A friend of mine from Alabama was up here a couple of weeks ago and we were discussing the fact that this blog is dormant. The main problem I’ve had ever since returning to the States is that I don’t know what to write about. The blog is supposed to be about China, but to be honest I don’t have a whole lot going on in my life related to China right now. Re-branding was one suggestion my friend made. But I really like The Weifang Radish. The best I could come up with sitting here thinking of what to write about was a conversation my wife and I had this evening over dinner about the difference in eating customs between China and the US. I even wrote a couple sentences on the topic, but then I thought, is that really what I want this blog to be about. So I put it to the reader–what should I write about?
No More Blocking All Under Heaven
Posted August 24, 2008 by KevinCategories: Blogging
With the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics under way, I have removed this blog’s Olympic-themed image header.
I’ll miss that header. I think it gave the blog a distinctive look and the sarcastic text concerning the Great Firewall of China was relevant to a lot of the content of this blog for a period of time.
It’s back to good old Apple-blue for now.
Tags Blogging
The Legacies of Liu Xiang and Lei Feng
Posted August 18, 2008 by KevinCategories: China
The legacy of Lei Feng has one major advantage over that of what will be part of Liu Xiang’s. Lei Feng was dead before he became famous, and therefore he did not have a chance to tarnish the model image the CCP created around him.
Tags Lei Feng, Liu Xiang, China, Role Models
Beijing 2008 in Wisconsin
Posted August 8, 2008 by KevinCategories: America, China
It’s just a normal day for my colleagues. The biggest thing in the news is Brett Favre’s trade to the NY Jets. But today is 8-8-08! The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony is taking place right now! They couldn’t care less. For me, it’s a series of sighs. Five years in China. Five years listening to the hopes and dreams of the Chinese people. All focused to one single place and time: Beijing 2008 – 8-8-08. And now it’s here, and it’s there, and I’m here, and the people around me don’t care.
Standardized Names for Chinese Dishes
Posted June 25, 2008 by KevinCategories: China
In an effort to prevent tourists from becoming confused or scared-off by Chinese dishes with names often translated directly from Chinese to English, like fish fragrance eggplant (boy doesn’t that sound delicious!), the Chinese government has developed a standardized list of names for Chinese dishes.
I think this is a great idea and I really hope it catches on, both at home and abroad.
Unfortunately, according to the Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the guide “will be available to restaurants at the three-star level and above beginning June 20.”
It would be great if it were freely available online too.
For one thing, I’d like to have it as a reference; it sure would be handy to bookmark on an iPhone for use when you’re actually at a Chinese restaurant and want a clearer idea of what you’re ordering.
For another thing, there are plenty of restaurants in China that are not at the three star level but that are frequented by expats. Surprisingly, many of these restaurants have English menus, even in cities with very small expat populations, like Weifang. A freely available, well-publicized, online version of this menu might help speed the adoption of the menu even in these smaller restaurants.
If it has been put online and anyone knows where to find it please point to it in the comments.
Tags China, Chinese Food
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