A Bryson in China

Rare Blue Skies

Labels: China, Dongguan

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 10:29 AM Comments: 0

Ahhhhhhh! A New Chef

I have the pleasant opportunity to taste a lot of excellent Asian cuisine every day here. Fortunately, our factory even has a great chef on staff. Right now we have several on staff. The latest is from the Hubei province, and the meals have been far more colorful and exciting.

Gone is the typical standard fare. Its amazing that even someone like myself from a far different culture and distinctively different tastes can now find that our meals were getting repetitive. I could almost guarantee what would be served on day to day just from knowing who would be in attendance. If there were Western guests, it would be the vegetable soup and sweet & sour pork for starters. If no guests were present, it probably meant fish heads and lotus soup. (I really like guests!)

But with the new chef, it is even adventurous with guests. The other day we had a group from Italy, accompanied by some associates from Russia. The soup was the great vegetable offering, and the sweet & sour pork was served, but there is where all common familiarity ended.

Next out was a dish of a platter of tortilla type shells served with duck. Then came morning glory vegetables. Yes, I said morning glory flowers. Actually tastes remarkably good. Next was hot spicy tofu with ground beef. Between was placed a platter of a mushroom type mixture wrapped in a phyllo type pastry and tied at the top like a special wonton.

But last, was the really unique dish. It arrived, and the Hong Kong staff greeted it with “Ohhhhs” and “Ahhhs.” It is amazing how impressed they are about good presentation. It must be the presentation, because, I usually then ask, “What is it?” To which, I get this, “I don’t know, but it looks great! It’s Sichuan (or Cantonese or whatever).” They always seem to know the style and don’t care so much about what the food actually is.

I used to not care so much, and would dig in and try before finding out the true source of a meat. Then my doctors started warning me to pass on so many foods, that I had to start taking more time to understand the dish before partaking.

Well, I finally got an answer on this platter. It was duck feet! Okay, it doesn’t look like feet. All right, on closer inspection, maybe it does. But it sure isn’t like the popular chicken feet. No these are soft and floppy. Actually tasted pretty good too. At least until I hit the cartilage. I don’t know how they can east so much bone in things. Their teeth sure are strong over here.

BTW, our guests passed on the duck feet. They sure like the sweet & sour pork though.

Labels: Chinese Food, Dahlingshan, Decca Furniture

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 12:59 PM Comments: 0

No Stop Signs

I’m still not over it. From the first time I got here, I was amazed at driving. I still am. But how drivers pull out into an adjoining street is eerie. They don’t look, they just pull out! And I mean JUST PULL OUT!

Think of it from the other perspective: You can be riding down the street, and WHOA! Here comes a truck out from the street intersecting on the right and its in your lane! It might even be headed right at you and slowly making its ways on across to the lane on your left. They are fearless. Honestly, they just pull right out.

My drivers and everyone I know does the same thing when they get to an intersection. If turning right into the traffic they hardly slow down! They just kind of aim to the right and pull out into the first gap they can get! Okay, maybe they glance back at oncoming traffic, but it’s seldom more than a glance.

Drivers just seem to sense this and expect cars to pull out into their lane from the intersecting streets. So they are constantly watching at intersections to allow cars to pull in front of them or else they honk and speed by before the approaching car has a chance to pull out.

If a driver is turning left or going straight, they may be a little more cautious and look left a little more carefully, but they seldom slow down. No, it is a little more harrowing than I can begin to describe, to find your driver just pulling head on into three lanes of traffic bearing down on you. And he’s usually looking more to the rear to see where he can veer over into the traffic of the lane headed in our direction!

You can usually find me in the floor board for most of these situations!

Labels: China, Dongguan, Roads

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:35 PM Comments: 0

Labels: China, Dongguan, Roads

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:30 PM Comments: 0

Hot Food at the Yunnan Restaurant

I had walked past the original Pousthouse Restaurant near my apartment complex for over a year without interest in stopping. There is very little English signage, and that just stopped me short. When it finally did, and I stopped for a meal there, I was hooked. Okay, I do usually have to ask that they cut back a little in the peppers and HOT seasoning. It can be more than a little HOT!

The restaurant is a Yunnan style food restaurant. I’m still not sure where the Yunnan Province is located. I think it is inland on the way to Tibet. They are known for hot spicy foods. They are keeping the tradition alive at the Pousthouse. The Province must be inland some distance, so they got good at preserving foods with a lot of hot seasoning that became part of their trademark.

But at the Pousthouse, hot is not the only unique feature. Every dish is specially served and seasoned. The beef is a real joy, as it’s cooked at your table over hot rocks. Thin slices of beef are just mixed in the rocks to cook the beef to your pleasure. Topped with the hot and spicy seasoning and you have some great flavor. Most other dishes end up covered in peppers. You can hardly find the fish or chicken amongst the red peppers. But when you do, the food is great. And its really not so hot. Not if you avoid the hottest peppers anyway.

On a recent visit, the hostess invited us to a new Pousthouse Restaurant in the recently constructed Restaurant Row just a few blocks away. Taking the opportunity to do so a couple of times now, I’ve been amazed at the modern and unique décor. The four story restaurant looks like a lighthouse. It has a upper deck on the third level. And the tables and many chairs are rough hewn lumber from old ships. Set in a modern setting, it all couples with a beautiful and delightful experience.

The outdoor deck is a little close to some nearby power lines. The view gets a little disappointing, but in good weather it is a great new experience. And don’t forget to check out the restrooms. Very unique too.

The Pousthouse Restaurants of Dongguan – Yunnan style dining at two locations.

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan, Restaurant

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 4:15 PM Comments: 0

Labels: China, Dongguan, Parks

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:19 PM Comments: 0

Another Holiday - Another Park = Huaying Park

It was another holiday, so why not another park. This time it was Huaying Park in Dongguan City. As many times as I have passed by, I felt it was time to visit.

The park is a lake and large surrounding area, just in front of the Sofitel Royal Lagoon. Regular readers may recognize the Lagoon, as one of my favorite haunts here. It is a wonderful hotel we call an “oasis” in China. The lake sits in the far southern corner of Huaying Lake up against a backdrop of rolling hills. To drive into the site and see the brightly lit beautiful hotel at night is inspirational. Then you walk inside to the pleasant welcome of the attentive bellmen and hosts, and you feel “at home.”

But on this occasion, I was just intent on seeing the hotel from across the lake. This trip was to see the nearby park and what it had to offer. By the way, it is probably less than a mile from my home. It’s almost embarrassing to say I’ve never been here before. But that’s how things are. And this was my chance to change that situation.

The entrance was busy on this holiday. It was Thursday, the 2^nd of May. The 1^st is a National Holiday – Labor Day, as observed in much of the world. So that just meant there were more people than normally here at the park. I arrived late in the afternoon, and many were already leaving.

The entrance was uninviting. Most buildings were abandoned, and in disrepair. Most had evidently opened as shops and tourists centers, but as many things go here, interests had not been good enough, and there were now no tenants.

On my very first visit to China, I had visited the Royal Lagoon and been mesmerized by a magnificent long golden dragon boat at the end of the lake. Up close now, it wasn’t as inviting. The boat is probably 150 feet long, but hasn’t been used much, and I certainly wouldn’t bet on it being unsinkable. But it is a unique fixture with its massive dragon head and gilded sides gleaming in the sun.

Walking on around the lake, I was surprised how it meandered deeper and longer than I could ever imagine. Many people were renting paddle boats and rowing through the pleasant waters of the lake. As the back paths led behind a hillside, I was surprised to find large fields and several play areas. Visitors were bicycling, dancing, playing table tennis, and badminton, and soccer. Card games were in action at most tables and at many a grassy knoll. Barbecues were lit meals being cooked for families.

A steep stairway led to another path upward to the beautiful pagoda on the hillside. Many a night, I have admired its beauty from a dinner at the hotel. Here I was close, but had to pass on the steep climb. My condition just isn’t good for climbing stairs. I did venture off to a shorter path that led through a “sculpture garden.” Almost all sculptures were women, probably historically significant ladies of Chinese history. Unfortunately, there was no English to help me understanding their contributions more fully.

As I made my way to return, there was no doubt that this is a popular destination for the residents of Dongguan – Huaying Park. And like most things in China, it was busy with many people.

More photos here, or from the link under the Photo Links in right column.

Labels: China, Dongguan, Parks

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:15 PM Comments: 0

NEOCON Again

Or here I come! Back to the USA!

June 9 I make my way back to America, first stopping in Chicago for the annual NEOCON show – the major office furniture exhibition at the famous Merchandise Mart. I can’t remember when I was last at NEOCON, but I used to go every year when I worked in Michigan. It is a great show where I am sure I will see a lot of friends from the past.

In a fast paced trip, I move on to Grand Rapids for two days the 12. On the 14^th, I make my way to North Carolina! It will be a week of crisscrossing between Waynesville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Chapel Hill to see friends and family. And last I head into Denver, Colorado for a couple of days before returning to Asia June 24.

Labels: USA

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:00 PM Comments: 0

On the Roads of Dongguan

Labels: China, Dongguan, Roads

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:10 PM Comments: 0

Labor Day in China

In most of the rest of the world it’s Labor Day. Of course, many of my British friends say that as Labour Day. Others call it Workers’ Day.

May 1, a day to recognize the workers of the world. Even in China. I didn’t even know to expect it until last week, but I’ve had two days of Holiday for the event. Our factory is closed for Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate like much of the nation. A lot of factories are actually down for a week, but we just took the two traditional days of the 1^st and 2^nd. I wish we had not worked on the Monday and just made it a long weekend, even without Wednesday, but they get a little sticky to the precise judgment sometimes.

News reports have it that China is even shifting fast from its favoritism of workers. At least in the sense of pride in being a factory worker. That was long the goal of most countrymen. The foundations of the country were based, in part, on this pride of being a worker for the State. Now, as the country gets more capitalistic, at least in its sense of economic development, the people have much greater interest in entrepreneurial pursuits.

But what a wonderful day here! We had a great round of golf among friends. The Americans prevailed against the Brits in a fun match at our local course. And what truly amazed us most there, was the fact that the skies cleared and we saw blue! Yes, blue skies! Again! That’s a couple of times this month. No doubt the factories had to be closed, and the winds had to be in our favor. This is a rare event here! But ohhhh sooo welcome!

Happy Labor Day!

Labels: China, Dongguan, Parks

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 4:17 PM Comments: 0