Friday I finally got to cover all the new info on the signs we were there to inspect, do the inspection testing, and generally make some progress on the issues that brought me to the east. It all went well and was something of a relief given the evaporative nature of our schedule the previous few days. Planning a schedule or itenerary in China seems a lot like chalk-drawing on the sidewalk in a thunderstorm. At the end of the day we were very honored to receive parting gifts from the supplier, a very beautiful, traditional Chinese tea set and a selection of fine tea each for Dave and I. It was a lovely gesture and I plan on using mine a great deal. I've become quite fond of having tea and the unimagineably delicate tea set is the perfect service for it. After presentation of the gifts we all gathered in the lobby for a group photo, something that's very important for them as well as us. If you look closely, the small pink sign says something about welcoming their "Honorable guests from Aero Eagle." They obviously didn't know us well when making the sign....
Sean, Kelly, Freya, Dave B, me, Mr. Kuang, Tony, and Ivy
After the photo shoot we headed into Shenzhen City for one last dinner, this time at a well known Sichuan restaurant. More spicy food ensued, this time with local Snow beer instead of Tsingtao. The into was three small dishes of variously spicy appetizers, a firm tofu with a distictly cheese-like texture, thin sliced pig ears served cold (!) and sprouts of some variety. This was quickly followed by the requisite dumplings, this time with a layer of toasted sesame seeds on the bottom for an unexpected, smokey crunch. The first big dish was a fish soup, almost hot-pot style, that featured heavily on Sichuan flower peppers. These little things were known to me by reputation but never by experience. The flavor was wonderful and the burn was unlike aything else I've had. It started as a tingle on the very center of my tongue and grew quickly to real heat, possibly as a result of the other peppers in the dish. The feeling was kind of like the aftermath of burning your tongue on hot coffee, or maybe the way a cold carbonated drink kind of sizzles your tongue if you drink it really fast on a hot day, all while maintining a slightly floral bouquet. We also tried several types of tofu (all good), some special medicinal greens that I think they grow as decorative hanging baskets stateside (weird, weird flavor), a lovely sweet-spicy shimp and peanut dish, more cold spicy chicken, and sliced cold pork that was then dipped in powdered dried peppers. Of course there were a couple types of noodles but instead of hot tea we had hot soymilk, something I found that I really enjoy. Of course their soymilk is fresh pressed, barely sweetened and not thickend, unlike all the "health food" soymilk here that is thickly, sweetly vanilla'd. Heaven forbid it actually tasted like soymilk instead of trying to pull off a lack-luster milk impression.
One of the final items was a large meatloaf-esque concoction that was made with beef shortribs molded in with rice flour, layered on top of a kind of cooked gourd similar in taste to acorn squash. Although the flavor wasn't like anything I'd had, it immediately nailed my comfort-food button. I could easily see it being a favorite in cold months. Here's a short video showing the beginning of dinner. If you look quickly, you can spot our "box of beer" on the floor by the table. This is a plastic industrial tote filled with ice and beer, the much-better equivalent to the American "Bucket of Beer."
Driving through Shenzen City at night, I was again reminded of the movie Blade Runner. With the haze of pollution, the LED screens 5 stories tall, massive cranes, construction and neon-lit alleys, actual Shenzhen was not unlike the toxic waste world in the movie. I hope it will never proceed to the levels of toxicity and disrepair seen in Ridley Scott's film, but it certainly looks closer than anywhere else I've been. It has a certain sci-fi charm that you can see in Whedon's "Serenity" and "firefly" as well, never letting you forget that all is not well while still charming you.
No comments:
Post a Comment