Walmart: 沃尔玛

Although I already mentioned going to Walmart in one of my previous posts I figured it deserved its own post since Walmart in China is definitely different than Walmart in the US. This became readily apparent when I went to the store this past week to buy supplies to make some pasta with marinara sauce. This process was a lot harder than it would've been in the US. In Durham I could've strolled into Walmart and bought a jar of marinara sauce and a box of pasta and been on my way in a matter of minutes. However, Chinese Walmart had neither of these things and I therefore had to buy ingredients to make sauce from scratch. The great thing was that the produce section was expansive and I was able to buy tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and some other veggies all for under $3 US. I also had to make do with thin rammen-like noodles as a substitute for traditional spaghetti (but it was similar to angel hair pasta and worked just as well). At the end of the day my trip was a success and although my marinara sauce didn't taste quite as good as my Mom or Grandma's it wasn't half bad and made for a great meal. 

The fruits of my labor.

However, while I was there I noticed many other differences between this Walmart and its traditional US counterpart besides its lack of canned marinara sauce. I luckily had my camera with me and snapped a few pics while I was shopping. I'm not sure how US consumers would react if their local Walmarts had these Chinese options. 

 Just your casual whole chickens on ice. 

 Kinder Eggs!!! They're not illegal in China!

 Lots of fish to choose from. 

 Unlike a US Walmart which would have an entire cereal aisle the Chinese Walmart has this 4ft by 7ft section. These boxes also cost way more than they do in US. 

Incase that raw chicken above wasn't your style you could have some of this chicken jerky.

Chinese language: 国语

When I was flipping through Chinese TV this morning I was thrilled when I thought I stumbled upon the Chinese equivalent of Shark Week (because lets be real you don't need to understand the commentary to appreciate the utter beauty that is the ocean's greatest killer). However, it turned out it was not shark week but rather a documentary on people who were stranded at sea and protected from shark attacks by a pod of dolphins. While not as cool as a week devoted to sharks it seemed interesting enough so I kept watching.

While watching I became struck when I heard the Chinese word for shark for the first time (sha1yu2). I quickly glanced down at the Chinese subtitles (used during almost all TV shows to help those who don't speak mandarin understand the programming) to see the characters for shark (鲨鱼). I was so excited because sha1yu2, when spoken, sounds exactly the same as the characters sha1yu2 (杀鱼) which would translate literally to kill fish.

While it turned out to not be as cool as I thought, it  nevertheless underscored the complexity of the Chinese language. Each word can generally be said in one of four tones, each with a different meaning and character. (The most common example being ma1, ma2, ma3, and ma4. Which translate to mom, hemp, scold, and horse respectively.) Each sound can be expressed by a number of different characters each with different meanings. (Lu4 for example can be written 路，录，露，and 鹿. Which translate to road, record, dew, and deer respectively.) The only way to know which one is correct is through the context of the sentence. To further complicate things certain characters can be pronounced and mean multiple things. (得 for example can read as dei and mean "to have to" but can also be read as de and function as a particle.)

To make a long story short the Chinese language is filled with these subtle complexities and I was reminded of that yet again this morning. That's one of the reasons I love to study Chinese and figured I would provide a quick lesson on Chinese via this post. However, despite the frustration that these aspects of the Chinese language cause it can also lead to some humorous moments and I couldn't help but chuckle every time my television program mentioned great white sharks and all I heard was great white kill.

Yum: 好吃了

Discussions of Chinese food with friends in the US inevitably lead to Panda Express or one's favorite local delivery; however, our Americanized form of Chinese food is a horribly inaccurate representation of authentic Chinese cuisine. Don't get me wrong I love General Tsao's chicken with a side of lomain as much as the next guy but coming to China and expecting to find that on your plate would be like going to Italy and expecting to find a slice of buffalo chicken pizza. There are certainly similarities between the two types of food but one is markedly more Americanized. While in Shanghai I have gone to some great local restaurants and found a new favorite Chinese food, xiaolongbao (小龙包). Xiaolongbao are a form of dumpling that are steamed in a bamboo basket and usually filled with pork, crab, and some broth. They've won over my heart not only because they're delicious but at a kuai a piece I can have a solid meal for under $2. I've also found some great Szechuan (spicy) restaurants in the area as well. 

Some of the first xiaolongbao I ate in China. The rest is history.

A great fish meal in a local village. 

We also have a kitchen in our apartment and decided to embrace local culture by cooking a little. After buying a big bag of rice, some veggies, and eggs we were able to make some fried rice which tasted...well it was edible and I've learned that a little salt and soy sauce can mask even the worst cooking mistakes. 

My first foray into Chinese cooking. 

Through the food in Shanghai we have also been able to experience and appreciate globalization first hand. In the first week I had pasta, tacos, sushi, and of course KFC. I also have to admit that I can't take all the credit for my beautiful fried rice dish above. Without ingredients from my local Walmart (沃尔玛) that dish never would've come to be. 

A little reminder of home on the other side of the world.

Its seriously better than KFC in the US.