Next Time, I'll Do the Ordering

I am going to err on the side of blogging out of chronological order.  This is due to a particularly interesting experience today that I wanted to pass along.  Here goes. 

So, today was my first day in the office in Shanghai.  The building is magnificent and the company I work for occupies the top three floors.  Geographically it is across from the famous Jing'an Temple, which is majestic in it's own right.  Therefore, as of 9am this morning, my project was underway (more news to come in later posts). 

The high point so far was lunch.  The team leader here in China wanted to show some real Shanghai hospitality so he took us out for a traditional Shanghai lunch.  When he asked “Is there anything you no eat”, I replied, “I typically like cooked food – no raw”.  I thought I was safe…

I will try to give you a perspective of the meal.  The lunch cuisine was as follows:

·         Chicken Claws – They actually taste like chicken…the feet of the chicken

·         Boiled Pig Skin – yes, you read that correctly.  It tasted like regular skin but with less taste.

·         Jellyfish – Somewhere between cartilage and tendon.  But not as tender. 

·         Broccoli – Thank heavens

·         Barbecue Pig Fat – Was described as a “very special dish”.  Was a lot like large cubes of unflavored gelatin coated in a rich barbecue sauce. 

·         Pickled Turnip – A solid option vs. everything else on the table

·         Pig Stomach and Intestines – Not kidding.  I laughed when they said what it was as though they were joking.  They weren’t.  Taste was indescribable.  Not necessarily in a good way.

·         Dessert – Cubed Watermelon – By the time it came, I was no longer hungry.

Just wanted to keep you informed.  Regretfully, I did not take a photo because I left my camera in the office.  When I expressed my regrets for this, one of my Chinese colleagues stated “No worry, we will have many more time”.  YIKES!!!