Too busy and too lazy lately, even though I’ve thought of a lot of things to say! So, here’s the short, bulleted version, in chronological order: A modern Chinese wedding. Boyfriend and I went down to Shanghai during the National Day holiday to attend one of his college friend’s wedding. It was interesting, to say […]
The CCP has the power to move the weekends. Last week, for millions of workers in China, the weekend fell on Thursday and Friday. This was so that they could enjoy a three-day reprieve from work, when combined with the Mid-Autumn Festival on Wednesday, which being a holiday, cannot be moved. Thus, we had to […]
Today was Mid-Autumn Festival, a national holiday in China. It was also the most gorgeous day we’ve had in a while, after a month of smoggy skies and a week of cloudy/rainy days. The boyfriend and I decided to spend our day off at the Fragrant Hills Park (香山公园), located in the surrounding hills of […]
The census people came by last night while I was making my banananana pudding (more on that later) and took a household registration survey, which is in preparation for the national census that begins in November. Unbeknownst to them, the roommate turnover rate in my apartment has been quite high lately. Three new roommates in the […]
A good part of my day is devoted to finding and buying online food I like to eat back home. For example, I frequently order pies and cupcakes, which are made by foreigners, so they pass a certain standard for deliciousness and authenticity. Last week, I found Bonbon Bins and ordered some gummy candy. This […]
So I’m slowly getting back into the cooking/eating mood. My boyfriend recently moved in with me, and I’ve been having fun playing house. This has led me to try to build up a library of recipes that I can make without too much hassle. The caveat: China. We’re not very picky eaters, but we do […]
Say what you will about the national census, but I was a little miffed when I realized I’d be missing out — i.e., not counted — in the once-a-decade ritual by moving to China. But China also has this once-a-decade tradition. And lucky for me, this time around — its sixth ever — it will […]
No, not because of the freedom. It has a better postal system. Post offices worldwide are dismal places to be, akin to the county jail or maybe the local morgue. But at least USPS delivers packages in a timely and inexpensive way. To wit: I mailed a 3-pound package to San Francisco two weeks and […]
I haven’t seen a bottle of this Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 (going for 300 kuai for a 750-milliliter bottle, or more than $44) yet, but Evan Osnos’ story about the appearance of Pabst in China reminded me of a single can of P.B.R. I saw last year in Dandong on a cart selling various snacks […]
It’s been almost three weeks since I’ve returned from Taiwan, and I still have no appetite! I don’t want to eat anything, except for a shaobing youtiao or lo bo gao or dan bing or o-ah jian. Or anything made in Taiwan. It’s so depressing and well, unappetizing, in Beijing. Why do they eat such […]