mmm. O I L.
my first day at work was fairly boring. which was surprising, as all the reports I have heard prepared me for non-stop work in a crazy-busy office. not so much.
yet.
the walk TO work was more exciting. the reports of personal endangerment while crossing the road were not exaggerated. traffic laws here do not seem to exist. they are really more like guidelines than anything else. what is cool about that though, is that with the chaos comes a lot of trust in other people. you pretty much just go, and trust that the guy on the scooter with the two kids and no helmets will adapt to your route. and so far that I have seen, he has.
what I did not expect on the walk was the man hastily stowing his two chickens in the basket on his bike and pedaling away before I even noticed the cops who had pulled up on the curb behind us. (apparently, you can turn across traffic in whatever direction you wish, violate every copyright law known to man, and smoke in every public space, but you can’t sell chickens on the street.) nor did I expect the construction site we had to walk through to get to the office.
so last night after the quiet workday lis and I headed to the local mexican restaurant. as wrong as that sounds, it's got a pretty courtyard and well, it was ladies' night, which meant free margaritas. when we got there, the waiter informed us that free margaritas were only served indoors (and I thought he said that the courtyard actually belonged to the neighboring restaurant), and escorted us into one of the emptiest restaurants ever. after two rounds of drinks and food, we still only spent 50RMB (which is the equivalent of about $6). I think the bartender and the waiter were bored, and the "pure 90's classics" became louder and louder until lis and I were forced to leave, for lack of being able to hear each other. we decided to switch restaurants and sit in the courtyard, and found a nice low table. when we sat, a waitress handed us menus... for the mexican restaurant. maybe just no free drinks outside? whatever. after we ordered, the waitress from the neighboring restaurant came by and gave us menus. I saw her wave off some other mexican restaurant customers trying to sit at the table next to us, so lis asked our waitress if we were sitting at an appropriate table. she said we were, but the Great Server-Off endured the rest of the night. we continued to order drinks from the mexican restaurant, and the other waitress kept dropping off or picking up menus for her restaurant and generally looking displeased. it was totally bizarre.
the morning walk today was less eventful, though mildly surprising in what I understand is a classic china moment: the way to work has been permanently blocked by a steel gate that none of us have access to. no more construction site off-roading, but now the walk is an extra block.
this afternoon lis and I were treated to lunch by two gals from the office who took us to a “famous restaurant” for real shanghainese food. it was a little scary, as the menu featured at least 3 fish heads on on the first page alone. and I am pretty sure I ingested at least two vats of oil with my meal, but it was really delicious. and slightly embarrassing; the waiter stood directly beside the table and stared at me for the entire meal. and when I experienced some chopstick difficulty, he brought me a knife. unsolicited. (go ahead and TRY to pick up a hard boiled egg with chopsticks, I DARE you.) but it’s a meal I’d like to repeat at some point. lis is all hyped up to go to the restaurant a few doors down: a szechuan place that promises to be “classic, fashionable” and “tastable.” I hear if you drink a lot of tea, it helps you digest oil. I hope.
yet.
the walk TO work was more exciting. the reports of personal endangerment while crossing the road were not exaggerated. traffic laws here do not seem to exist. they are really more like guidelines than anything else. what is cool about that though, is that with the chaos comes a lot of trust in other people. you pretty much just go, and trust that the guy on the scooter with the two kids and no helmets will adapt to your route. and so far that I have seen, he has.
what I did not expect on the walk was the man hastily stowing his two chickens in the basket on his bike and pedaling away before I even noticed the cops who had pulled up on the curb behind us. (apparently, you can turn across traffic in whatever direction you wish, violate every copyright law known to man, and smoke in every public space, but you can’t sell chickens on the street.) nor did I expect the construction site we had to walk through to get to the office.
so last night after the quiet workday lis and I headed to the local mexican restaurant. as wrong as that sounds, it's got a pretty courtyard and well, it was ladies' night, which meant free margaritas. when we got there, the waiter informed us that free margaritas were only served indoors (and I thought he said that the courtyard actually belonged to the neighboring restaurant), and escorted us into one of the emptiest restaurants ever. after two rounds of drinks and food, we still only spent 50RMB (which is the equivalent of about $6). I think the bartender and the waiter were bored, and the "pure 90's classics" became louder and louder until lis and I were forced to leave, for lack of being able to hear each other. we decided to switch restaurants and sit in the courtyard, and found a nice low table. when we sat, a waitress handed us menus... for the mexican restaurant. maybe just no free drinks outside? whatever. after we ordered, the waitress from the neighboring restaurant came by and gave us menus. I saw her wave off some other mexican restaurant customers trying to sit at the table next to us, so lis asked our waitress if we were sitting at an appropriate table. she said we were, but the Great Server-Off endured the rest of the night. we continued to order drinks from the mexican restaurant, and the other waitress kept dropping off or picking up menus for her restaurant and generally looking displeased. it was totally bizarre.
the morning walk today was less eventful, though mildly surprising in what I understand is a classic china moment: the way to work has been permanently blocked by a steel gate that none of us have access to. no more construction site off-roading, but now the walk is an extra block.
this afternoon lis and I were treated to lunch by two gals from the office who took us to a “famous restaurant” for real shanghainese food. it was a little scary, as the menu featured at least 3 fish heads on on the first page alone. and I am pretty sure I ingested at least two vats of oil with my meal, but it was really delicious. and slightly embarrassing; the waiter stood directly beside the table and stared at me for the entire meal. and when I experienced some chopstick difficulty, he brought me a knife. unsolicited. (go ahead and TRY to pick up a hard boiled egg with chopsticks, I DARE you.) but it’s a meal I’d like to repeat at some point. lis is all hyped up to go to the restaurant a few doors down: a szechuan place that promises to be “classic, fashionable” and “tastable.” I hear if you drink a lot of tea, it helps you digest oil. I hope.
posted by danigrl at 4:24 AM
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