The Cod That Refused to Be...

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Originally uploaded by Justin Masterson.

I have been in research all day for two straight days. As a result, I have no pictures to share. In lieu of pictures of those days, I offer you this picture from my first day here, when we ate a fish whose head joined the rest of itself on our dinner table.

I'm learning that "ordering" in Shanghai, China is not what it is in the U.S. in the US, when you "order" something, whether it's a dish in a restaurant or asking to buy a jacket in a store, the employees generally consider this a mandate of sorts to provide you with the thing you asked for.

In China, it seems, "ordering" is actually just an opportunity to open up a dialogue in which the server/shopkeeper gets to tell you what it is you REALLY wanted, and then bring it to you.

Greg ordered a cod. The picture you're looking at is very not a cod. It's some kind of very weird Mandarin fish dish. Greg pointed at the cod on the menu. The waiter pointed at a dish on the other page. Greg said, "No," and pointed back at the cod. More enthusiastically, the waiter pointed at the dish on the other page. Clearly thinking the waiter was simply misunderstanding where he was pointing (I assumed pointing was an international language of sorts), Greg pointed vehemently at the cod. Even more vehemently, and somewhat nonplussed at Greg's refusal to speak Chinese Point-Finger, the waiter pointed at the cod, took the menu, and walked away.

Fifteen minutes later, out came this thing.

It was a fish. A whole fish. They were kind enough to separate the fish's head from it's body, as is traditional in Western fish-eating, but did not go so far as to actually remove the head from the plate. Instead, they deep-fried the head along with the fish, and then doused it in vegetables and some kind of mung-sauce.

We ate a lot of bread.

Some of the Chinese food has been really good. Some has been really not good. Most has just been very exotic, and I'm glad to have the option to try it. Here are a few of the dishes I've tried in the last couple of days:

1. Loose grass-clipping tea
2. Raw "black chicken" (chicken whose skin is naturally black)
3. Pumpkin rind
4. Teriaki eel strips
5. Drunken fish
6. Raw beef
7. Sino-Italian Grapa moonshine
8. Bulgur wheat tea
9. Pork-tofu
10. Unnamed animal on a stick

So, last night, in the middle of the NYC of China, I ordered up my favorite Chinese dish yet.

It was a cheeseburger. And it was delicious.

i have loved this country. But I'm looking forward to my return home.

I'm heading back to the Yu Yuan gardens tomorrow...the thought of having visited such a place without taking pictures made me ill. (Well, that and the raw chicken). So, Greg and I head out tomorrow morning to shoot some shots of the Gardens. I hope to post 'em before I get home on Fri afternoon.

Please pray for our safe return if you find the time and the spirit, and I'll keep ya'll posted.

Peace,
Justin