After the big melamine-in-milk-powder scare of the summer, this week brought word that melamine has been discovered in some eggs sold by a certain Dalian-based company. Hong Kong ordered Chinese eggs off the shelves and the chairman of the company involved was all over TV yesterday apologizing and saying that his company never put any […]
One Last Kan Hong Ye Post
So I like to write about kan hong ye (seeing the red leaves). Hey, it’s autumn! Here’s one last post on the matter. Below is a a photo from the China Daily of tourists in the Fragrant Hills outside of Beijing kanning the hong ye. Now you know why I made sure to get my […]
Slippery Legal Monopoly
As I was cleaning out my billfold today I came across a very funny business card that a market vendor had given me this summer. It was in classic Chinglish. On one side of the card was the name of the company: Slippery legal monopoly of wheel Store. The other side listed the products: cardinal […]
Burger Wars Coming to Beijing
My hometown newspaper (Mpls. Star Tribune) had an article today about Burger King's plans to enter the China market. China may boast a 5,000-year-old culinary tradition, but when it comes to fast food, Western-style outlets rule. For this you can thank — or blame — changing consumer tastes, and the breathless expansion plans of chain […]
Peasant Olympics
Some headlines and stories are just too rich to pass up. Here's one: China Kicks Off Farmer Olympics. And here's the story, from Reuters: Fresh from hosting the Olympics, China opened its "National Peasants' Games" on Sunday, showcasing the athletic achievements of its 750 million farmers. Around 3,500 rural residents from around the country will […]
Never on Sunday
Never again will I make a foray 'downtown' on a Sunday afternoon, as I foolishly did today. I don't know what got into me. I should have known better. After church this morning, and lunch with some friends, I decided to head 'downtown' to get my haircut. There really is no downtown Beijing, so what […]
