Across the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world!! Or.. Liz's Ningbo Furniture Trip.

I took this trip in March but neglected to post the details for all you hungry readers.

From Wikipedia :   At 35.673 km (22 mi) in length, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest trans -oceanic bridge in the world, but it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. It is also second in the world in overall length, with the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the United States being 2.8  kilometers (1.9 miles) longer. Construction of the bridge was completed on June 14, 2007, and an opening ceremony was held on June 26, 2007 to great domestic media fanfare. But the bridge was not opened to public use until May 1, 2008 after a considerable period of testing and evaluation. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km (249 mi) to 280 km (174 mi) and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours. Cost to build the bridge 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion).

Here is a map depicting the bridge.  You can imagine what the route use to be, quite circuitous.

It took us 2 hours to hit the outskirts of Ningbo where the furniture district is located. My friend Kate and I made the journey and we were advised to bring our own lunch and snacks as there wasn't any place to grab a bite.  We did find this one rest stop on the highway about 20 minutes from Ningbo.

Jason, our driver, waving below, he just loves going on these trips to see the new bridges or towns.  He is an enthusiatic adventurer.

And you could get a snack if you wanted........

We passed on the snacks and headed to the furniture factory. 

Some interesting outbuildings framed the court yard.

This is a small temple.

We browsed all 4 floors and it was a fairly dirty experience.  The prices were fair, but not super cheap.  $60 for a small wooden chair, $92 for a small bedside table, $190 for a small chest of drawers.  I know it may sound like a good deal to you but, since there is no guarantee as to what the furniture is made of and no guarantee as to whether it will last more then a few years due to potentially poor workmanship, poor materials, hazardous materials, if made of wood, wood could have bugs in it.  Once it gets to the states the  dry air could crack it open, etc, etc. The list goes on.  I know about these situations as I have friends who bought "good" furniture (at another shop), brought it back to the states and then the wooden top cracked open or separated from the base. The list goes on. 

We did not buy anything and I am pretty sure I will not be going back. I am however glad we did the trip. I had not seen my gal pal in ages so it was nice  to spend one on one time in the car happily chatting away the time.

A couple more food scares...yikes

Bullfrogs tested for cholera

BULLFROGS sold at Shanghai's biggest aquatic market were proved to be safe, the Shanghai Center of Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

Health authorities in neighboring Suzhou claimed they found some bullfrogs from Shanghai contained bacteria that can cause cholera.

Bull frog stew is very popular here so this could potentially be a big problem.
Watermelons

The latest shocker is exploding watermelons - they blow up because farmers spray too much growth-promoting chemicals. They're eager to get big melons to market early.

2011-6-13 Health tonic ban

2011-6-10
2 new lean pork drugs (this is poison) detected in checks

Waste Oil

THE Shanghai Food and Drug Administration yesterday issued a rule requiring local eateries not to use cooking oil for more than three days if they can't control the oil quality.

 A testing method for eateries using kitchen waste oil is expected to be launched in August.

The new steamer and steamed buns.

Yesterday I was doing a bit of grocery shopping at the local Carrefour and found myself wandering around in the kitchen tools department.  Carrefour is just like Walmart, 2 huge floors, one dedicated to food and the other to housewares, clothing, and other sundry things. 

I have been toying with the idea of buying a steamer pot with 2 or 3 tiers.  Currently I use this small steamer basket to steam veggies.

Which has been a faithful servant to me for 21 years, yes I bought that little steamer in 1990 when I moved into my first apartment in Danbury, CT!  But I think I have graduated to something more substantial, something that has "power".  Yes, could it be.... a power'ful' steamer!  So I came across this lovely 3 tiered steamer for the low sale price of 119RMB or $18.30.

 But wait there is a story behind this shopping experience, isn't there always? As I was perusing the steamers I noticed a large sign hanging in the aisle of the store indicated that one of the steamers cost 119 RMB. I found said steamer but noticed the shelf tag indicated it was 139 RMB. I double checked the bar code on the hanging sign and selected the box with the matching code on the shelf.  It was exactly the model I wanted!  And on sale! Woo hoo!

After doing a bit more shopping, getting laundry detergent, imported milk at $13.00 a gallon thank you very much. And other stuffs, I headed toward check out.  I intended to keep a sharp eye on the clerk as she rang up my items so that she entered the correct sale price.  Naturally, I loaded the steamer first on to the check out belt, huh? And she scanned it without me seeing what the price as I had been loading all my other goods on the belt.  Fortunately, after I paid, I stood at the end of the lane reading my receipt and what a surprise, she charged me the 139 RMB.  No problem, as one of the managers had been standing at the check out counter, staring at me, the foreigner with the blond hair and strange round eyes.  So I told her in my poor Chinese and my excellent sign language, that the receipt was incorrect and that the steamer should be 119 RMB not 139 RMB.  She pulled out her walkie talkie and SCREAMED into it for a price check.  That my friends is understood in any language!  After about 3 minutes she received a call back saying the shelf tag reads 139RMB.  So I indicated by waving my hands and then taking her hand in mine that we should go downstairs and have a look.  I didn't know how to say - the hanging sign in the aisle says 119 RMB - in Chinese. 

We went together and I pointed out the sign to her, told her that the bar code matches, and showed her on the receipt and she said - ok, lets get a refund.  Then she said something so fast that all I understood was that I would be getting 5 RMB back.  Which made no sense to me as the difference should be 20 RMB.  So I looked at her strangely and repeated back to her what I thought she said,  "only 5 RMB"? And she said no, no 100 RMB.  What?? WOW!! Apparently if you catch them in a mistake you get 100 RMB as a compensation.  So after some paper work - 2 different sets, I was handed 100RMB or $15.00. 

100 RMB sounds so much better doesn't it?

So this new lovely steamer now cost me 19 RMB or $2.92! Check it out!

Nice, huh!?  As I was excited to try out my new steamer I bought a load of steamed stuffed bread.  I have been eyeing this bread for about 2 1/2 years and have been sort of afraid to buy it and give it a try.  The mystery stuffing always made me uneasy whenever I was considering to buy it, so I never did. But with new steamer in hand and thoughts of using it immediately what better way then with some new and potentially interesting foods.

Five packages of steamed buns, each with a different filling.  How do I know they have different fillings?  Each bun is shaped differently.  In the back of the picture you will notice the buns are shaped like large leaves, to the left, a closed bun, to the right a bun with a hole on the top and something brown poking out. Forward left, what looks like a half moon  and in the front, again, a bun with a hole but it had an orange carrot slice peeking out. Each package cost 3 RMB or .46 cents.  The buns are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, quite large. One would be plenty for lunch.  So, an investment of $2.30 for 10 buns.

I arrived home, totally excited to try the new foods and my new steamer.  After putting away the groceries I opened the box with the steamer and promptly dropped the lid on the floor breaking, yes, breaking part of the plastic handle. I was just too excited and not careful.  Geez.  I did manage to screw the remaining piece of the handle back on, a little loose but still functioning.  I know exactly where to buy a new top and I bet you that it will cost 100 RMB! I'll keep you posted.

I washed the steamer, loaded it with water and then loaded in the buns.

Unfortunately, the buns were a bit tall for the center part of the steamer, but the top part was deeper so I crowded them all in.

Steam gently for 15 minutes and then unload, cut open and discover the surprise inside.

In the back of the picture, the round bun with the open hole that had something brown peeking out was a sweet bean paste.  If you like sweet bean paste then it's pretty good.  I don't.

Left side was the closed top bun and was my favorite, can you guess, yup, pork bun. Not enough pork, but yummy.  It's a bit hard to see, but next to the pork bun, right side, the one that was shaped like a leaf, was a slightly spicy pickled vegetable and a type of collard green.  First bite was unusual but then I took second bite and thought, not bad.  I like the bit of heat and the bit of pickling or vinegar flavor.  I would not pick it again, but if I were hungry and someone handed me one I would eat it.  As you can see in the front left of the photo, it is a carrot and cabbage bun, a little greasy but a nice flavor.  After I bit into that one, I thought, this may be my favorite. And last, to the front right, half moon shaped,  was a green veg, tiny chopped fried bean curd(that has no flavor, it's fried protein) and a teeny tiny amount of pork.  I dislike the green veg that they put inside, it is quite strong in flavor. Missable.

And so the story ends.   I probably would not buy any of them again as it was too much bread to being with and truly none were delicious, it was just an interesting experiment. 

Great sign on the restaurant window.

How about that! A gentle reminder as you leave the premises to be mindful! 

I think there is dialysis app for that! (OMG, that is so wrong)

I have been away at a wonderful and happy family wedding and while I know you all want to see photos and hear about the happy weekend I cannot resist this newspaper story that you must read.   I hope to post about the wedding weekend soon.  Till then - read this unbelievable story.


Teen sells kidney for latest iPad 2


By Pan Zheng and Cai Wenjun
2011-6-3
NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINA'S young people are going iPad crazy.

After reports that some college students in southern China's Guangdong Province sold their sperm to buy the latest version of the tablet computer, comes a tragic tale of a 17-year-old boy in the eastern Anhui Province who sold his kidney to buy an iPad 2.

The student, surnamed Zheng, got 22,000 yuan (US$3,393) for selling one of his kidneys. But it was a decision he soon came to regret as his health is deteriorating, Shenzhen Satellite TV reported.  "I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it," said Zheng. "A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan."

On April 28, Zheng went to Chenzhou City in neighboring Hunan Province to have the kidney removed in a surgery arranged by the broker. His parents knew nothing about it, Zheng said. He was paid 22,000 yuan after his right kidney was taken out at the Chenzhou No. 198 Hospital.

When he returned home with an iPad 2 and an iPhone, his furious mother contacted the police. But they could not locate the broker and his cellphone was always powered off, the TV report said.

It turned out that the Chenzhou No. 198 Hospital was not qualified to perform organ transplant surgery. Hospital officials claimed they had no knowledge about Zheng's surgery because the department that was involved had been contracted out to a Fujian Province businessman. The case is still under investigation, the report said.

Previously, it was reported that many university students in Guangdong had decided to donate sperm in order to raise money to buy iPads and iPhones. Local hospitals offer 300 yuan for each sperm donation and qualified donors attend hospital 10 times for each complete procedure.

Yu Hai, a sociologist from Shanghai's Fudan University, said new and stylish electronic products such as the iPad and iPhone represented a new kind of attraction for everyone, but especially youngsters.  "Young people can be overwhelmed by its use for game playing and can do something stupid if their parents don't buy them an iPad," Yu said.

Apple's iPad 2 sells for 3,688 yuan to 5,288 yuan and the iPhone for 3,999 yuan to 5,999 yuan on China's mainland depending on the model.

Have bike, will deliver.

If you are ready with the camera you can catch all kinds of interesting photos in Shanghai.  I really like the bike delivery people.  The things they can pile onto their bike is cause for wonder.  I rarely have my camera out in time but the other day I got quite lucky.  A water delivery guy and a mirror delivery pair!

You may have noticed the beautiful leafy streets in these photos.  This the one of the prettiest parts of Shanghai called the French Concession.  The weather is perfect right now, sunny, 86F, with a nice breeze.  Summer will be here in a week or two and that means hot humid weather for about 4 months.  I will be out and about enjoying the good weather while it lasts.

Breast masseurs stir up fuss.......it was in the newspaper, really.

The newspaper is just full of crazy articles and here is one that is just too funny!  Enjoy!


A HOUSEHOLD services company training men to offer nursing mothers breast massages to boost their milk secretion has stirred up a big controversy among Shanghai residents.


Xia Jun, CEO of the household service company, told Shanghai Daily he has spent the past three months taking classes to receive official qualification as a breast massage tutor. He said he was issued a certificate from the China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center.

Xia said he now will train his employees, both female and male, to massage the breasts of nursing mothers in a "scientific way."

He said he would help his employees get official qualifications from the center as professional breast masseurs and masseuses.
Doctors at major hospitals in the city, however, said the service is not necessary.

A doctor surnamed Hou with Shanghai No. 1 Maternity and Children's Health Hospital told Shanghai Daily that young mothers can boost their milk supply themselves simply by breast feeding their babies at certain frquency.

Meanwhile, Xia said many breast masseuses work without any qualifications and that more women are interested in breast feeding in the wake of baby formula scandals in which banned substances such as melamine sickened hundreds of thousands of infants.

Many residents said they don't think new moms, or their husbands, would allow a strange man to massage their breasts when they can hire a woman.

"It's unbelievable. What kind of husband would allow another man to massage his wife's breasts?" asked 24-year-old resident Xu Boshi. "I'd rather study the skills and do it myself."
Other expressed doubt about the "professional and scientific skills." The training course only takes 10 to 18 days.

Xia said the future of male breast masseurs depends on society's tolerance, but compared it to male gynecologists and obstetricians.
The service costs 300 yuan (US$46) to 500 yuan an hour.

Dangerous parasite discovered in imported eels

Thank goodness we don't eels.......however,

A PARASITE that can cause epilepsy and lead to paralysis has been found in batches of eels imported from Indonesia and the Philippines, Shanghai authorities said yesterday.


The city is to urge state-level authorities to ban eel imports from the two countries to ensure food safety.

It was the first time the parasite, "gnathostoma spinigerum," had been found in China, officials with the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said.

The bureau tested 26 samples of eels imported from Indonesia, and the parasite was found in 14 samples. It was also found in nine samples from Philippines. The parasite lives in the eels' flesh and internal organs.
"We found that the parasite belongs to the breeds which are harmful to health," said Li Chunyang, an official with the bureau.

The parasite can affect both livestock and humans. It is spread through food, by contact with infected animals and can be passed from mothers to their new-born babies, officials said.

"Infections of the parasite are not common in China," Li said. "Up to now, fewer than 50 cases have been reported."

Bureau officials said there was a large market for eels in China and imported products were popular.

The country also produces eels for consumption, but it has become widely known that many raisers use birth control medication to accelerate their growth.

Industry insiders said the use of prophylactics had become the prevailing practice in the raising of eels in China, thus long and large eels had become less popular as more consumers found out how they were being raised.

This has led to increased demand for the imported variety.

But imported eels have also raised safety concerns. At the end of 2006, Shenzhen entry-exit inspection authorities found green and violet crystal residue in eels. The residue, from drugs used to kill parasites, were believed to be carcinogenic.

The Shanghai bureau said it was strengthening inspection of imported eels, and were suggesting that all ports in the country do the same.

"We hope that the state authorities can suspend the approval of eel imports for some time," said Li.

I ate baby eels once, not knowing what it was, I thought it was chopped eggplant as the shape was similar and it was covered in a brown tasty sauce.  After the second bite I realized what it was and stopped eating it, there was a bit of a strange flavor, that at first was covered by the sauce.

The BBQ - Shanghai Style

We live in a big big city, 22 million residents, 988 skyscrapers, and 125 parks.  In most of these parks (95%) it is forbidden to sit on the grass, you certainly cannot bring a BBQ, no frisbee or ball playing.  You can do Tai Chi, fan dancing, line dancing, singing, playing an instrument and playing cards are all acceptable.  That is if you can find an unoccupied bench or you can put one of your folding stools on the walking paths or you just dance on the walking path.  And yes that would mean you are in the way. Oh, riding your bike through the park is fine too. And yes you are in the way when you ride your bike trying to get around ALL THE PEOPLE.

I live in a lovely building with it's own roof top terrace, OK 8th floor terrace.  We have a play ground in one corner, a driving range, basketball court, a strip of grass with lawn chairs to sun yourself, a pool with a pool bar.  Pool bar only open May 10 - Sept.1, which I think is strange as it belongs to the hotel part of the complex not the serviced apartment division.  But they serve my favorite, watermelon juice, unfortunately at Ritz Carlton Hotel prices.  But I digress....

The upper part of the terrace has tables and chairs and two BBQ's.  You can reserve them and have parties, or just have a nice BBQ with your family.  Our good friend Julian decided to have take advantage of the warming weather, not too hot, not too cool and invite friends out for a BBQ.  Julian supplied the meats and drinks and everyone else either brought a salad or dessert.  Sort of pot luck BBQ.

Here is our chef, Julian! He grilled up a storm!  BBQ chicken, sausages, ribs and a lamb shoulder!

The party started at 4pm and lasted well into the evening.

After we had finished eating we pulled our chairs around and had a lovely chat about living in Shanghai as expats.  Lots of funny stories were told.

Lots of left overs.  The metal bowl on the left side of the picture is my cous cous salad with feta, tomato, cucumber, onion and parsley with a lemon dressing.   It was very yummy! The bowl was full when I brought it, I suppose it was enjoyed as two thirds are gone.

And that's how it's done Shanghai style!

Dressing for class.

Some of the kids like to dress to express themselves.  Since they spent their high school, middle school and elementary school years in uniform they are thrilled to have the chance to wear what they like.  This young lady in the green skirt is unusally tall even by western standards.   Add to her height, these very high heels.  I thought the contrast of her friend was really nice.  Sweatpants and sneakers next to the 'fashionista'.

Trip to the Fish Market

I had heard about the fish market for a couple of years now (we have been in Shanghai for 2 years and 4 months) and have been quite curious to go visit and perhaps even purchase some fish.  The thing is every time I buy fish other than salmon or frozen tilapia I end up with something very fishy tasting and I don't like it.  Is it the waters of China? The fish farms? I have been told most of the good tasting fish is imported.  There are a few species that are seemingly mild in flavor I am told, or are they?  Since I usually end up eating them covered in some sort of soy sauce or spicy sauce I can't be sure.  So instead of worrying about getting a nice piece of fish to cook at home, I now only eat fish out at restaurants.  Well except for salmon, that I still buy, at $15.00 a pound, to cook at home. Here are a few pictures of the fish at the fish market.

I thought these guys were pretty interesting with their mouths wide open.

All kinds of mollusks, including giant clams.

 Imported Shrimp from the USA.

The fish are displayed beautifully.

Eels.  I had them once about 2 years ago, without realizing it until the second bite and then I took one more bite to be sure. They were cooked in a dark sauce and resembled cut up eggplant.  I was excited, at the time, to try the unknown dish as it looked good, and the first bite was really good, except after I swallowed I thought, hmmm that's not eggplant texture.  So I tried another bite and got a bit of fishy taste, fortunately the sauce was stronger to cover that taste.  And of course just to confirm I shoveled one more mouthful in and decided I did not care for the flavor, no more tastes.

Imported salmon from Norway we were told. The salmon heads are in the basket under the counter, which are for sale, no extra charge for the dirt.

Here is the inside of the market, I am pretty sure you don't want to go there in the summer, I think the smell would completely put you off fish forever.  It was a cold rainy March day so not too smelly. Do you see the windows in the top of the picture?

Now notice the ladder in the back of this picture.

And the ladder here.

And here.

We think that there are apartments are above the stalls.  What a place to live. Wow. I like to think it's just storage but my friends insisted that there were living quarters above. 

Fish delivery guy.  I suppose the styrofoam and ice are good insulation.

This is the fella we bought our lunch from, the Chinese always give you the two finger wave when they get their pictures taken.  What you can do at these markets is pick your fish pay and then take it to the local restaurant and they will cook it for you for a small fee.

Here we are discussing how we want our seafood cooked.  Which of course got lost in translation or perhaps they just decided they knew best how to prepare our various selections.   Doesn't matter as every dish was cooked to perfection and we enjoyed it immensely.

Sauteed clams in a spicy sauce, sauteed fish in a light soy and vinegar sauce, lightly fried shrimps with black pepper and salt, some sauteed vegetable that we could not identify.

The remains of the meal.  The salt and pepper shrimp were quite tasty, but then most things fried are good! The fish was excellent, I wish I knew how to cook it like that!!!

I will probably never go back as I can buy my salmon nearby my apartment but it certainly was a fun and interesting experience with my friends.

As an added bonus I captured one of the waitresses cleaning........her teeth!

Success!