Published: June 24th 2008
The before...
(at Shirokiya)The past few days have been filled with food (non-Chinese), language (yes, Chinese), and culture (shopping).
I started my weekend at Shirokiya, an all-you-can-eat-and-drink Japanese restaurant near the trendy HuaiHai Rd. Eric, Nathan, and I had fasted all day in preparation (after all, 148 yuan can go far in China, so you'd better eat your money's worth). We essentially ordered at least one of everything on the menu, not having the slightest idea what we were soon to be eating (I have perfected the "
zhege"-and-pointing technique). We were less adventurous with our choices of beverages, though the liquid volume consumed certainly did not diminish. Just as we were realizing that we had had our fill of raw shrimp ("no, it's supposed to ooze out of its shell like that!"), the waitress informed us that she could not clear our table if our dishes still had food on them. The spelled out trouble for us, given that the dishes we didn't finish (the previously described raw shrimp platter, one plate of way-too-vegetarian sushi, and two bowls of something akin to Mexican tortilla soup that we certainly did not order) were ones that we had no desire of finishing. Eric argued with
...The after
Pleeeease don't make us eat any more of this Mexican-style Japanese soup! the waitress, claiming that we shouldn't have to eat them if they taste bad (hehe), but she just responded that if we didn't eat the food, she would be charged for it!! Feeling guilty, we quickly made one last attempt... to no avail. Then, sneaky Mr. Nathan came up with a brilliant plan. I feel bad for the dishwasher who will find smashed-up sushi inside all the cups from our table...
Saturday morning I had my first American breakfast in China at Arch, a restaurant known for its interior design. Later in the day, I went with the JiaoTong crew to a Chinese acrobat show (well, circus?) where I saw several people almost die. Most memorably, Nathan, Jeff, and I afterwards went to pedestrian Hong Mei Rd to bar hop, where we found out what *really* goes in
bai jiu (Chinese white alcohol).
Sunday, Eric took Nathan, Jeff, and I to a nice dimsum place called Lynn, right near the Portman Ritz Carlton (beautiful hotel right next to an even more fabulous American grocery store), after which he brought us to receive 18 yuan haircuts ($3) (body massage included). Next, we four went shopping where I saw Jeff
Naughty Nathan
Quick photo snapped of Nathan hiding our excess food inside cups and napkins... successfully haggle a watch down from 998 yuan to 104. And it only took him about 45 minutes.
Sunday, I also met my new flatmate - his name is Natsuki. I only speak Chinese with him, and I can already feel my language skills improving. We spent all day after Monday's class exploring Shanghai. And we have the pictures to prove it (about 300 between the both of us).
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jwa
non-member comment
WHOA!
you guys are having so much fun :)... miss you miss ego haha so i'm going to inner mongolia with my mom and some people from july 21-27th i think.. but will stop by beijing on my way out. will you still be in china? :) ..or in spain already :)P