interview: take two

The Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, "Interview
me." (And your e-mail address, please.)
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone
else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them
five questions.


The Questions:

2. What are the things you enjoyed back in California that you haven't been able to find in China?

Woah. This could potentially be a huge list. It's strange considering that everything in the United States is MADE in China, yet I can't find half of that stuff here. Or if I can find it, it's super expensive. Perhaps I've just been looking in the wrong places, or maybe living in Shanghai has something to do with it, but Walmart and Target have cheaper stuff (clothes, houseware, etc) than what I've seen in China.

I miss a lot of edible things that I took for granted in California. The fruits and vegetables here are all pretty sad looking, and berries are nearly impossible to find. They have strawberries at the market right now, but a small container of them is 35RMB, which is an outrageous price. I miss Trader Joe's a lot. I miss cheap and semi-healthy frozen foods. I miss salad so much. Salad here is a luxury, it's cheaper to buy an entree at a restaurant than it is to buy a side salad.

I think if a person looks hard enough, they could find anything in China, but it all comes at a price. Sure, maybe I could find pop-tarts (City Shop, an import grocery store, carries all kinds of American goods), but they will cost me more than it costs to get a massage, and at that point I'd rather just have a massage and call it a day sans strawberry filled toaster treat goodness.

Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most in California that I haven't been able to find in China at all is a pair of shoes that fit. There was a good week back in November where I was on a mission to find some cute winter boots, and every shopkeeper I told my size to laughed in my face. Literally laughed. And then pointed. It was all pretty embarrassing, but in a country where a size 7 1/2 is considered big, a size 9 1/2 is gigantic. I eventually gave up hope. Every once in a while I'll ask out of curiosity if a shoe store has my size and have yet to receive a yes from anyone.