Best wishes to my readers on this, the eve before the Year of the Ox. Good fortune, recovering base metal prices, and happiness to All. A personal note: I’ve spent more than six years in China, and I’ve taken well over 20,000 photos in that time. So one would think that, after so many years…
All posts in Eating
The elder set lunches with the younger.
On Monday morning I received an invitation to join a couple of my friends for lunch at the Yuyuan Gardens. I hadn’t been there in ages, and I was hungry, so that settled it. Also, it didn’t hurt that the invitation came on Monday, and it seemed unlikely – to me, at least – that…
For all of the cheese in China.
It turns out that – after last week’s two posts in regard to KFC China’s new Tender Beef Pentagon, and its strong, unmistakable relationship to Taco Bell’s hexagonal Crunchwrap Supreme – I am not the only American journalist-blogger in China strongly hankering for a Gordita. So the question remains: why won’t Yum, operator of the…
KFC Cheats Chinese Customers Out of Sixth Edge, Claims Sichuan Food Originated in Mexico.
[UPDATE 11/19 – I’ve contacted Yum, Inc., with a request for an interview – or just a paragraph – that might illuminate why the hexagon was reduced to a pentagon. I’ll update if and when I receive a response.] This is a very rapid follow-up to my earlier post reviewing KFC China’s newly introduced Tender…
KFC China’s Mexican Sneak Attack – Updated
There are tens of thousands of American expatriates in China and, in my experience, they share only one universal concern. Namely: when will Taco Bell finally arrive upon these shores? There is much more to this than what might first meet the eye. After all, Yum, Inc., which owns Taco Bell, also owns KFC. And…
Mooncake Scalpers!
I moved to China nine days before the 2002 mid-Autumn Festival – the Mooncake Festival – and it’s been my favorite Chinese holiday ever since. But I’ll leave that story for another time. For now, suffice it to say that – in my years here, I’ve been witness to the development of the mooncake status…
Hot Dogs and Marching Bands: Images from HK’s Olympics
As promised, some additional photos and commentary from Hong Kong’s Olympic equestrian venue in Shatin. Overall, it’s a lovely venue, and the events – based upon one night’s sample – are extremely well-run and organized. I haven’t yet been up to Beijing, but compared to the soccer matches at Shanghai Stadium, the Hong Kong equestrian…
Shanghai’s Worst Concessions
I had such a fine time at last night’s Olympic soccer matches that I’m really loathe hesitant to say anything negative about the experience. So, first let me say something nice: the organizers ran a smooth show. Security was omni-present, but by no means was it intimidating or heavy-handed. Everything started on-time. And, best of…
Vanity’s Rainbow
The other night I had dinner at the Dongbei Ren on Shanxi Road, and while there I happened to notice this waitress stop at the mirror on her way back to the kitchen. I also happened to have a camera with me. As she stood there, preening before the customers, her supervisor walked by and…
The Great Man Theory of Eating
[Alternative Title: “You Picked a Fine Time to Feed Me, Beijing“] A little quiz. On the verge of the Olympics, Beijing opens one of the largest, and most architecturally uplifting, airport terminals in the world. In an effort to improve guest services, the airport authority invites outside vendors – Starbucks, KFC, TCBY(!) – to set…