It starts at midnight. A ladleflul of oil and the cracked egg are followed immediately by two (heaping) teaspoons of white MSG powder. The street vendor asks me if I want to add chili to my noodles (they come next,…
The end of the (subway) line
This weekend I did something I’ve wanted to do ever since I got to Shanghai this past July.
Christmas (Guacamole) in Shanghai
It wouldn’t be Christmas without my (newly-dyed) hair being accidentally dipped into gluten-free très leches cake halfway through dinner. Wouldn’t it? This morning, faced with the prospect of cooking a Christmas dinner for 9 people, and no menu plan in…
Hot Dog Bar Shop and other Silly Things
Nestled three doors down from my new apartment is the Hot Dog Bar Store (we call it hot dog bar shop for short, though yes, we know it’s inaccurate). Part Western-grocery store selling expired chocolate chips and vanilla soymilk, part actual…
Fast Internet, and other things that don't exist in China.
Moving has been exhausting. From the hassle of taking countless trips to IKEA (which nonetheless bring the joy of 1 kuai ice cream) to not realizing that I would need even the basic of necessities in my unfurnished apartment (sure, having a closet is…
The Highs and Lows of 2014
The Eve of my Birthday was spent in a Chinese emergency room. Since coming back from Russia, I’ve had a sharp pain and an increasingly growing tingling in my chest. Naturally my mind turned to the worst possible outcomes (heart…
2014: The year in brunch
I think 2014 was the year I re-discovered brunch. Now okay, that’s a sweeping (and honestly kind of stupid) statement, but it’s kind of true. Brunch is not one of those meals that we need to eat (like breakfast is supposedly, but for…
What it's like to live in China.
Life in Shanghai is of the kind that’s perfect for Instagram. Between the late-night bars of Yongkang, the dazzling views of Pudong and the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the four-story elevated highways that sweep through the center of the city,…
Letting Go
My jade bracelet has shattered. It’s funny, the bracelet had been on my mind for weeks and I had just spent over a month trying (quite unsuccessfully) to get it back (back from where? well, that’s a more complicated story)….
China's biggest (in)conveniences.
I really need to stop feeling guilty about taking cabs. I realize I’m acting stupid, muttering curses under my breath in Russian as I climb up six flights of stairs through a darkened alleyway (complete with clap on! clap off! lights). Over the past…
Puking in Phuket and other nautical adventures through Thailand
48 hours. Just 48 hours was all it took to turn the tropical paradise that is the island of Phuket into a head-first vomit trip towards the toilet bowl, violently throwing up everything I had consumed since morning (yogurt with granola, one small…
Escape from Shanghai
I don’t often write impromptu entires like this one. I’ve had another entry in the making for the past week, one that I’ve been carefully crafting — about China’s conveniences, my wheat allergy, taking taxis, and living on my own — but…