Shanghai Surprise

We took a quick trip to Shanghai over the weekend to take a little time out before the holidays. Tuesday we checked out of the hotel and headed toward the Metro (subway) station so we could catch our train back to Suzhou. It was just after noon when we checked out so it was probably 12:15 – 12:20 when we arrived at the entrance to the subway station. At the top of the stairs was a message in Chinese along with 2 metro station workers standing there. There was some caution tape across the entrance to add to the mystery. We wondered “What the heck is going on here?” and since we don’t read Chinese, it was even more confusing. Tammy asked the worker if we could use the Metro, she asked where we were going. Railway station. Then she gestured to go ahead and go down into the station. There were very few people around but we thought nothing about it since it was the middle of the day. We were on Line 1 and had to go through the major interchange (Peoples Square, similar to Five Points from Marta but with about 5 times the number of people, it’s a major interchange and always has the most people) and stay on the same line for a few more stops to get to the Railway station. We figured we would have plenty of time since the train didn’t leave until 2:21 (or 14:21 in local terms).

The first subway train ran straight through the station without stopping which seemed a bit unusual but we just stood there and waited for our train. The next train stopped by a few moments later and we hopped on. It didn’t move for several minutes and we wondered what was the holdup but since the locals didn’t seem to notice, we did as the locals and sat and waited. The lights went off on the car but came back on within seconds. Another 30 seconds later, it happened again. But soon enough, the doors closed and we were on our way to Peoples Square. Along the way, the car slowed for some reason but it picked speed back up again and the voice told us we were arriving at Peoples Square station.

We immediately noticed that something was quite right as we arrived into Peoples Square interchange and we saw no one….I mean nobody. The place was empty, nothing, nada. Something was wrong because this can’t be normal, Shanghai is a huge city and the metro is always crowded and to see no one in the major interchange was kind of eerie. It brought back memories of driving back into Atlanta from SC on 9/11. The highways were virtually empty with very few cars on 285 and the traffic signs indicating “National Emergency: Airport closed”. That was so strange and this reminded me a lot of that. The locals didn’t really say too much or seem to notice but something was wrong, you could feel it. We were in the front car of the metro and there is a line monitoring station right there by the front car. You can see at the next stop (or somewhere else, I assumed it was the next stop) there were a lot of police, construction crews and others moving around frantically. Flashlights were being used all around the car we could see, both from inside and outside the car. A few metro line workers were on their radios talking and some announcements were being made. Of course we didn’t understand what they were saying so we stayed put (just like the locals). We figured that perhaps it was a delay of some sort. I walked closed to the monitors to see what was happening since it seemed that there was something wrong from what I could interpret from the monitor. The next thing we see is one of the metro line workers running up through the length of the train waving everyone off the subway. He seemed a little worried and so we stepped off and figured we would be waiting for another train or something. Once we stepped off, there were other metro line workers and security personnel waving us towards the exits and indicating that we were to leave and quickly (kwai le! kwai le!). Now we’re getting a little more anxiety than before, what was happening, a fire in the station, a crash, a chemical leak (attack)…it was all running through your mind. At the top of the stairs, on to another level for the subway, we noticed that all of the entrances and gateways between where we were to the other lines were closed (it was like a bunch of garage doors that had been closed shut), something we had never seen before. Usually the station was bustling with activity no matter which line you we headed to. You would crowd on to an escalator, walk through the maze and perhaps go back down another escalator to the next line or wherever. In this case, they even had the pay gates wide open for people to walk through. They didn’t seem to care about people getting charged; they just wanted you O-U-T! We finally exited out to the street wondering what just happened (and how we were going to get to the Railway Station).

As we wandered for a few moments to gain our bearings, we were approached by some college age kids that asked us the standard “Where are you from? How long have you been in China?” type questions. They were very nice kids, they even said “Merry Christmas” which was even more surprising. We asked if they knew what was going on and they indicated that there had been a crash on the metro line that morning. It kind of answered the question but we still had a lot of unanswered questions running through our heads (like sugar plums). They helped us figure out where to get a cab and we headed out to get a cab. We learned quickly that although there seemed to be an abundance of taxis in Shanghai, there weren’t enough. It was much more cutthroat than in Suzhou and we had a hard time hailing a cab. After about 20 minutes, one stopped and we hopped in only to be rebuffed by the cab driver as he wasn’t going to take us to the Railway station. We were angry but we got out like a good tourist. We didn’t expect it to take another 15-20 minutes to get another cab. While we waited, people would leapfrog ahead of us (towards the stoplights) to be the first people the cabbie would see so he would pick us up. We would move, they would move, we would move, they would move….you get the idea. In the meantime, I told Tammy that if the next driver would not take us, offer him 100 RMB for the ride (the ride couldn’t be much more than perhaps 25 RMB so he would make out like a bandit) to sweeten the pot. Finally, we got a taxi to stop and we were off to the Railway Station.

Finally we understood why the Metro was so popular. Traffic on the highways was a nightmare. It took us 15 minutes to go less than 5 km. The two left lanes barely moved while most weaved in and out in the two right hand lanes. It was bizarre to see how bad traffic was. We thought Suzhou was awful but we had no idea at all. We arrived at the Railway station at about 1:40 (and yes, we had to bribe the driver with the 100 RMB which he had to consider before accepting), which gave us a little time to get something to eat if we wanted it but we were kind of exhausted from the stress of the day and just wanted to go in and sit and wait for the train.

When we got home we searched the web for information on what happened and below is the official story from a Chinese news outlet.


SHANGHAI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Shanghai subway line that was closed early Tuesday after a system failure and subsequent collision of two trains, has reopened, subway authorities said.

The two trains, coded 150 and 117, both moving slowly, collided at 7 a.m. after a short circuit caused a power system breakdown in Shanghai Subway Line 1, said a spokesman with Shanghai Shentong Metro Co., Ltd (Shentong), which operates the line.

Train 117, which was empty, left the site at 10:17 a.m. after repairs. But the removal of Train 150 was delayed until 11 a.m. when the passengers trapped inside were rescued, the spokesman said.

He gave no details on how many people were in the train.

Train 150 was dragged out of the station at 11:48 a.m. and Subway Line 1 resumed normal operation at around 12:15 p.m.

No one was injured and Shentong was investigating the cause of the accident, he said.


We know where we live and we accept that the news is what it is, it comes with the territory. We were ushered out of the subway line at around 12:20 – 12:30 when according to the story the line was reopened so it makes you go hmmmm. We won’t go any further but needless to say, it was an interesting end to our quick trip to Shanghai. It makes you keenly aware that when a public transportation option shuts down, it impacts just about everything. One bad experience isn’t going to sour us on the Shanghai metro line, after all it’s the best way to get around and see the city. We’ll be back in a couple of months to see more of what Shanghai has to offer. Stay tuned as more stories will be added very soon pertaining to our short visit.

Back to the dreaded list

No culinary exploits to comment on this week so I fall back to the old top 10 list.

10. So its Christmas time right? Interestingly enough, it is Christmas time here. The Chinese people know who Santa Claus is and at the In City mall they lit the Christmas tree last weekend. Notice that it’s a Christmas tree and not the politically correct “holiday tree” or whatever the pc crowd is calling back in the States so they don’t offend anyone. It is not overblown or overhyped, they don’t beat you around the head with Christmas sales or other things but when you go around town, you can see small signs of Christmas on windows and stuff. One of the hotels, Hotel Mercure, out near the plant has a giant inflatable Santa Claus on the top floor, just reaching over the top of the building. It’s been there for about two weeks but when I first saw it, I was surprised. Of course, the Mercure is not a Chinese owned hotel chain but it was still interesting to see a huge Santa. Last night while we ate dinner at Visto (an Italian place) at the In City mall, they were pumping in the Christmas music big time. What was more interesting was hearing “Feed the World” (the irony of that song wasn’t lost on us as we’re sitting there), something I had not heard for years. They had all of the Christmas tunes going on so if you sat back and ate your dinner without looking around, you would never know you are in China.

9. Another note about the In City Mall, we walked to the mall which is about 1 km. We tend to walk to many places that are under 2 km away unless the weather is really bad. A total reversal of what we did in the US. In the US, even if I had to buy gas for the lawn mower from the corner gas station which was perhaps a 5 minute walk, I hopped in the van and drove over there to pick up the 1.5 gallons of gasoline. It seems so strange not to have a vehicle even after all of this time because you could do so much more but it is what it is. Anyhow, it was sprinkling a little so we carried the umbrellas to keep the rain off. When we walked inside the mall, we closed the umbrellas and tapped them on the floor mats to try and get the water off them. One of the aiyees from the mall came over and took our umbrellas and headed back to the front door (Somebody stop her, she’s taken our umbrellas!). There’s this stand at the door that we didn’t see where you take your umbrella, drop it down a hole in the top and then pull the umbrella out the side and bingo! Your umbrella is wrapped in a thin plastic “umbrella condom”. She hands them back to us and off we go. So now, as we walk around, any condensation from the umbrella gets trapped in the plastic bag and doesn’t drip on the floor (which could be a safety hazard or whatever). It seemed strange but “when in China”.

8. The church was holding their Christmas service today in a larger auditorium than normal so it was a much longer taxi ride to get to church. You had to carry your passport to ensure that you were not a local attending the church since I don’t think it is licensed or something to allow for locals to be a part of the church. Once you move into a government building that has been approved for the church, locals can attend but not until that point. I don’t know if you read about the mega church in China that was closed down for “various reasons” but it was a sobering reminder of where we are. Although we can worship as we choose (as long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves or try to recruit locally), it’s not the same for everyone. These are the times when you have to remember where you are and you need to understand and obey the rules regardless of any inner conflicts. You feel free to do many things but you always must be sure to keep a “low profile” in order to remain in the country. It’s just one of those trade offs that you have to accept or you’ll never make it here.

7. As you might imagine, the martial arts are a very important part of the culture here. You will see many older people practicing their Tai Chi in the mornings in the parks and other public places where there are trees and more of a natural surrounding. This week, on my way out to the bus, I saw an old lady doing here Tai Chi with a sword. Yes, that’s right, a nice shiny sword that she was using as part of this spiritual exercise of Tai Chi. It made me think that if she tried this in Atlanta, she would be hauled away for using a deadly weapon. Since Tai Chi moves in very slow motion, the only thing she was threatening was my attention span (Isn’t that interesting, there’s an old lady with a sword….I’ll stop and watch for a minute. BOR-ING! Oooh, look another scooter with 4 people on it, let’s see if they make it through the intersection.)

6. I’ve been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks now (H1N1?) which means that it was time to get some meds to try and alleviate some of the symptoms while my body tried to fend off the cold. You can’t just run down to Walgreens and pick up some cold medicine, it’s only sold at pharmacies, which don’t sell anything but medicines, no magazines, cards, etc. You also can’t find the stuff you would take in the US, none of the medicines that you are accustomed to taking and know which ones are for which symptoms. Instead here, you are relying on the people at the pharmacy to help you out. Tammy went to the place at Singa Plaza (the hangout area for Westerners) and demonstrated the symptoms to the people behind the counter. They went over and picked out the meds and headed for the counter. Take 4 of there 2 times a day and 1 of these three times per day. Tammy has to write it on the box to be sure she remembers and brings them home. What are they and what do they do? I’m not really certain but what are you going to do? The choices are pretty limited, either take the meds or don’t. I trusted that the medications were okay and so I took them. These were better than the 999 meds I took in March, those made me loopy. These ones diminished the symptoms of the cold and allowed me to function normally (which some could call loopy but it was a “normal loopy”). The most interesting part was when we needed more of the meds (they don’t sell the 50 tablet packs and stuff, typically there is a very limited amount of doses in every package they sell, usually about 3-4 days worth of the meds) Tammy took the package back and asked for more of these. The pharmacist then gave the “oh no, not those ones…try this instead” response. So she came home with another package (take two of these and call me in the morning…if you wake up) with similar instructions on the side of the box (2 pills, 3 times per day). It’s kind of maddening because even if you want the same stuff, you could be seen as insulting the pharmacist (at least I hope they were trained to do this as opposed to being told “sell this stuff or you’re out on your butt”) by not taking their recommendation. Either way, it worked and I’m feeling better, thanks for asking.

5. Since we’re on the topic of colds, the “Kleenex” tissues sold here aren’t like the stuff we are used to. Napkins…not the same. Paper towels…not the same. It’s odd but everything is different for whatever reason. The Kleenex seem to be more for show than for blow. They are much smaller and have much less strength than the stuff sold in the US. If you want to blow your nose here, better get either toilet paper or a paper towel if you don’t want the dreaded “boogie hands”. Perhaps we blow our noses differently but if you blow your nose with the force of a slight breeze, this thing explodes like a water balloon.

4. I’ve had the first Chinese fire drill at the plant just to ensure we are ready should anything happen. It wasn’t like I expected, after all a Chinese fire drill has a different meaning in the States. The most interesting thing was that once everyone was out of the building in the rally point, the safety guy asked for a head count to ensure everyone was out. The people started to get into formations, not crude formations but much like the military “fall in”, they started to assemble into groups of rows and columns. I had no idea where we were supposed to stand but I felt a little weird since I had not stood in formation in quite some time (and no one was yelling at me to “drop and beat your face”). You’ll see formations here quite often outside of restaurants and other establishments as the crews prepare for their shift. I’m never certain of exactly what they are told (“drop and give me 20”) or why they have these formations in a public place but it is definitely something I haven’t seen anywhere else.

3. I’m not very good at “Name that Tune” as many would attest. Riding home on the bus the other night, I heard some music that sounded familiar but it was in Chinese. I kept straining to hear over my fellow bus riders and tried to focus in on the music. The song was very familiar but it definitely was being sung with Chinese words to the same music. Okay, I can name that tune in 8 notes…I mean in English. It began to bug me because now I would keep replaying it until I could remember. But as luck would have it, when we stopped for a red light things dulled down enough that I got a good long listen to the song. It was definitely something from the Bee Gees; but what the heck was the name of the song? Of course I kept trying to sing through it myself (yes, I was using my inner voice, the one wearing the gold chains, wide collared shirt with the top 4 buttons undone, the bell bottoms and with the platform shoes). Finally….Nobody gets too much heaven no more, ta-dah!!! Admitting that I figured it out might actually be worse than saying I couldn’t figure it out. It was really strange to hear the Bee Gees sung in Chinese, the poor woman, she couldn’t hit the high notes like the Bee Gees but she tried.

2. Did you know that Amway is in China? I didn’t but I found out last week when I went to the neighborhood center for some supplies. A man there spoke with me briefly and indicated for me to call him as he handed me his list of Amway stuff to sell. Perhaps it’s just me but it seems a bit bizarre that an outfit like Amway with the quasi pyramid scheme (you call it what you like but to me it’s one of those borderline things) fits in with Chinese culture. I’m not certain but I’ve heard it’s kind of big here so perhaps it’s just me (and it usually is).

1. Last but not least, the past 6 months or so I’ve been working to bring our new plant online. As we’ve hired more people in and things begin to round into shape, there’s one thing I’ve noticed. I’m getting too old for some of this stuff. We have a large contingent of very young people working for the company, some from technical school which puts them somewhere below 25 years old. I try to show how some things are done which requires a little bit of manual effort to demonstrate the technique/process. I never thought some of this would bother me but there are days where I feel really old out there. I feel like I need an afternoon nap and then I need to go out on the porch in my rocking chair and talk about the good old days and how these young whipper-snappers can’t cut the mustard. Perhaps it’s the lack of getting the exercise from the soccer league and stuff but there are times where it hurts just to sit in the bus on the way home (this really is more due to the distance between the seats being like a cramped airline since the gaps aren’t built for taller people). It’s all a part of getting older but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

My final thought for the week......What has happened to my Cowboys? Beware the ides of December or something like that. Thankfully I can't really watch the games so I have to read all about it. I just want to make the playoffs and win one stinking game to get the monkey off the back, is that too much to ask?

Hairy Crab

Saturday I got to take another dip into the pool of local cuisine. I was working in the plant when one of our engineers (Jerry) approached me and asked me to join them for lunch; they were headed out to eat hairy crab. I tried quickly to find a polite way of declining the offer, after all I brought in my PB&J sandwich and I didn’t want to be wasteful. Unfortunately for me, I’m much quicker on my feet with quick one-liners or sarcasm than I am in trying to avoid those cultural land mines that exist over here. It was very nice of them to think of me BUT I don’t eat crab (never had it in the US either, heck I’m from Maine and I really don’t eat lobster) and I have not heard many positive things about the crabs so I tried to turn on my thinking cap but my battery died. Jerry was very nice when I attempted to decline but he was insistent that he wanted me to join them, it would be a quick lunch he said…..so I accepted and said a quick prayer that I wouldn’t be killed by eating this local delicacy (available a limited time only).

Here’s some education material on the hairy crab. The hairy crab is a freshwater crab that is most famous from Yangcheng Lake which happens to be here in Suzhou (lucky me). The crab is officially known as the Chinese Mitten Crab and considered to be a delicacy in Shanghai cuisine. It’s not a large crab, the body is about 9 – 10 cm wide. It’s very pricey and depending on the time of year, it is considered better to eat either the male or the female crab (although when you order, they sell both the male and female together). In the winter, the female crab is more delicious (or so they say) for the roe (which I’m not certain what the roe really is but Andrew Zimmerman loves it so I suspect it’s not for everyone). It’s called the hairy crab due to the hair on the legs of the crab.

So, about noon Jerry pops by and we head out to eat at the local establishment that specializes in the hairy crab. Upon arrival to the restaurant, we are ushered past a bunch of tanks on the first floor (the tanks are all on the floor) containing the crabs. It smelled like you would think; a very strong fishy smell….just enough to “wet the appetite”. They are pulling the crabs out of the water and tying them up in a bundle like a little Christmas present (a live Christmas present). So we walk by and head upstairs to eat. It’s not what you would call a fancy place to eat but many of the best eateries here aren’t the fancy places. They are pouring green tea (and just to be sure you understand; this isn’t a little cup of tea with a tea bag. It’s a tall glass with dried tea leaves at the bottom that they add hot water to and allow the tea leaves to settle to the bottom of the glass for tea. So from all outward appearances, it looks like someone has put grass clippings in hot water in a tall glass, makes you want some doesn’t it). The menu comes out and they look and ask if I want to order, it’s all in Chinese so I let them do the ordering (while I do the praying). They brought the three Westerners invited to lunch Cokes so we could drink something more “normal” for us (I don’t drink a lot of soda either but I wasn’t asking for the water if you know what I mean…I think you do). So while they wait, the pack of cigarettes are passed around the table for the pre-meal smoke, I was able to decline this without any issue. Then the meal begins to arrive.

First up, what appears to be green beans (they looked very different but when asked they agreed that they were beans) and fried, crispy smelt. A very tiny fish, fried whole. I grab some of the beans and pass the plate. They waited on the Westerners for first taste of everything at the table so we were kind of stuck. I popped a bean into my mouth and think, wow, this is really, really, really tough. I continue to chew and think “how it is possible to get a green bean this tough?”. I stare at the other beans on my plate and notice that there is something not right here. As I look closer, I notice that these are soy beans, you aren’t supposed to eat the husk, just the bean. Darnit!!!! I was able to chew through the first one (after about 5 minutes of jaw breaking work) but now I take stock of what’s on the table before I accept their answer since they were right, it was a bean but not a green bean. I passed on the fried smelt, had this before and not really going to try it again. Then out comes the sliced silky tofu with a spicy sauce, topped with vegetable and a black duck egg. Ugh, this is going to get worse as it goes. I took a small bit, I can’t stand the texture of the tofu but I was able to get it down without gagging. Oh boy, next is a plate of snails (or I should be clearer by saying it’s the snail shells). They show me how to get the “meat” from the shell and eat it. You can either suck it out (which I was told is something that distinguishes a local from other Chinese) or use a toothpick to get at the meat. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t like you really ate anything. It was such a small snail shell that the “meat” wasn’t enough to really even chew. I ate a few and then the guy next to me pours a big spoonful on my plate just to be sure I have enough (gee thanks). At this moment, I was really beginning to dread the arrival of the crabs. Then comes the pork cubes (cubes of fat with small sections of meat , it was like 4 layers of fat with one thin layer of meat) in a soy sauce with chestnuts. A lot of fat here but it seems the locals love this dish; I ate one piece since I’m not really into eating large quantities of fatty tissue. It wasn’t bad but how about reversing the meat to fat ratio? This is they way I have seen it done since I’ve been here, so it just is what it is. Then the small shrimps (complete) in a broth and some green, crunchy vegetables (nobody knew what to call this, it was a bright green like a kiwi but was very crunchy and had little to no flavor), lotus root, whole chicken (and I mean whole) in a big pot with “broth”. Everyone is eating pretty well at this time (except for me, I’m still sampling the meal (this is the time where you miss the dog under the table) when the main course arrives.

Here come the little orange buggers complete in their wrapping paper. This is when I learn that the females are more delicious than the males at this time of season, so of course they dig out the females for us to eat. They showed us how to tell the difference between the male and female (another in a long line of useful tidbits that I will never have to use again). Now I have to learn how to eat it from a guy that speaks no English so I put on my game face and get ready to tackle the crab. First, take off the string holding the thing together (duh!). One interesting thing is that the claws have like a coating of mud (or what appears to be mud) on one side. I don’t know what this was but I wasn’t asking questions (and I wasn’t eating the claws). So after unwrapping the gift, I’ve got to learn how to open it up. First, I’ve got to pull out a section of the underbelly of the shell and toss that aside, nothing to eat here (whew!). Then, using my two thumbs, I grab the edge of the top shell with my left and just below that with my right and pull it apart. He indicates to me that I’m to eat all of this orange stuff left inside the top shell of the crab, which is the roe. I take a deep breath and dig in with my chopsticks to get at some of this roe stuff and do the taste test. It actually wasn’t so bad, I don’t know that I can describe the flavor but it wasn’t delicious and it wasn’t awful so I could eat it and look happy (but of course there is the dreaded “next day” when you really know if what you ate was good or bad). They showed me how to add some sauce to the shell to mix in with the stuff and slurp it out from the shell. What is left for the body of the crab needs to have the gills removed. Remove those, break off the legs and start prying it apart to get at the meat. Keep in mind, this is a small crab so when I say meat, I’m talking about a small amount of the stuff. So while I continue to pull the caveman routine and tear apart this crab to suck out the meat, everyone at the table is doing the same thing. When I stopped for a moment to focus on just listening to what was going on around me, it’s a concert of slurping and cracking as the crabs go down. The Chinese tend to be very loud eaters, enjoying their food and letting you know that they are eating. This just kicked it up a notch with the crab shells and all. So, there I am crackling and gnawing at the shells, trying to get every last scrap of meat on this small creature. The juices of the crab are all over my hands, creating an interesting orange staining to the fingers. They hand us napkins to wipe our hands but it doesn’t really diminish the stain much or the smell of the crab from our fingers. In the meantime, more food comes to the table, a big plate of fish, eggplant and dumplings are served. This is after the crab so it’s beginning to be a bit much now. We eat what we can (or what we want) and sit back to let the food settle. When we do this, they talk to the waitress and in a few moments she comes into the room with a big glass bowl with hot water and tea leaves. The locals tell us that we should wash our hands in the tea to get rid of the smell. Sounds dumb (snipe hunting anyone?) but we have to trust and go ahead and wash our hands in this bowl to clean up from the crab. This is one of those urban legends because my hands still smelled like the crab no matter what they said. AND it was about a 2 hour lunch to boot….quick lunch my butt! I should’ve known better (I’ve seen how they order a meal) but it was about the experience more than anything else. Now I can say that I’ve eaten hairy crab.

Would I have it again….I’m not sure. It wasn’t bad but I’m not much of a seafood eater as I indicated earlier and I really don’t like having to fight for my food scraps as part of the meal plan. However, I’m thankful that they invited me because this would not have been the same meal with a bunch of Westerners.