Mas Culture/Custom Observations

One thing that has taken some getting used to in Shenzhen - Spitting. It seems to be even more prevalent here than in other cities I've visited. So much so it seems expected to expectorate. I'm sitting at the top of a "mountain" just a little way away from my apartment and it sounds like the dugout of a major league baseball team (that would be like the Yankees to all of you people in Kansas City). It just goes to show you, you can take the person from the farm, but ....

My guess is that this horking habit still exists because just a generation ago or so, Shenzhen was a sleepy backwater, rural village with not many people and almost no modern buildings. However, in the past twenty-five to thirty years, the government of China decided (as only they can do) to create a modern city in Southern China to be a rival to Hong Kong. So now Shenzhen is a good-sized city (about 17 million people) with modern skyscrapers and more under construction all the time. The average age in the city seems to be in the low-thirties, which is amazingly young when you consider China's one-child law. I think I've only met one person during my trip here who is actually from Shenzhen; everyone else is a transplant whose huoko is in a different province, town or village where their family home is located. And how that relates to spitting? My theory is that these folks came largely from rural villages to urbanize and brought their local habits with them. And with so many of them here, fallen fresh from the tofu truck, it's hack-spit-hack-spit all the way down Nanhai Avenue. Not that I'm not accustomed to this. My neighbors where I grew up could spit many different substances (baccy, seeds, etc) with the best of them ... the main difference is the way the population makes an exponential difference. I grew up outside of a town of 300 people and we had about eight neighbors within a square mile. If you spit in a timber and no one is around to hear it ... not the case in this city.

So come on over, enjoy the culture of the city and spit where you please. At least they haven't brought some of baseball's other onerous customers.

Observations in Taipei, Taiwan

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post ... I've been in the PRC, which means very little access to blogspot or Facebook. However, tomorrow I head to Jakarta, Indonesia (bring on the durian ice cream, durian donuts, etc) and so I'm staying the night in Hong Kong prior to flying out. Time to update the blog before heading out into this exciting city. By the way, the best way to come into this city is on the ferry from Shenzhen, right into downtown. It costs a little more than taking the train, but what a great way to see the skyline.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Taipei, Taiwan and had a chance to enjoy the city and the people while visiting our office. Posted a pic on facebook of a cool bookstore, but had a chance to go to a night market and really see the local action. and that led me to the discovery of ...

Stinky Tofu! when you are the city, and you want to truly experience a local custom, you must must must try this. The number of people who asked me to try it made me think this was a trick played on most visitors, but it is truly considered a delicacy, so if you want local flavor, then start achompin'. Given some of the other things I've seen eaten, this one didn't seem so bad.

More on "The Stink" in a sec ... first a comment on food at the night market. Mostly it resembles what you might get at a state fair or carnival in the US. Lots of fried and double-fried foods, bold colors, et al. Even though blue is not a food color that occurs in nature, it does occur at the aforementioned state fairs, carnivals and Taipei. Eat at your own risk, but it is pretty fun. I had a bottle of fresh squeezed sugar cane juice and no illness descended upon me. But do treat as a religious mantra "do not drink the tap water."

Back to Stinky Tofu - according to what I was told, given the amount of tofu produced in Taiwan, there are times when production surpasses consumption. I didn't realize this, but tofu can go bad. At this point, it normally gets discarded. However, where some people see waste and loss, one guy saw an opportunity. He took the risk to try deep frying the curdled curd and then serving it with a sauce on something like a piece of flat bread or on a stick (state-fair certified!). It had a distinctive wang, but a few adventurous folks took a nibble, liked it and a local culinary treat was born. To me, it had a flavor a little bit like blue cheese. So if you have the opportunity (and the stomach for it), give it a try. Bon appetit!

5 Reasons to live in Shenzhen, China

Some thoughts after living in Shenzhen, China for a little over a month - walking the streets, taking the Metro and enjoying the overall vibe. Here are the 5, in no particular order:

Safety - It's easy to forget this is a city of about 17 million people ... I was out the other night as the University Games were ending and kids were riding back on the subways with their friends. I've trekked through many neighborhoods and it certainly feels safer than a number of places I've been in the US. On other note ... I've seen about four traffic accidents since I've been here. they've all been minor fender benders, mainly because people don't speed. There are tons of cars on the road, and they don't always (or often) follow the painted lines, but they keep the speed down and use their horn to let other drivers stay aware. It is pretty amazing in a city of this size.

• Food (and value for the price) - I can eat a well-balanced vegetarian lunch in Shenzhen for about $3.50 US. Four courses with a beverage (purple sweet potato juice - yummy!). If I want to go out for a nice Western-style dinner (for those nights when nothing but a burrito (or the Chinese version of it) will do) and have a beer, it will cost about $15 US. Compared to other places in China, Shenzhen is considered quite expensive, but it is still less than Hong Kong and the variety is nice. I can eat tapas, Indian, Thai, Italian, Mexican, as well as many varieties of regional Chinese cuisine.




• Hong Kong - just an hour away, by train or by ferry (and I recommend the ferry, even though it costs more). HK is perhaps the most exciting city I've been to in the world and has a great vibe - like Manhattan, NY on a perpetual endorphin drip. Shopping, dining, both high and low end right next to each other and a mish mash of cultures that might be unparalleled (although I haven't been to Singapore). Prices are expensive there, but just over the border you're back in a less expensive Shenzhen.




• Metro (subway) - new and modern with six lines (four of which just opened in June of 2011 for the University Games. You can go almost anywhere for one or two dollars US. On most lines its not too crowded, although I think there is a game played by the Shenzhenians in trying to see how many of them can fit into a metro car. I think the slogan of the game is "there's always room for one more." The same game seems to apply to elevators, as well, although there is a buzzer that sends an alert when the max is surpassed on the elevator, and then everyone seems to understand that one of the last people on gets off, one at a time, until the buzzing stops. Very orderly. No such limit applies to a subway car ... the game stops when the doors close and everything can become quite intimate.




• People - it's a young city with young people who are surprisingly friendly for a place this populated. It's not difficult to stop someone to ask for directions and there seems to be an enthusiasm for things West, so a lot of curiosity. Aside from the children staring at me because of my size, I've had people come up just to try out their English and so I regale them with the little Mandarin I know. If they want an even more hilarious experience, I try out a little Cantonese, as well. I talk like a two year old ... thank you, hello, good morning, puppy, coconut, coconut juice, correct, incorrect. Most of the time I point at things I know the word for and say it. I'd be cuter if I tottered on my legs and had pudgy little arms.

If you have a chance to travel here, I recommend it, especially if you can stay for a week or two.