Maybe it's the economic climate, maybe it's just the freezing conditions, but I'm happy that dinner parties are back in season and my friends know how to cook. Since I know I'm absolutely going to lose the piece of paper I wrote this down on, here's the beef and broccoli recipe I got from Cristina:

(all of the following measurements are very approximate)

• Marinade: 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbl water, 1 tbl cornstarch
• Cook: Combine, a 1/2 cup light soy sauce with a 1/2 cup dark soy sauce, 4 tbl spoons oyster cause and 1/2 cup of H2O.
• Add tbl spoon of baking soda, dash of salt and sugar
• Cook meat and veggies until 2/3 the way done
  
• Combine meat and veggies with sauce and finish cooking

Cris' Mac + Cheese:
Boil up some pasta (salt the water well)
While that's boiling melt about a stick of butter some
Cook chopped onions and season with salt and pepper
When the onions get soft sprinkle about flour by the spoonful and stir until you get a rue.
Add milk to onions to thin it out until it resembles an alfredo sauce
Once you've got the white sauce throw in heaps of shredded cheese (best is extra sharp cheddar and gouda)

Gotta love new year's, another 3-day weekend to sleep/recover (Glamour and New Heights were packed last night) and catch up on movies and what's going on in the world with Ro who's in from BJ for the weekend to play. Went down to Taikang Lu for brunch today (Kommune of course). I know new stores there have been capped but there are so many more stores there now then when I was there last. I love wondering around there, I hope the new subway line won't destroy it (a girl can hope, right?). I was a bit disappointed that it looks like Bing was gone.

Think I might have my "themed review" for an upcoming issue now. I've been waiting to do one on humus. Right now I'm thinking:
1) Kommune--their dips
2) Barbarossa--their basic humus
3) Haya's--humus with meat

When posting up in Kommune, you gotta take advantage of the Wi-Fi there, so in what's seeming to become a tracking of my Google reader, here are some of the news that's caught my eye when enjoying the great pumpkin soup (although only a decent fruit salad).

• Chinese Courts Convicts 11 in Microsoft Piracy Case
• Freakeconomics blog response to the report of spike in black death rates
  
• Dumbest Gaffs on the Economy
  

You know you've been at CW too long when...
... the list of parties on here makes me kind proud, NYE Shanghai 2009 Events. At least I got to practice my killer (basic) html skills. Always a silver lining. Now the question is, where to go...

Scary to know someone else reads this blog. I need to post some corrections to last night's entry about my visit to Roosevelt Prime.

George Chen, one fo the owners of the venue shot me a response to my notes from my interview with the chef--guess I need to keep up the Chinese studies. Easier the paraphrasing it, here's the email Joanne/I received from him (more beef education than most of us every thought we'd have:

"I want to clarify that although U.S. beef is technically not allowed in China (politics) ... it is available through gray markets in HK as with many luxury items. Other steakhouses (San Francisco Steakhouse in Hongqiao, etc.) claim they use USDA also but who really knows in China. We choose to use U.S beef because it is the best and worth the hassle. Besides, FDR's grandson is my partner in the venture and Roosevelt is about as American as you can get.

BTW, the 'Butler' named for the private golf club in Chicago where the cut was first introduced is nearly 4" uncooked and about 3" done. All the beef is grain fed and corn finished (very important) as this is very different that grass-fed as mostly in Australia, etc. (story is incorrect) as the beef is raised humanely at famed ranchers in the Midwest and cut in packing houses in Chicago. We have limited supply so we have a small place for friends and such and treat it almost like a private club."

Thanks for the correction!

Today was a packed one, but here are the articles (about China/Shanghai) that caught my eye today:

• The Cases Behind The Cases Of Journalists Being Arrested I'd say that this piece gets to me because of general journistic empathy, but considering I'm a Marketing Specialist guess that reason is out the window. What's concern I guess is not simply some of the shoddy cases behind some of the accusations, but it's that in many cases involve much more, and that informants are often arrested.
  
• Top Ten Sex-Related Incidents In China Enough said here. Good year-end wrap up for the things that have kept China giggling, debating and talking for most of the year.
• When to Divorce? Where's the Christian right when you need them? This'll keep them busy for a while
  
• Kunming Bus Bomber Confession (1) (2) The first one's from the NYTimes, the second one's the Shanghaiist. Although the Shanghaiist is open to the thought that the confession isn't bs, I hope they'll be open to the though that it is. Maybe the materials were found at his house but that seems to be about the only thing that fits. The bus bombings were highly technical, well timed and some of most sophisticated that China's seen. As for the cafe bomb, well, it was far from techinal and the guy was unable to successfully get away from the bomb before it prematurely exploded due to what can only be assumed to be shoddy craftsmanship. Did he just forget how to make a bomb?
  

Gotta love great cover stories--especially ones about the best steak in Shanghai. Gotta sample what you write about, no? Joanne is doing the brunt of the red meat munching, but went to Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse with her on Sunday and sampled The Delmonico (Ribeye Prime 16oz, 448g, 1.5" think) and The Butler (Bone-In Filet Prime, 16oz, 148g, 1.5" thick). Too bad I didn't get photos but here's one from the aftermath when I got home (could only finish 1/2 of this RMB1,000 steak):


The truffle macaroni and side dish was the lip-smacking and the Casa Mojito Ginger (Havanah Club dark rum, fresh mint, fresh lime, sweet ginger and a splash soda) was a surprising twist. Definitely going to consider it for a drink pick in a few issues. Chatting with the Chef after, he also recommended the The Cowboy (damn, missed that one so will need to go back), which is "Ribeye Prime 240oz (660oz) 2.0" thick".

It's interesting that most chefs we've talked to for this issue say that the rib eye is their favorite cut on their menu--I didn't get the whole explanation as to why but apparently it has to do with the amount of marbling, salt content and Western preferences for the cut. Since it's popular with laowai, the chefs work to perfect that cut. What's also interesting is the chef was pretty direct about his thoughts on importing US beef (it's illegal to do that in China). The venue says, unabashedly, that they use U.S Prime meat. The chef explained (in Chinese so I didn't get the whole explanation), the reason they take the risk to "import" U.S beef. Essentially it comes down to taste (surprise). He explained that U.S. cows are the only ones grass-fed for their whole lives which effects the health of the cow and therefore the meat. Nothing groundbreaking but interesting he felt that the difference in taste (vs. say Aussie beef) was worth the risk.

Tonight Todd and I hit ARCO Latina, a Brazilian steak house.
Meat was solid and service was impressive (amazing for China) but buffet was disappointing no matter how large--but then again I guess we weren't there for that. The best part if the meal was Oscar:



Very cool Bolivian guy serving up meat at a Brazilian steakhouse in Shanghai. Globalization anyone? Other than chatting about the different types of meat, he also helped show me that although I still understand Spanish, when I try and speak it, I speak Chinese. Ooops. Off to the Spanish book group I guess...

You know you've made it when you have your own ChinaSMACK blog. Here's her plug for the interview we ran with Fauna in the Dec. 18-31 issue.

Here's the original, unedited version Fauna sent me (yes, I prefer to do interview via email if possible to there's a paper trail if people decide they don't like something we've published):

ChinaSMACK started pretty recently but seems to have taken off, did you think your blog would be accepted so quickly?

Before I started chinaSMACK, I knew I wanted to do something that I will be very serious about and put a lot of my time and energy into it. If I did not commit myself, I could not feel comfortable about borrowing so much money to pay for the hosting service plan. So, I spend a lot of time to research and learn how to help promote my website.

Why did you start ChinaSMACK? (Boring but have to ask)

I wanted to create something. It was natural to create something using what I know and like to do: reading BBS on the internet.

What's up with the name ChinaSMACK?

My website is about China. I think the name is easy to remember and SMACK is only a sound. Later, I learned that SMACK is also a nickname for drugs. If people think my website is a drug, maybe that is not a bad thing also.

What do you hope Chinese people take away from your blog?

Do not be so serious.

What do you say to Chinese people who think you're just airing dirty laundry?

Do not be so serious.

What's been your favorite post so far?

This is a difficult question. I liked our posts for the Sanlu milk powder incident, because I think we were one of the first English websites to translate so much information about it when it happened. I liked the Lin Jiaxiang post too, because we posted about it early too. The TVXQ incident post was also big but we were slow about that. There was so much happening and maybe most people do not care, but it was an interesting thing that happened.

What has been the most popular post so are?

"China Does Not Have Any Men Suitable For Me" has the most comments.
"Shanghai Orient Shopping Centre Kappa Girl" has the most visit.

Why do you think that is?

It is difficukt to know when a post will have a lot of comments. It usually depends on the commenters and their discussion or arguments. Sometimes they talk about things that are not related to the original post anymore. The posts which usually have a lot of visits are posts with more shocking or sexy content. That is normal.

What kind of feedback have you gotten about the site?

Most of the feedback have been good. Sometimes, but very rarely, I receive hateful feedback. That kind of feedback is useless to me. Most people appreciate that chinaSMACK shows more interesting sides of Chinese people and the Chinese internet. That means we are successfully doing what chinaSMACK is about. I am glad.

Why avoid political issues on the blog? Aren't those topics important ones to get a dialogue going about?

I think a lot of other English language blogs about China already talk a lot about the political issues. Actually, we still translate many political comments on chinaSMACK, and sometimes it is difficult to say what is something we will not talk about. In general, we just want to focus on more social things that most normal Chinese netizens are talking about.

Aren't many social issues now political?

Yes. However, Chinese people angry at the government because of a bad official who abuse little girls is different from Tibet independence or democracy. Chinese people care more about the bad government official.

Do you think blogging has changed how we get news and information? Why/Why no?

I think blogging gives people more choices for information and helps some people make their voice louder. It helps people share more information with each other and have more conversations with each other.

Why did you start the Chinese secrets series?

Because reading people's secrets shows you just that everyone is actually really weird.

What was the most shocking secret someone has revealed?

I do not remember. I think walking around the house with period leaking everywhere is pretty shocking.

What are your future plans for ChinaSMACK?

I want it to grow into a convenient place for all foreigners to learn more about Chinese modern society, to see more sides of Chinese netizens and Chinese people including the good and bad. I must find a way to develop chinaSMACK so everyone who contributes can gain something useful to them. All of us are doing this for fun right now, but we spend a lot of time and energy so I hope everyone can be rewarded some how.

Why do you think the blog disserves to win the Chinalyst China Blog Awards?

I do not think we deserve to win but I wil be very happy if it does. We are very new and I think many of the blogs on Chinalyst are much older than we are and I have not seen all of them. However, I am sure many of them are very good blogs too. I do not hope for too much. It is just a fun competition and if we win, that will be nice. If we do not, I am sure it is because another blog deserves it more. That is okay. The more important thing to me is to just to share more about Chinese netizens with foreigners.

Where/when can people vote?

People can vote at www.chinalyst.com until 2008 December 31. My recommendation is to vote through the link on www.chinaSMACK.com. :)

The (China) news that's I'm reading today:

• Lao Shi (teacher) Gui from 56minus1: Born in 1917, she's seen more in her lifetime than most of us ever will. If you're looking for China, here it/she is.
  
• ChinesePod theft: Gotta love it when a former employer squirms. Can't believe Aric's the whistle blower here (sure there's a back story there I just don't know) but looking like ChinesePod stepped in it and I'm not exactly sorry. Looking forward to Frank coming back to the 'Hai and hopefully writing for CW though.
  
• South Beauty makes headlines. No major comentary here but kind of interesting to see how they're looking for capital in this climate

And then possibly the most worrisome news from South China Morning Post:

24m jobs must be found next year to ensure social order, says official

"The central government would need to create 24 million jobs next year to maintain social stability on the mainland, a senior labour official said in Beijing on Tuesday. But even that number might still fall short of demand as the economy continues to slow and as jobless workers move around the country, according to Yu Faming , director general of the department of employment promotion at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security."

This mean foreigners are getting kicked out again? Interesting that it's now finally possible to get 12-month, multi-entry F visas again in the face of this kind of need for job creation but we'll see how this plays out.

From Where There Be Dragons

What would Chanukah be (in the 'Hai or elsewhere) without at vodka and latkah celebration? Of course it had to be at Michael and Xenia's with their classic menorah. Although not in the pictures, there was plenty of vodka to go around for Michael, Xenia (aka Sharry Leibowitz), Todd Lowe (aka Todd Lowenstein), Bob, Howard, Xiao Mei and Chelsea. Oh the holiday spirit in Shanghai abounds.

I forgot to post this last week.

Last week I got to go to a lecture, on a Saturday. Definitely not something people jump at the chance to do... but then again it was Thomas Friedman. His speech was far from inspiring - he was supposed to talk about "The World is Flat 3.0" but instead talked about the 2.0 version. For an hour he literally just pulled paragraphs from the book and put them into a speech - I know because I was following along in the book I brought with me. To his credit though, he presented the paragraphs pretty well. He's a good public speaker (Surprise). Also found out an interesting tidbit - he hates cell phone. Barely uses his he says. Hmmmmm. Know there should be a deep, witty comment after that but oh well.

The saving grace and the more insightful part of the lecture was the Q and A where he addressed oil dependence (pretty much in the same vain as his columns), how those who don't have transferable skills with recover from the outsourcing that he supports (no good answer - he'd be able to run for office if he did), and education. Not a bad range of questions and great to listen to him think on his toes even a little bit. Oh yeah... and a good way to end the lecture:

I recently saw a little old lady beat up a cop. Now granted most SH cops don't even carry gun but it's still great to see old women laying down the law. Since I've never seen a police car with it's siren's on, or them arresting anyone, I was kind of curious what the SH police actually do. I went to their website...

From the mission statement: the SH police's purpose is to "manage the masses"

Not quite "serve and protect is it?" And after the little old lady incident, I think they might want to rethink the mission statement.

Here's to another lovely piece of information about SH.

Miss you guys! And can't wait to see everyone in Dec!

Quick post...

Yesterday in class I was teaching about formal and informal invitations to one of my long term classes. We were going over words that describe people's food prefs. Vegetarian... vegan... etc. Being the good Jew that I am, I put Kosher on the list. To keep it simple I said they don't eat pork. Before I continues with other simplified rules, one of my fav students chimes in, "Neither does Saddam. Saddam is kosher." At this point I almost lost it. It's bad to laugh at your students but hopefully he thought it was with him. He was so proud of himself.

Tried in vain to do the whole, Catholicism comes from Judaism, and Islam stems from the same place therefore we have very similar rules. WAY over their head. Here religion is a superstition.

So moral of the story. Saddam is Kosher...