Orient Orientation: I'm a star!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012: Part II

After the physical exam (see previous post) I returned to the hotel and decided to walk to the Bund; I had not yet seen it on this trip. The Bund is a waterfront area in Shanghai on the west bank of the Huangpu River. It is a popular destination for Chinese tourists and foreigners alike.

Pudong skyline. The tall building with two orbs in it (left-hand side)
is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The building that looks a bit like a
bottle opener (toward the center of the picture) is the Shanghai
World Financial Center

Some of the diverse architecture along the Bund.
The building in the distance with the lotus on top is the Westin.

More interesting architecture.

Had to get the "tourist" shot with Jasweck.

As I was taking some pictures of the Pudong skyline (the more modern buildings across the river), a young Chinese woman approached and asked me to take her picture with her mother. So I did. She asked where I was from and what I was doing in China, and we talked a bit. She was on holiday in Shanghai after graduating from college. Very friendly.

I spent the rest of my time on the Bund people watching and writing postcards to family back home in the U.S. This is when I had my first real “Westerner” experience in China: two Chinese women had their pictures taken with me!

I was writing and noticed that a woman sat down close to where I was sitting. I thought nothing of it since the definition of “personal space” is different here in China than it is in the U.S. Then I realized she was having someone take a picture not just of her, but of me too. I looked up and smiled. Then her friend sat next to me and had her picture taken as well. I smiled. Had I been thinking, I should have asked someone to take a picture of them taking a picture with me.

Despite all the stories I have heard about how the Chinese are so amazed when they see Westerners that they crowd around and take pictures, I didn’t expect this in Shanghai since it is such an international city. Apparently I was wrong. I guess I should get used to impromptu photo shoots.

After my brief celebrity experience, I headed back to the hotel. On the way, I stopped at a convenience store to pick up some snacks (a star has to eat, you know). The only thing I am sure I got was dried mangoes; the other labels were all in Chinese, but the pictures on the packages looked good, so I went ahead and bought them—the whole thing came to about 41RMB (about $7).

These really are dried mangoes.

These are wafers/crackers that smell and taste like they were made with milk.
I suppose that's why there is a cow on the box and the "Especially Thick
Milk" statement.

These look like oyster crackers, don't they?
I wanted something salty, but alas, these are like little, crunchy cookies.
Tasty, but not exactly what I wanted.

I also saw this amazing scaffolding:

Bamboo poles used in scaffolding.

For dinner, I broke down and decided to eat in one of the hotel restaurants rather than go restaurant-hunting. My first choice was an authentic Asian cuisine restaurant on the fifth floor of the hotel. As I neared the entrance, I saw two photographers. I got closer and realized there was a wedding reception in the restaurant and the bride and groom were having their pictures taken just outside the entrance. So, I kept on walking. Clearly not the place to have dinner that night.

Fear not though, since the Westin has three restaurants in it. I went two floors down to Prego, the Italian restaurant. What can I say? You can take the part-Italian girl out of Italy, but you can’t take the Italy out of the girl. The owner greeted me with a friendly “Buona sera”, and it was like my mind was on autopilot—I responded in Italian. Then we chatted for a few minutes . . . in Italian! I didn’t even look at the menu because he asked if I wanted beef, chicken, or fish, and I told him that I’m a vegetarian (still in Italian). He suggested a salad, asked if I like cheese (certamente si!), asked if I would like spaghetti or macaroni (macaroni!), and then was off to the kitchen with my order.

I’m uncomfortable speaking English while I’m in China because I would like to be able to speak and understand Chinese, not just continue to luck out that most people I meet speak English. It was a relief to be able to competently speak a non-English language here, even just for a little while. My Italian is rusty, but I was proud that I could carry on a casual conversation. Mi manca l’Italia ancora.

Right, so back to dinner. Wow. The salad was good (arugula with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes); the pasta was incredible! It was like being back in Firenze for an evening.