Stewing in Chengdu

So tonight I had my second hot pot dinner. Sichuan is the home of very spicy food and it is inevitably served family style, which means that everyone is diving in. Well, tonight I went into a restaurant that I had no idea what they served. In the middle of the table is a sunken burner, they bring in a wok-like vessel, which a person puts things into. It is like ordering from a sushi/sashimi list. Then each of the items is put on a plate and it is put into this "hot pot". I was given the choice of spicy, spicy, or three flavors. Most of the food has been no problem for me but I decided to not push it tonight. I ordered 8 items to go in the pot with a beverage. This proved to be too much for me to eat and it cost about $9, which is pretty expensive dinner compared my usual meals. One of the proteins that I ordered was a carp... I didn't know it was going to come whole. I sure hope it wasn't alive when they put it in there. Confession time: I got full before I could taste it or maybe I just ate around it. You figure it out. So, this is a stew Sichuan style.

The weather has also been stewing with the thuderstorms sans rain. It is very muggy.

For those of you who are trying to decide where you will stay the next time you come to Chengdu I'll give you a report comparing the four places that I've stayed at here. I have much prefered the hostels to the two hotels. Hostels are a place where people from all over the world come together and they expect to interact with other nationalities. This is in contrast to the hotels where people are isloated in their own world. The customer service has been much better at the hostels and they have had people with decent English skills. The hostels (Holly's and Dreams International) have individual rooms with showers or one can get a dorm room. My individual rooms have cost between $20-25 per night. This comes with as much Chinese television that I want (one English channel and the Chinese version of ESPN), telephone, bed... just like any motel. Holly's seems to have more non-Chinese whereas Dreams has more Chinese in it these last few days. Holly's cafe is much better and they don't charge for internet use. Dreams is newer and more modern, plus it costs a few dollars more.

My very first night here I stayed at the Kangding... and it is the worst of the four. I wanted a single- they said that foreigners couldn't stay in that building. I said I wanted a double, same story. I had to get a deluxe suite. I was so tired I said yes. Event that room only cost around $35. The fourth place was the Golden Ox- which is where the Chinese group stayed at the end of the tour. It was in a resort complex and was very well staffed. Don't know the price, but it was okay compared to U.S. resort standards... but maybe it is because I didn't speak the language to make use of the services.

A few things to think about:
- Today there was a report on the t.v. about the Chinese first future's market opening up. That means there is more disposable income, which means income levels are rising. Which means a larger middle class and greater consumption. There are 1.3 billion people here and other than skin color and language there is a lot of similarity between the youth cultures. Two exceptions: I haven't seen a tattoo or body piercing yet. Also, I've yet to see an obese child.

- KFC, McDonalds, WalMart... all have a presence here.
- The pride that the Chinese hold about hosting the Olympics next year very evident. Even in the reaches of E. Tibet there were street banners celebrating the coming Olympics. It is on buses, Coke cans, commercials, and in people's thoughts. They have a real pride at there rising prominance in the world. If you consider the material progress they have made in the last 40 years it is pretty remarkable.
- Sitting in Starbucks today within one of the historic districts today and I wondered whether the Chinese will ever make the shift to a coffee culture? I was also paging through some Chinese fashion and sports magazines that were laying around. There were some quotes in English, but the person being quoted was in Chinese. There was a picture of Prefontaine running. I'll close with one of the quotes that I can attribute: Success is never permanent and failure is never final. Mike Ditka