Aug/092
fall is here
well, at least it feels like it. it’s cool and damp and windy these last two days in shanghai, and it’s a welcome respite from the heat of summer. i hope fall lasts quite a bit, because winter around these parts is none-too-comfortable either, what with the poorly insulated buildings and tile floors in my apartment.
weather wise, i’ve always had the horrible decision making power in terms of where i’ve lived after growing up in la (mild, sunny and warm) and going to university in the bay area (temperate and cool).
let’s re-cap:
1996-1997 chini village, huadu city, guangdong province, china: humid and hot summers, damp uncomfortable winters
1997 – 2002 hong kong: humid and hot summers, damp uncomfortable winters
2003 – 2006 houston, tx: humid and hot summers, damp uncomfortable winters
2007 – present shanghai, china: humid and hot summers, damp uncomfortable winters
do you see a pattern? i do, and its not one that i am all that fond of. sometimes when the weather is sucky, i do think about ditching it all and heading back to los angeles where it’s 77 degrees and sunny every day.
speaking of los angeles:
Aug/090
again with the hong kong nostalgia?!
talking with another friend of mine about old hong kong (the one who intially recommended cha’s) i was reminded of this set of great hong kong photos on pbase by a guy who was an expat kid in hk during the 70s and 80s. these photos are FANTASTIC. i love the old hong kong streets, the little details like the cabs and signs and, well everything! (i love how i never describe anything on this blog)
this first photo is cat street – this is just down the hill from my grandmother’s apartment. she lived on seymour road, above caine road. if we wanted to walk down to central, we’d walk down ladder street – this is where ladder street intersects with hollywood road near the man mo temple. my family company’s office is right near here – in fact i believe it’s right across the street to the left of the photo.
some other cool things to look for – the hong kong skyline, the old hilton hotel in central where the cheung kong centre is now, the photos from aberdeen and the old kowloon tenenments – all in that washed out 1970s photo colors.
unfortunately, the photos are disabled from being hotlinked, so here’s the direct links to the photos.
Aug/090
invasion of the nba
it’s been a big week for nba stars here in shanghai as monday and tuesday saw the visit of dwight howard and derrick rose, here on an adidas tour. they took time to stop by the nba store at 993 nanjing west road on wednesday. dwight is a big goofball, lots of fun, while derrick is quite quiet.
four scant days later, nba mvp lebron james came through as part of HIS world tour – shanghai was the last china stop. i attended a fan interaction event at luwan stadium – lbj seemed a little distant, but that was probably due to tiredness from the non-stop touring.
however, lebron did indulge the crowd and played about 5 minutes of basketball with the kids, hammering home several sick dunks. just unreal power, speed and leaping ability. he also found a kid with a wicked pass, but the kid blew the layup.
Aug/090
drunk drivers
so shanghai is teeming with drunk drivers . the shanghai police have my number (because i registered) and they’re trying really hard to fight this (it’s true – friday and saturday nights they’re everywhere with the breathalyzers)
just a couple of days ago, i received this message from the shanghai police.
it says:
shanghai city police transportation team: for you and your family’s safety, please follow the law; if you’re driving, don’t drink and if you’re drunk, don’t drive.
stay safe out there shanghai
Aug/092
untitled
a friend of mine who used to live in shanghai and now lives in the ass end of texas (no, not beaumont or port arthur . . . but mcallen) is going to marfa, texas next weeek. i’m not huge on modern art, but i found donald judd and dan flavin’s work at the chinati foundation quite compelling.
lucy’s email reminded me of my road trip through marfa back in 2006, so i thought i’d look through my photos again. this is from a work by dan flavin called “untitled.”
Aug/090
nike sb – today was a good day
saw this on adrian lai’s blog
it makes me miss home. and skateboarding. great cameos from kobe and some one else.
Aug/092
going back in time
i was so excited about cha’s , that i went for dinner tonight for my second meal in as many days. that’s a normal pattern for me (don’t ask me about boxing cat brewery).
i went with my friend andrew, who also has spent a significant amount of time in hong kong and also has unusual nostalgia for pre-1990 hong kong.
this time i brought my camera and took some more photos (not iphone’d!)
i love the dishes they use here. reminds me of my grandmother’s dishes in hong kong.
the way these condensed milk cans and spam cans and instant noodle packages are lined up are absolutely perfect
whoops. maybe want to leave the shutter open a little bit longer next time.
i had the furong omelette over rice. it’s going to take me a while to work through the entire menu . . . maybe 2 weeks?
Aug/092
in the mood for cha
i have great nostalgia for hong kong, even if i didn’t grow up there. i love looking at old photos, watching movies about the 50s and 60s, reading books about pre-1990s hong kong.
i’m not sure why that is – i don’t have any special need to watch movies or read books about the US in the post-war era, but stuff like wong kar-wei’s “in the mood for love” and “days of being wild” or photos or books from/about that era in hong kong make me happy.
if you’ve been reading this blog, or know me in person, you’ll know that one of my favorite things is food and new restaurants. so yesterday, a friend told me that i had to go to cha’s chantang, and immediately upon opening that link, seeing that photo and reading the review, i knew i had to go.
the food was good enough that i’ll keep coming back (unlike tsui wah), but i think the smartshanghai review above covers the food pretty well. but the details! oh the details!
there’s still a handful of these old style hong kong diners left in hong kong, around my old neighborhood in yaumatei, i can think of 2 or 3, and then a few more in sheung wan, wanchai and causeway bay. and i think that the owners of cha got it picture perfect. it looks like the set from one of wong kar wei’s movies, or my parents childhood. even my born and raised American colleague said there was a bunch of really cool details.
the food was very good. the atmosphere was amazing. the price – not too bad, 40-some RMB for lunch (egg and shrimp over rice, salty lemon 7-up and some condensed milk and butter toast), but the time machine ride was great.
cha’s restaurant
30 sinan road, near huaihai middle road
shanghai