Sino Soul

Originally posted on facebook Saturday, June 6, 2009

So... I've been putting off the food commentary because I want to be able to show you pictures of what I eat. When my laptop gets here I will be able not only describe but show you what I've been eating. And anyone that knows me can tell you there are three things I love most in the world: my family, my dog, and food (and no, I don't include my dog in family because Hula's extra special! I miss my dog...).

Preparing for the trip, I expected to eat a variety of food here. China offers the usual meat group suspects and adds an adequate supply of lamb. Shanghai is near the coast so freshwater and saltwater seafoods are amply available.

I prepared for all outcomes by following the Theory of Enjoyable Eating: if its good going in, its probably going to be bad coming out (I know, I know TMI, but bare with me). Oddly, the older I get the truer this becomes. I can eat broccoli, carrots and rice and have a nice BM, but as soon as I eat my favorites like chicken curry, pasta with alfredo or fried...anything there's gonna be problems later. So, I came prepared. I have Tums, pepto, laxatives, and Cipro in case my stomach pretty much explodes.

10 days in and I'm feeling real good! I've had little to no problems AND - besides my KFC burger - I've stayed committed to Chinese food. My apartment is compressed by a mafia of restaurants (this will be clearer when I post a video of my 'hood). You can't sniff anything but Chinese food for a two block radius without a local 'mook' redirecting you to making a 'wiser' decision for your health.

You remember how I got lost, right? Well, that losting spawned a greater awareness of my hood. I counted over 25 eateries ON MY BLOCK. too many options often equate to analysis paralysis for me and frankly, the first couple of days were a struggle. I ate out once a day - lunch - and then retreated into my renewed love affair with ramen (the ramen noodles here have three flavor packs! THREE!! i don't have to add anything!!). When the Dragon Boat Holiday hit, the gods demanded homage, and I - as high priest - must comply.

Soooo, I had to make a choice. I've been to a lot of school so I used one of my favorite school lessons: process of elimination. This is a good tool to use in a foreign country as well as in every day life (Note to self: explore theory designation for this), particularly with issues of foodborn illness. With this as a guide, I disqualified establishments without outside seating. It's been a pleasant climate and I want to sit outside and enjoy the great weather. Then any food vendors, defined by just a storefront window or temporarily placed. Of particular interest were the entrepreneurs with basically a charcoal grill on the back of their scooters selling chicken on a stick (for the record, these eminate an incredibly scrumptious aromatic that is almost, ALMOST undeniable. It takes all my will to NOT immerse myself in its delecticity). Finally, I extinguished establishments without menu items pictured on something, either a menu or a window. Okay, so why pictures? well, I don't read mandarin and bilingual Chinese in my hood are not working in restaurants per se. I could ask, but I'm not there yet.

This process whittled it down to just four restaurants and, to my delight, all right under my 10th floor window! I decided to go with the restaurant with the biggest (though fading) pictures, assuming they have to want the expats' money more than the others. Ordering food was simple: I said Ni Hao (hello), pointed to what I wanted, and requested (pointed at) a Harbin (the local version of coors light, to my dismay). less than 3 minutes later, a hot bowl of beef cubes, a side of rice, and some bok choy relish comes out. I soon realize that my beef cubes are more than just meat in a bowl; they hide a secret compartment of buttery potatoes and sweet carrots - Beef stew! one of my favorites. the gods were pleased.

The next day was rinse and repeat, except I ordered a different dish. This had what looked like a mound layered glazed beef. To my surprise it bacon layered over a mound of ... greens! These weren't collards or mustards, it was a different green but something I clearly recognized. The bacon wasn't as salty or flavorful as I am accustomed and the greens were a little stemmy, but the flavors were wonderfully married and appropriately portioned.

With renewed hunger (and confidence) I returned to further test my highly successful hypothesis of picture perfect dining, thinking of what to call it as it ascends to 'theory' status. Two good and somewhat familiar meals in a row prompted a brief humming of a possible hip hop version of "its a small world after all" (if this doesn't exist, my dream team would be Jay Z featuring Diddy doing the intro, the queen of hiphop soul Mary J Blige singing the chorus, TPAIN synthesized hook, and produced by Will.I.am. someone make this happen). I pick a picture of what looks like chicken and mushrooms and prepare for the gods to rain down their culinary blessings, dismissing the "are you sure?" look from my waiter. in a short 3 minutes I am presented with my bowl of rice, side of cabbage relish, Harbin's (clear sign of "Norm" status as a regular) and a steaming pot of ... chitlins. Yep, CHITLINS!!

The gods apparently requested amusement that day, because I bellowed a laugh that roared throughout the area that froze other diners mid bite, turned heads, and nearly caused a 10 taxi pile up (okay, this last one is not true, but a cabbie did shoot me a glare). The waiter asked me if everything was okay (at least I think he did) and summoned the chef. The chef asked me as well (at least I think he did) but I couldn't stop laughing. The irony of this was too much. I had run into a CHINESE SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT! What are the odds that the only Black man in the area would chose to frequent the one soul food restaurant in the area?

Well, I figured that this is just what I deserve, so I dug in. What passed through my lips is beyond description. The tender, moist meat melted in my mouth. A surprisingly pleasantness engulfed me, and I instantly shifted into 'Jasmin eat mode' (Jasmin gets this particular mind set when she is happy with her meal. This is how I can tell if she truly enjoys something I cook), chewing with vigor, confidence and pride. The top layer of down home goodness hid the buttery potatoes, adding to high I was already on.

At home, I always squawk about somebody needing to cook some chitlins and then eating a small portion. I refuse to reheat them, they get all rubbery and chewy and lose their mystique. I finished my bowl of chinese chitlins that day, and I think my mom would be proud. But I think I've had my fill of family favorites in China for now, and I sense it's time to move on. Right next door, they cook something in a chafing dish over charcoals at your table, but they don't have pictures. I gonna have to make some friends soon...

A Fistful of Firsts

Originally posted on facebook Sunday, May 31, 2009 

Saturday was a day of firsts for me. I got my first blister. I stole my father-in-law's new hiking sandals as I was leaving KC on Saturday and promptly wore them on my adventure today. 7766 steps (thanks to my sister-in-law Cinnamon's pedometer gift) later in any shoe w/o socks will do that to you. 

I also had my first taxi 'drive around.' You know, were the taxi driver knows your foreign so decides to drive you around a bit to increase the fee. I was angry about it, but he got an extra 75 cents out of me, so it's not big deal, just a matter of principle. 

I attempted to attend my first Shanghai expats meeting at the English-named Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com.cn. I found out about this meeting of English speakers living in Shanghai through a networking website aptly named Shanghai Expats www.shanghaiexpat.com. The meeting was scheduled to run from 1030-1230 and it was near a couple of major tourist attractions and a major metro station so I felt good about waltzing in and finding it without much difficulty. FAIL. Not only did I NOT find the Coffee Bean, but I got - your guessed it - lost. 

Taking a cab in Shanghai is very easy. And according to some NY natives easier than in Gotham. Cabs are readily accessible, the quickest form of transportation, arguably the safest (upcoming blog), and - unlike NYC cabs - readily willing to pick up a Brother at a moments notice. For a cost of 30RMB (@$4US) it is also very affordable. So it was no problem getting to the Zhongshan Park area from my apartment. Finding my way around the area was another issue.

My problem is that I get overconfident about my ability to navigate an unknown area. Right before I left, My wife and I attempted to go to Conway for church. A high school friend has a ministry there and I wanted to visit before I left. The directions were simple with three minor turns at three major intersections. We got lost. The major intersections were not major at all and... well, no excuses I just got cocky and therefore got lost! 

I have this Theory of Mapping: to appreciably chart an unknown area, you get out multiple maps that show different routes. So I got out my Shanghai streets map, my Metro line map, and my Tourists sites map. I plotted the location of the Coffee Bean, identified tourists landmarks, and marked major intersections. I do all this to avoid getting lost. Ideally.

I got out of the cab, looked around and immediately ID'ed Zhongshan Park. Walked east along Changning Lu to my destination inside Cloud Nine Mall. Everything was everything and I was on track.

Alright, so have I shared that most every sign has a Mandarin and an English version? Everywhere you go there is Mandarin and English joined in a happy marriage of understanding and guidance. It makes you feel very welcome and that language is not a barrier here. 

So entering the area just east of Zhongshan Park, I expected, EXPECTED an English sign for Cloud Nine Mall. And, of course, there wasn't! Moreover, I was surrounded by several "malls". there were outlets, malls, shopping centers, and an incredible metro station that connected it all. Every STORE had an English subtitle, but not all the buildings. 

This is usually where my complimentary half works things out pragmatically and figures how to find the right spot. I'm the big picture guy, she's the details lady. With her NOT here, I am done. 

So guess what I do? I WANDER AROUND! no surprise right? After about 2 hours of wandering and 1 hour after the end of the meeting, I find an English subtitled Cloud Nine mall and an empty Coffee Bean. Drats, foiled again.

So KFC is a big deal here. I watched a documentary on how KFC infiltrated the Chinese market and culture and has become a staple restaurant here. I wanted to avoid the fast food phenomena that happens outside of the US. Since I am familiar with the brand and products I have an expectation for what I should be eating, which leads being consistently disappointed. But I was encouraged by KFC. They had altered their product line to include traditional Chinese flavors and dishes. Also, they offer an unusual item which is the featured product in China - a hamburger. 

I didn't get the hamburger. That would have angered the Food god pantheon that govern my stomach- particularly the god of tastes goodness - not in a digestable manner but philosophically. But the god of tummy rumbles rules all, and I had to make a choice. I got a sandwich wrap combo. The wrap looked like a 'tortilla' wrapped around 'bbq' chicken and mushrooms ( I know, lots of quotation marks, but I can only give you what I can read on the menu. You're talking with a guy that's relegated to looking at pictures and pointing. I'm limited here.). The savvy check out girl immediately identifying me as an avid chicken eater and confidently offered me a side of wings - which replaces the traditional side item - at a small upsell cost. I can't recall any rap videos she would have watched where brothas are sitting around eating chicken, but she nailed it. Sometimes obvious truths transcends language and culture. So me, my side of two wings and the 'secret' sandwich wrap headed to the park. Needless to say, it was good. Couldn't argue with the flavors or speed of service. Actually ran better than a US KFC. With the sarcrifice hungrily accepted by the gods, I moved on. (note: I later found out by tooling around on the KFC website... I ate a burger and the gods were pleased. 
http://www.kfc.com.cn/kfccda/default.aspx Good luck navigating this!)

My rambles also placed me in beautiful Zhongshan Park. I don't know how to describe this park. It had so many great things in it: wide open green spaces, intimate paved paths, dedicated kid play area, carnival style rides, electric powered boats, and traditional songs and music. This experience deserves its own blog entry so I will talk more about it later. 

So 4 hours, 7700 steps, a blister, and an overpaid taxi driver got me a series of firsts today. Maybe I'll try to make the expats meeting on Sunday at Xitiandi. Where are my maps?... 

Morning Mayhem

Originally posted on facebook Friday, May 29, 2009

One Fine Day is a guilty pleasure of mine. The film is about a hectic day that gradually transforms the mutual disdain between two single working parents - a feisty architect (Michelle Pfeiffer) with a son, and a snide political columnist (George Clooney) with a daughter - into love. Not a particularly well made film, but I like it. In the movie, Clooney's young daughter, Maggie, has a tendency to wander off and get lost.

I had my day thoroughly planned this morning: get up, go out, pick up breakfast at a local coffee shop, come right back and watch the Magic/Cavalier game on Chinese ESPN. In my search for the coffee shop, I found the park. Changshou Park was hopping this morning, literally. A group of seniors were swing dancing, young parents were playing with their child, and lots and lots of Tai Chi. 

Now many of you know that I am a HUGE martial arts fan. As a kid I took lessons for several years and my grandfather raised me on Kung Fu Theater on Saturday afternoons (why won't someone bring this back? G4 or Spike would make a killing). I completely got caught up in watching groups deliberately work through the forms and stances of Tai Chi as well as some other forms of martial arts happening here. One group was in full dress and practicing sword forms. Magnificent.

This lead me to completely revise my plan. I had been itching to test a theory of acclimation: if you are new to an area, you can quickly acclimate yourself to the environment by working in a circle around your residence. So I started moving in a clockwise fashion around my residence, slowly increasing my distance every other left turn. 

Confused yet? Exactly. Cause that's what it got me! After about 3 blocks the line of sight to my apartment was lost in the forest of iron and glass, and I realized I was somewhere... else. With a bridge in front of me I realized that I didn't cross no bridge. 

Decision time. I had wandered away. Not only from my house in a super large city, but from my original plan. Now, I'm fine with revisions but I was not prepared for the potential of getting lost to this extent! I left my maps, backpack, and other assorted essentials necessary for a proper losting. If you are going to get lost at least be prepared to successfully find your way back. I was on the brink of a huge FAIL. 

One good thing about this theory of acclimation is that it does have a safety: since I kept turning left, the the center of the circle was left! I found my way to my home street, Jiang Ning road, and made it back. 

In the movie, little Maggie, was eventually found and got a kitten out of the deal. I eventually found my way back and stumbled into a market where I bought some great produce: bananas, nectarines and grapes. Good morning but I will have to develop better theories before I put them into practice

Dragon Boat Holiday

Originally posted on facebook Thursday, May 28, 2009

I look forward to participating in Chinese traditions and events while I am here. NFL football star Dhani Jones showed the way. His show "Dhani Tackles the World" features him in across the globe competing in indigenous sports, and recently featured him in the Dragon Boat races in China and I hoped to catch a glimpse of some racing.

This weekend marks the four day Dragon Boat Holiday. The holiday memorializes a Chinese hero who won the heart of the people. In 278BC, Qu Yuan drowned himself in Milou River in protest against a corrupt throne. A beloved minister and poet in the state of Chu, his suicide drew rescuers from nearby villages; they made zongzi and threw them in the river to protect Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fish. Zongzi is a traditional Chinese dish made of gelatinous rice, stuffed with either savory or sweet fillings, wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and steamed or boiled (basically a Chipotle burrito with bamboo instead of a tortilla, except you don't eat the bamboo). Locals were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

I missed the Expat (foreign nationals who live/work in China) dragon boat race last Sunday and most of the races across China seem to happen the Sunday before the holiday. But there was one today at 2pm on Suzhou Creek. I have an important meeting with my host and a corporate partner, so I missed the race and caught the news coverage last night. 

Why Am I in China?

Originally posted on facebook Wednesday, May 27, 2009 

I am a graduate student at the Clinton School for Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. The only program in the country that offers a Masters in public service. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu for more info. 30% of our credits are in the field, so my cohort just completed 2 semester practicum projects that placed us throughout Arkansas to impact communities with particular emphasis in the Arkansas Delta. My practicum was conceptualizing a Delta Visual Arts Center in the northern sector of the delta. Check out the pics from my album labeled as Delta Visual Arts Center.

Our summer project is an International Public Service Project (IPSP) that places students across the world (again, check out the website for specific placements) for 10 weeks. I am in Shanghai, China working with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the leading international business association in China from May 24 -Aug 4. My project centers on corporate social responsiblity and the efforts of this chamber to bring coordinated corporate service to the forefront. More specifically, I will work to develop a set of guidelines for corporate service initiatives for members of AMCHAM. In the interim I hope to do some emmerse myself in local culture, visit some cool places, make some new friends, and have a good time. 

I blogged a bit - if you call what I did blogging - during the school year at www.wtoddmoore.blogspot.com( I still have pending posts on that site so apologies to Harvell and the Exit 143 fashion show and Regina who does an excellent job mentoring two young ladies on weekends. I wanted to post them but took somethings for granted - like access and time.) So the plan was to continue blogging on that site. Unfortunately, I ran into the Great Firewall of China and subsequently lack access to some key sites (Actually, I have to be very careful with wording in case I trigger a key word and it all gets booted, which has happened several times already).

Apparently some of the Chinese gods love me because I have ready access to Facebook and Twitter. You can catch some of my earlier 140 character posts on Twitter at @wtm911. I actually like twitter because it makes me be brief and I need all the help I can get on that front! I will try to flesh out those tweets here and connect pictures with words. 

Enjoy! 

Todd

Updates from abroad

This blog was originally posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 0n facebook. Jasmin will be posting future blogs here because of the problems described in the post below!

Hey folks! I know you want to hear from me and I had hoped that I would be able to post to my blog at www.wtoddmoore.blogspot.com. Not gonna happen with the firewall I face here. So while my laptop is on its way (oh yeah, my laptop broke the day before I left. I had to send it back to Little Rock with Jasmin) which gives me wifi options, I am at the mercy of the Shining Court. So I will post my thoughts on FB. Enjoy!

The Great Firewall of China

The Great Firewall of China is NOT a myth.  

Todd cannot access his blog but can tweet. Catch him @wtm911 (www.twitter.com/wtm911) on twitter for udpates on his adventures in Shanghai until further notice.