Sunday Afternoon
On Sunday afternoons I enjoy the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe at Xintiandi. I'm there right now. Not only does the cafe have free wifi but good tea, comfortable chairs, and plenty of people to watch. Plus, they don't try to run customers off with aggressive waiters or loud music. It really bugs me when waiters hover over you and try to snatch away dishes the moment you aren't paying attention. They take a stand back attitude at the Coffee Bean.
Today at the Coffee Bean is a bit noisy however because the weekly Shanghai Expat meet up is taking place here. There's a lot of jabbering. At least there's no smoke - the Coffee Bean segregates smokers in a room where they can focus on killing each other instead of the rest of us.
Later this afternoon I'll take bus 42 to the Bund and the Glamour Bar/Cafe where the annual Shanghai literary festival kicked off yesterday. I have a ticket to listen to one of my travel writer favorites - Colin Thubron.
Late Afternoon - As I waited for the talk by Thubron to begin I strolled around the Bund as the suns rays disappeared over the old Customs House. During my stroll I was accosted, twice, by a shoeshine-monger. She was the first woman I had seen engaged in this irritation that is visited upon foreigners and tourists. Each time she swooped down and planted a gob of white paste on my shoe as I walked. Insanely, she expected me to pay her to wipe it off. The first time I admonished her in Chinese, "acting this way is not okay!" The second time she did it I turned and wiped it on her pants. Still, my shoe smelled strongly like paint thinner throughout Thubron's lecture.
Forgetting about the irritation of the shoeshine woman I enjoyed Thubron's discussion of his most recent book, "Shadow of the Silk Road", a journey he took from China to Iraq. He apologized up front, explaining that people are often disappointed when they meet their favorite authors in person. He offered a quote from someone whose name I didn't catch, "if you fancy Pâté, don't bother meeting the duck."
Today at the Coffee Bean is a bit noisy however because the weekly Shanghai Expat meet up is taking place here. There's a lot of jabbering. At least there's no smoke - the Coffee Bean segregates smokers in a room where they can focus on killing each other instead of the rest of us.
Later this afternoon I'll take bus 42 to the Bund and the Glamour Bar/Cafe where the annual Shanghai literary festival kicked off yesterday. I have a ticket to listen to one of my travel writer favorites - Colin Thubron.
Late Afternoon - As I waited for the talk by Thubron to begin I strolled around the Bund as the suns rays disappeared over the old Customs House. During my stroll I was accosted, twice, by a shoeshine-monger. She was the first woman I had seen engaged in this irritation that is visited upon foreigners and tourists. Each time she swooped down and planted a gob of white paste on my shoe as I walked. Insanely, she expected me to pay her to wipe it off. The first time I admonished her in Chinese, "acting this way is not okay!" The second time she did it I turned and wiped it on her pants. Still, my shoe smelled strongly like paint thinner throughout Thubron's lecture.
Forgetting about the irritation of the shoeshine woman I enjoyed Thubron's discussion of his most recent book, "Shadow of the Silk Road", a journey he took from China to Iraq. He apologized up front, explaining that people are often disappointed when they meet their favorite authors in person. He offered a quote from someone whose name I didn't catch, "if you fancy Pâté, don't bother meeting the duck."
posted by Kevcham at 10:42 PM
1 Comments:
It could be worse. I thought it was bird poop at first.
Post a Comment
<< Home