'Hua Guo' and Delicious Food

  Shanghai, China
Sunday, January 27, 2008

Day Sixteen - I ended up coffing up the Lion's Share
Well, the weather's certainly lousy today; no let up in the rainy, snowy, slushy conditions. I still decided to get out of the hostel.
I'm getting quite familiar with the subway stations en route to town.
At Zhongshan Park, I impulsively bought a big and small spinning top from a guy selling them on the steps; black bin liner bag full. It was like a quick scramble as he demonstrated using them; pure Chinese-style. His reflex action was totally overwhelming. I don't normally buy such fare, but come on, this is Shanghai. I need some memorabilia, and the guy needs some money.
I stopped off at a small tourist bureau building, just outside the station, and asked the way to the Shanghai Museum. Despite the name of the building being clearly displayed in English:
"No English, no! Sorry."
How ridiculous! Well, don't attract foreigners, then, if you can't speak English. But guess what? This is China.
Through the yucky conditions, I tramped across People's Square admiring the surrounding architecture; one, particularly pointed, looked as though it was about to launch up to space. It also looked like a giant pencil. Right aligned photo tag:

Interesting high rises around People's Square

Left aligned photo tag:

Straight and Curved

The museum would be closed in an hour, so they stopped issuing tickets. I wasn't that interested, except in the bookshop which had mainly literature on China. I started browsing through a hard-backed copy of Aisin-Giro's autobiography, From Emperor to Citizen. He was Pu Yi, China's last emperor.
Resisting the temptation to buy it, I stopped to take a photo or two outside the museum, Right aligned photo tag: until I was approached by three girls and one young guy from Xi'an who were on holiday here for a week.
A lot of questions ensued, which became nosy and exasperating at times.
They were interested in booking tickets to see a performance of the Huangpu Acrobatic Performers. I thought I'd go tomorrow. I accompanied them to a hot pot restaurant above Nanjing Lu.
It was very crowded, and we had to wait nearly half an hour before a table became available.
'Hua Guo' is very popular, particularly during this time of the year, and particularly so in Chongqing. However, there are two compartments for boiling water where you heat your food, so one isn't spicy; a preference of mine.
Dumplings, strips of bean curd, green veg, other nice goodies were heated and cooked in the steel pot, and then lift out with chopsticks to marinate in a very small bowl of thick brown sauce. Other foods were also ordered, all very delicious, until the bill ultimatum came up:
"The bill's 220 Yuan, which I've just payed. You must give me money, a hundred and fifty." She looked at me sternly.
Whoops! Another clangor! I hadn't banked on paying that much.
"Here's a hundred and twenty."
The girl giggled slightly and swiftly took the money.
So much for going Dutch.
Another girl could merely produce thirty.
Well, that'll teach me to be more spendy; less stingy.
After I sprung out of a crammed lift which reminds me of  Laurel and Hardy with their noses pressed against the glass, squashed in a telephone booth in Our Relations, I walked around to some bookshops. They were closed.

Left aligned photo tag:

Lighted Frontal