Just updated my review on the [tag]Chinesepod podcast[/tag]. It’s a great tool to [tag]learn Chinese[/tag] but the premium features need a lot more work before I am willing to pay for them.
November 11, 2005
November 8, 2005
Shintori Shanghai | Modern, Fresh & Great WC
The taxi driver stops and tells us we have arrived. Looking around it’s pretty hard to spot the entrance of Shintori Restaurant. I see a big grey wall but.. hey there is an opening.
Wandering inside reveals a small garden with bamboo at the end of which a door slides open once approached. One more slide and we see the inside of a former factory hall. Modern and very open, including the kitchen, is the best word to describe it.
But in the end a location can be grand, small, modern or passé, the only thing that matters is the food.
We ordered a medium plate of Sashimi (200 Rmb), a plate of Tempura, some Beef Teriyaki as well as some small fusion dishes. The sashimi was very fresh, the tuna perfect, the tempura not bad at all but that said, for me it’s always hard to taste the difference between anything that is deep-fried.
Quality wise definitely good, taste wise also good.
Is it better than the many revolving band Japanese restaurants? Yes, but the portions are definitely too small and slightly over priced. Service was average. Not bad but they had to be reminded of some of our orders while it wasn’t that busy.
The non-food highlight was the option to pee against the window. (Men toilets only I guess).
Shintori Restaurant
803 Julu Lu / cross street Fuming Lu
Tel: +86–21-5404-5252
Open daily: Mon-Fri 5.30-11pm
Sat-Sun 11.30am-2pm 5-11pmHow to get there:
Metro Line #2 Jing An Temple (15 minutes walk)
Disclaimer: All opinions are biased, based on non-existent food knowledge and influenced by the mood of the moment
November 6, 2005
Chinese Address Formats | Western Addresses
For some reason we ended up discussing the difference in address formats between China and the West.
In Chinese you write an address on an enveloppe in the following format
Country
Province,
City, Postal code
Street name
Name of Recipient
In the West (actually in almost any other country) you write an address like this
Name of Recipient
Street name
Postal code, City (In the US this a reversed)
Country
Collectivism versus Individualism?
November 2, 2005
SMS Scamsters in Shanghai | Don’t reply
Occasionaly I get some spam sms. As I can’t read them the deletion process is quick and simple. There are however people who read them, believe them, reply to them and in the end loose money.
Authorities didn’t disclose the nature of the scams, but most involve a deceptive message that results in a bank transfer.
For instance, some people are told they’ve won a prize and need to send money to cover taxes and other fees.
Other victims are warned that someone applied for an ATM card using their name and they need to forward a “security enhancement fee” to prevent possible losses.
Police in Shanghai have stepped up efforts to get rid of these scams by shutting down already 800 numbers. A nationwide campaign has been launched as well.
So, once again, for all those out there.. If it is too good to be true, don’t believe it.
Source: Shanghai Daily – Deadline for …
Mao in Dutch Big Brother House
It’s amazing where you can run into Mao’s picture these days. It even found its way into the Dutch Big Brother Show. For those of you who haven’t heard of one of the best selling Dutch quality export TV formats ever, picture this.
You put 12 strangers in a House that has been inundated with camera’s to spot each and every fart. The contestants are observed by the rest of the Dutch population like animals in the zoo.
Each week one of the inhabitants has to leave the house. Three contestants are selected and the TV audience decides by voting (by sms and phone) which poor soul has to go back in anonimity.
To get into the house contenstants have to go through a strenuous selection process to make sure they will be nice fodder for TV and have an IQ that resonates well with the average IQ of the audience. At times it’s great tv, most of the time it’s as boring as life itself.
Last weekend there was a nice shot of Dido, a girl that likes fashionable clothes. Her shirt had a picture of Mao on it which made one of the above audience IQ contestants question her choice. “Don’t you know who Mao is”, he asked. “How am I supposed to know who Mao is” she retorted. “I don’t even know the guy”.
After some explanation she vanished into her bedroom and changed her shirt.
Probably this one scene, seen by more than one million viewers, will have improved historical awareness more than any history lesson in school ever could have achieved. Thank god for TV.
More on Mao – Answers
Big Brother – In case you want to apply for the US version
Tip: As Wikipedia is still blocked, Answers.com is a nice backup source.
October 30, 2005
Shanghai Real Estate | Empty Buildings
There is a lot of building activity up here in Shanghai and I have the privilige of experiencing it up close. In previous posts I showed pictures of nearby construction sites.
See the posts Shanghai Construction & Always Building in Shanghai
It’s time for an update. It still isn’t finished as at times they seemed to slow down a bit. Not a big surprise as they the surplus of space results in many emtpy buildings.
One of the official numbers mentioned is of 6 million square meters of unsold space this year. As numbers in China are the same as lotto results elsewhere else I dare to say the numbers are on the conservative side.
Prices seem to go down and the big staring game seems to have started.
Buyers are waiting for prices to fall further, while sellers are unwilling to make additional cuts for fear of fueling the downward spiral.
Source: China Broadcast
October 28, 2005
Ikea Shanghai | A Poor Man’s Brunch
It’s been some time since I added a review of a restaurant despite the nice category Shanghai Restaurants.
Last weekend I got inspired again though as we went to Ikea, around 10:30 on a Saturday. I visited this place already a couple of months ago to see what is was like. It was like I expected, too full of shoppers, a lot of pushing as the aisles were cluttered and yes, some good deals. That day we ended for the first time in the Ikea restaurant. Food was good but too many people thought the same so it was like a constant chair dance.
Arriving there early makes all the above inconveniences go away. It’s quiet, there is no waiting at the counter, the coffee machines are there for you alone, (they have three) and the prices are so low.
It’s easy to fork out 200 Kuai for a buffet brunch at one of the top hotels. This place is the real deal though. Just make sure you are of there around 11:45 as the crowds start to close in you.
Ikea
No.126 Cao Xi Road Shanghai /Inner Ring.( Opposite to Hua Ting Hotel. Still can’t find it. Look around for some immense blue building with yellow letters)
Tel:+86–21-54254532
Open daily: 10:00 – 22:00How to get there:
Metro Line #1 Shanghai Stadium
Pearl Line Caoxi Rd.