I love the smell of French fries in the morning! I came by a French fry stand in People’s Park in central Shanghai on the morning of Day 4. I figured, it wouldn’t be open if French fries weren’t meant to be eaten in the morning. I decided to forgo any of the sauces that were available as condiments. I usually just salt my fries. And anyway, condiments such as French Pork meat Floss Flavor, Passion Chocolate Sauce, or Signs Cheese (whatever that is) just weren’t doing it for me. I tried to get a picture of the woman at the counter, but she was as bashful as she was friendly. I stopped by a juice stand and got a passion pop–a juice concoction made with passion fruit, pineapple, lime, banana. Refreshing!
Surprise! I had a real breakfast. The fries were just a warm up. I went to an outlet of a local cafe chain and got a very Western breakfast of scrambled egg, bacon, and toast. The young woman at the counter was exceedingly friendly, but also bashful. At that point, I basically gave up on trying to take pictures of the locals.
During my walk around the French Concession, I got a frozen banana-flavored thing that came in a sturdy plastic tube. I had a hard time getting the thing open, and I chewed on way too much of the plastic. I finally managed to suck most of the banana-flavored content out, all the while making a big sticky mess.
Once again, at the end of the day I was hungry and hoping for some authentic Chinese food. I was so excited to find a place off East Nanjing Road with an English menu. As turned out to be case in so many places I went, the waitress was eager to take my order moments after I took my seat. This was not advantageous because, like at so many places I went, the menus were as thick as bibles, with extensive offerings and pictures of everything. I hadn’t gotten all the way through the menu yet, but the braised catfish in soy sauce looked good. It came out quickly and, as you can see, the sauce was topped with an orange oil slick. I realized soon, as I should have figured ahead of time, the catfish was a whole fish, chopped up into pieces. It was mixed with vegetables and other things which may or may not have been fish parts. I ate what I could deal with and left the rest. The waitress asked if everything was okay, and I assured her it was. The best part was when I got to use what appears to be the most powerful word in Chinese (at least one that a Westerner can easily pronounce): “Maidan!” In other words, “Check please!” The check appeared with the same speed as the waitress had earlier, prepared to take my order. And this happened at every restaurant where I used it. Good word to know. (This reminded me a lot of my favorite word used to get results in Italian: “Permesso!” which means “Get out of the way. Please!” Say it, and Italians part in front of you like the Red Sea.)
Well, it’s probably not a good sign when asking for the check is the most memorable part of a meal. I had reenergized my spirit after a shaky start to my trip. But 4 days in, I was still waiting for a good Chinese meal. Where’s P.F. Chang’s when you need it?
[Disclaimer: Many people have heard me state that I don’t eat red meat. However, I do eat red meat when I travel overseas. This is for two reasons. One, I don’t want to unnecessarily restrict myself when it comes to trying local dishes. Two, sometime it’s hard to get something that doesn’t contain beef or pork when eating overseas. This was especially true with all the dumplings I had in China. You can count on them having been filled with pork.]
That braised catfish looks interested. Maybe not as interesting as “Signs Cheese,” though. 🙂
I think it was more like bruised catfish.