Food

One of the hardest things for me in China so far is finding a healthy balance of food groups. Before I came out here.. almost four months ago... I was doing an incredible job thanks to a certain someone as far as eating very healthy- lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, big spinach salads and wraps, smoked turkey and grilled chicken. Makes me drool just thinking about it! In Shanghai it has been incredibly difficult for me to find this same Farmer's Market fresh variety of foods. The past few months I go in spurts of eating a lot and then not being hungry ever and having to remember to eat thanks to co-workers.

This for me has been one of the biggest difficulties I have had to face here so far, and know many others with the same frustration. The food is quite delicious for the most part- don't get me wrong- but eating boiled, soggy vegetables, oil, grease, salt and MSG laden food with a side of starch (aka rice or noodles), that can't be good.

Eating out is much easier and oftentimes cheaper than making food. I always have a loaf of whole wheat bread in my cupboard however, along with peanut butter, oats and munchies: crackers,

cookies and dried hawthorne berries/ sweet potatoes. The refrigerator is quite empty as well:

strawberry jam, a few apples every once in a while, block of cheese and if i recently was grocery shopping some green peppers and lettuce mix to make salads. Typically my salads are bought at the convenient store just outside the apartment.

Typical lunch/dinner:

This is a bowl of lamian noodles ordered from downstairs. Hand-pulled noodles with a light sauce and a few veggies and a bit of beef thrown in. Delicious but again, cooked vegetables and an oily MSG laden sauce.

If motivated a typical lunch can be:

or

So it is possible to eat healthier, there's just a lot more effort than what I'm used to. But as far as fresh fruits and vegetables, the ones in the store make me wary, it is however my only option for now...

I recently found a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Shanghai. I am very excited about this find, but have yet to make my first order from it. It's super easy, order online from a list of 10 fruits/ vegetables and pick which 7 or so you want. Then they will deliver it to your door weekly- all for 99RMB... $14! You have to sign up for a 3 month minimum, but these veggies are grown organically at a farm just a few miles outside the city. Definitely will keep you updated and see how it turns out and document more of my journey along the way to finding fresh food and crunchy vegetables. And yes, this motivation was spawned by a silly yet fascinating food documentary "Food Matters." Got ten minutes in and was already feeling guilty about what I was eating and realized I need to make a change. Oh well, it's always nice to have good intentions towards better eating habits.

If interested info regarding Shanghai CSA can be found at: www.biofarm.cn

Autumn

As summer winds down and melts into fall, although it's cooling off in the U.S., it still feels like an August day in Orlando out here in Shanghai.

The mid-autumn festival is upon us out here in China. Through a quick search on Wikipedia, I found out that this is a holiday where traditionally families gather to admire the full harvest moon and eat mooncakes. I don't quite understand, however I will say that I am quite enjoying the vouchers work gave us for these mooncakes from Haagen- Dazs! I picked up my package of treats today which contained: 2 small tubs of ice cream, 2 chocolate covered bars and a mooncake shaped ice cream with a white chocolate coating. Delicious.

These are traditional mooncakes which come with a variety of fillings: pork to coffee to blueberry flavored.

Along with autumn comes Fashion Week. I have been especially interested in it this year because of the shopping opportunities (mostly fake for my budget..) in China. At the fabric markets you can have anything made for you, so how great would it be to get some quintessential pieces for this year tailored especially for you?! I have been doing my research and really looking forward to the fall/winter looks in muted/earthy color palates:

Skinnies have quickly become one of my favorite staples of a wardrobe and I am very happy

they are continuing on into the fall/winter season. Those bangles and booties are also stunning.

It seems as if anything over the knee (boots/socks) is also a trend

for this year. I love the textures, colors and laid back feel of this outfit put together by H&M.

Couldn't resist putting it up. There are many H&M out here so I'm looking forward to raiding their fall/winter looks!

Sweaters, boots and scarves always call my name this time of year as I tend to dress rush seasonal wear. For example: when it's 90+ outside and I have a sweater in tow anxious for the opportunity to wear it in the subway. This chunky sweater has that great boyfriend style. Pair with a belt, dark wash skinny jeans and either tall boots or just booties- perfect! Just need a boys wardrobe to raid now (shorts/shirts, sweaters)... Just be careful with this please and don't overdo it. If you choose one boy item glam it up with a girly/fitted/patterned top or bottom.

Anyhow, during my research of this years trends I also came across an interesting one that is very popular in Shanghai. I had no idea this was an actual trend, just thought it was a Chinese thing maybe? But here it is in all its glory... fancy socks with heels...

My all time favorite accessory? Nail polish. It's cheap, easy to change up and removable. Essie's new fall collection is hot. I'm especially in love with this color: Sew Psyched. A grayish green which is unique and accents fall/winter colors perfectly!

I'm trying to write a bit less and do more showing of Shanghai. It's a work in progress, I vow to start taking my camera with me more often to have photos to share :-)

Shanghainese Ramblings

A few random things that I have learned while living in Shanghai the past 2.5 months:

1. You can get ANY kind of food including personal favorite CJ's Chicago style pizza. This isn't even found in Los Angeles!

2. There is a seperate bike/scooter lane alongside most roads, but always, always look both ways when crossing the street. Even if it says walk... you may get hit by a bus/taxi/scooter..etc.

3. Speaking of scooters, you can also fit anything on them: families of up to 4, large dogs, propane tanks, doors, windows and more!

4. I never believed it, but yes! Whole birds (including heads) can be dried, preserved, put in a bag and sold in your local food store.

Mom- you won't like this one...

5. Midnight runs are the most exhilarating and refreshing that I have experienced. The air has cooled for the day, and if you run alongside the biking lane it's not busy and safe!

I have learned so much from this city. There will be more updates on this later on.

This photo was taken by Jenny (who also captured bird in a bag and propane scooter) while we were in Hangzhou. I'm just obsessed with it, this picture has such great character. It was taken while shopping in the market street. Love, love it Jenny!

And finally a quick fall fashion update from the Orient: denim print legging pants, flannel shirts and flow-y, flowery tops are all the rage. The best store for all your flannel needs? UNIQLO.

Made it!

Thunder!! I finally made it to Shanghai. Was welcomed by rain, clouds, a thunderstorm and humidity- have yet to see the sun! Monday we start training which I heard is a bit overwhelming, but I have met a few other co-workers and they are all extremely welcoming and said not to worry too much about it.

Shanghai itself is a crazy city! So many people, cars, horns, bikes and mopeds. There's definitely always something going on. I have only had one person get in my face to take a picture. This is not what the others here have experienced however. Apparently they were suckered into taking pictures with gobs of people for 15 minutes. yikes.

There are so many influences from other countries and this makes it very unique. It's... EuroAsian I guess. The people that are here are all very nice and interested in Americans and the English language. I surprisingly am already acclimated to not understanding anything that's going on around me- you never realize how much eavesdropping you do un-knowingly.

On the way out to dinner last night we went through the French Concession which is a very European influenced area. The streets are tree-lines and there are many art studios and small coffee shops/ cafes. So much pretty!

I have gone out to eat at a Chinese restaurant two nights now. The first was with work and the food was great! I love the eating style, they don't rush at all and being a slow eater, it's even better. Last night, I went to eat with some girls I have met through training and we experienced hot pot. It's very interesting- delicious though of course. You order different meats and veggies, make a sauce at the counter which has all different spices, peanut, sesame, etc sauce, herbs- mix it all up in a little bowl. Then the server brings out boiling broth (spicy or not) and you add the meat to the broth to cook it and dip it in the sauce. So good and it took forever to eat because there was so much!

However, I am already missing fresh produce terribly...