Published by Swiss James on 05 Nov 2007 at 12:30 pm
Jing-An
Wuding Lu, Xinzha Lu, Changde Lu, YuYuan Lu; these are the streets of my neighbourhood. These are the streets I’m really getting to know in Shanghai.
Even though my apartment building is pretty new and swanky, it’s dropped in the middle of an old neighbourhood where Shanghainese people live in the same old-fashioned falling-down houses. The car park of my building is full of Buicks and Chryslers, but the outside wall is always wet because the market stalls opposite don’t have inside toilets.
See anything you like? On Wuding Lu
This weekend I didn’t leave the neighbourhood once, and stayed within walking distance of my place the entire time. I found a great English magazine / bookshop (@ Wuding Lu nr Shaanxi Lu), sent a gift to my Aunt in Seattle (a Buddha Box from Changde Lu / Xinzha Lu, sent @ Fedex behind Grand Plaza), got my winter trousers fixed (@ Jing-An market, YuYuan Lu) ate Beijing style food (wasn’t so good) and the best spring rolls I’ve ever had (@ 650 YuYuan Lu- Chinese menu only, lucky Emma was there).
This woman fixed three pairs of trousers for 40RMB. That’s less than 7RMB a leg.
Before I came to Shanghai I posted a question on flickr about where to live, and the answer came back: Jing-An. I’m very glad I took the advice, because it’s the bizzle around here.
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I was at the market in Xujiahui yesterday, the meat section really mings, people picking up the chunks of meat to take a look at and every piece of meat had at least one fly one it, the guy waved them away as we walked up to the stand, got to give the right impression for foreign visitors what what.
I was at JingAn market yesterday too, the locals were all laughing about something, probably still talking about your trousers, was it the oxford bags?
Well if you cooked the meat it wouldn’t be a problem. If anything is unhygienic (and I’m sick of telling you about this) it’s your habit of rubbing raw pork chops all overyourself in the shower.
There’s nothing wrong with my Oxford bags that needs fixing, if the locals were laughing at anything, it was probably the stupid foreigner strutting around in the autumn chill with nary a tank top nor a cordouroy cap to keep out the cold.
BTW, I’ve bought a new woolen flat cap that I think you’ll really appreciate- it goes swell with my cardigan.
It’s a bit of a dilemma really, do you go for the piece with most flies on or the one with no flies on. On one hand the flies are a bit minging, on the other hand if the flies aren’t touching the meat then there must be something up with it.
We ended up going for the middle ground and picking one with only a few flies on and yes, as you say, I rubbed the meat on myself in the shower. This might sound like strange behaviour but the stubble on my legs (yes it’s been a few days since I shaved them last) helps to scrape off some of the flies eggs and all that, you see, there’s method in there somewhere.
Anyway, touch wood / cloth, no ill effects so far.
I think you should show us your ultimate outfit one of these days, oxford bags/20rmb shoes/2 rmb socks/ squirrel shaped fish top/tank top/woolen cloth cap, what a bobby dazzler that would be
On second thoughts I think it would be a rumpty fizzer, not a bobby dazzler, that’s something different
Then it’s settled- that’s the outfit I’ll wear to your wedding.
Those 20rmb shoes are summerwear anyway dingle, now that the weather has turned, I’m rocking 900RMB tailor-made chocolate brogues from a little place I know in the french concession.
They’ve got a proper leather sole on them and are built like a tank- I’m pretty sure I could kick a horse to death with them. I could definitely stamp on a chicken.
Could you crush a grape / jump off a Wendy-house / wrestle an action man as well
Woai, I’d appreciate your advice on hyphenation here.
I think it’s a “wendy’s-House”.
Sorry to join in so late, I’ve been working which is something you two should try some time.
Dingle I appreciate you trying to bait me into joining the discussion but I think you know very well there’s no hyphen in Wendy House, Wendy’s house or Wendy’s houses, just as there’s no hyphen in Action Man. If there’s one thing I can’t stand more than people putting apostrophes where they shouldn’t, it’s people putting hyphens where they shouldn’t. It’s much worse than leaving them out when they should be in, because you can always claim you forgot to put it in. They other day one of my colleagues put a hyphen in the word “ongoing” and trust me when I say he won’t be making *that* mistake again any time soon!
I think my reply was “there’s no hyphen in upcoming, forthcoming, forthwith, fortnight, downloading, onlooker, onrush, onset, onside, onslaught, oncoming or ongoing, so don’t put one in there, ALRIGHT?”.
He hasn’t spoken to me since. Some people are touchy like that!
They other day???
Oh for God’s sake man!!
As usual, it’s one rule for poor downtrodden office juniors who can barely afford a bowl of rice at lunch, and another for the millionaire heir to a Chinese restaurant fortune who is playing at being a manager for a few years before he sails off on his yacht around the Caribbean.
James I only get half as I have to share the fortune with my brother who will probably get a bigger share to reward him for sticking with the family business while I decided to dally in the international business community.
I have to say this working for somebody lark isn’t as fun as I expected, but they have internet access and MSN so it’s not all bad, but it’s lucky I have a backup because I don’t know how I’d survive on the 250 thousand dollars annual salary they pay me here.
The yacht is in for repair right now as the helicopter landing pad needs resurfacing. You’d be surprised how quickly we get through those things.
Very nice photos…
i’d like a baker’s dozen buddah boxes posted to my house by december, please. (that should do it for the christmas party white elephant gifts and stocking stuffers.)
Angie, do you need any Chinese mobile numbers ending in 4? they’re going pretty cheap at the moment as well.
I can see one on there with two 4s, but it’s also got 4 8’s, I think that counteracts
Interestingly the most expensive one (over 800 rmb!) is the one ending with 4444 (die, die, die, die). Presumably you buy it then send it to your enemy, a bit like black magic.
No thanks Dingle. But I do need to wrap up my Christmas shopping . . . I mean, dang, it’s already November and I’m only a quarter through my list!
Paul- thanks!
Angie- you don’t want to get too carried away with this whole Christmas thing, I give people the same thing every year: Gold, frankincense, Myrrh. If people complain about your choice you just tell them- ‘Oh so it was good enough for the Son of the Almighty God, but somehow you’re “special”‘.
That really expensive one is
15900834444
It sounds like something an angry mob would chant.
ah yes, I missed that one, I see it’s censored with white tape though, very sensible, a bit like in Reader’s Wives.
I heard that if you telephone that number three times the devil appears in a mirror.
or something.
honestly?
Angie – it’s early November!!!! I do my Christmas shopping on 24th December and it’s very effective.
yeah, by mid december the January sales have already started, no point in starting before at least the 19th
look boys, by the time thanksgiving rolls around (you know the holiday americans celebrate for running away from england . . . ) i’ll be too drunk to care any more . . . but BEFORE then i like to find something that i can give en masse during the round of christmas parties, chanukah gatherings and kwanza get-downs.
WOAI: i would have been very disappointed if you had told us otherwise.
Dingle: i wanna drink and be merry, not fighting off the crowds in stores and what not. (*and i don’t like internet shopping cause there’s always a pile of boxes and the like to deal with . . . or returning and shipping and repacking, blah, blah, blah.)
The only problem with doing it on 24th December is those lazy bastards at Amazon claim they can’t deliver in time for Christmas. In China the retailers they have a much better “can do” attitude and will happily deliver ON Christmas. Did I mention, I love China!
Just read-ing the comments made to-day, god did I laugh. First it was about me-at at the various Shanghai mar-kets, then it got on-to fashion and end-ed with an english lesson! I can honest-ly say that i-spy-shanghai.com is one of the funniest web-sites on the net today.
Woai, when you read this it will be like someone scra-ping their finger-nails down a black-board! Enjoy.
No Wiggy that’s fine, I can tolerate it from illterate people – it’s when educated people make those silly mistakes I get all hot and bothered!
ZING!