Alps Water from Northeast China

In one of Changsha's more upscale grocery stores, I saw these bottles of water for sale:

I was looking for carbonated water, but water from the Alps* was tempting. Curious about the name, I took a closer look at the label:

I can't say I was surprised to discover that the water is not actually from the Alps. Instead, it is from Jilin province in Northeast China.

Since it wasn't rocket science to figure out the disconnect between the water's name and its place of origin, I wondered how it might impact sales. On a related note, in the Journal of Marketing paper "The Double-Edged Sword of Foreign Brand Names for Companies from Emerging Countries", Valentyna Melnyk, Kristina Klein, and Franziska Völckner wrote:

Because current regulations in most countries mandate displaying the country of production, producers from emerging countries should be aware that using foreign branding for hedonic products may backfire significantly, whereas using foreign brand names for utilitarian products may work. For example, a Chinese company may successfully export electric appliances (utilitarian products) with German brand names but might have a more difficult time selling decorative cosmetics (hedonic products) under French names.

Although I would consider water to be more of a utilitarian product, the higher priced Alps bottled water might be better considered in this case as a hedonic product. However, the authors' claim does not address the possible impact of a Chinese company using foreign branding on sales within China.

So perhaps Alps water will do just fine Changsha. It could be a very different story if they try to sell it in Switzerland though.**

Finally, the bottle lists the company's website at www.alps.so. I will refrain from commenting on the website, which is worth a look, but I will point out that ".so" is the internet country code for Somalia. I'm guessing this reflects the challenges of acquiring "alps" as a domain name and not another attempt at foreign branding.



*Note: The red characters "阿尔卑斯" above the word "ALPS" is the Chinese name for the Alps.

**If anyone has seen it for sale there, I'd love to hear about it.

A Zigong Cafe With a Familiar-Sounding Name

While scrolling through small preview images of photos from Zigong, Sichuan province, I became curious as to why I took a particular photo 2 years ago. About a second after opening it up I laughed and knew what had motivated me. Since it relates to a recent post, I will share it here:

For those who don't see why this "drink bar" which sells coffee, milk tea, and fruit juice caught my attention, I'll provide an explanation.

The store featured in a recent post, Starbucks, has the Chinese name 星巴克, which in pinyin with tones is spelled "Xīngbākè". "Xing", which means "star", sounds somewhat similar to "sheeng" and "bake" sounds like "bah kuh" (or "bucks" to a lesser degree). The above store's name is 新吧客, which in pinyin with tones is spelled "Xīnbākè". So although the characters all differ, its name sounds very similar to the Chinese name for Starbucks. The only difference is the "ng" sound instead of "n". Especially given what the store sells and its green coloring, it would be striking if the similarity is a coincidence.

Although the store's name jumped out at me, I am not sure whether this could count as a case of trademark infringement. And I've seen other cafes in China which would likely be of more interest to lawyers at Starbucks due to their similar logos and English names.

Like with other possible changes in Zigong, I'm also not sure if this store is still there. All I know is Zigong currently remains without a genuine Starbucks. The nearest one is several hours away in Chengdu. So Xinbake might be the closest you can get to Starbucks in Zigong.

The October Beer Street Festival in Zhuhai

During a visit to a shopping district in Zhuhai's Nanping Town yesterday, I felt a craving for potatoes, but none of the street food vendors had anything of interest to me. I then recalled unexpectedly stumbling upon a German restaurant a week or two ago. I thought it might do the trick, and it was only about a 10-15 minute walk away.

Upon reaching my destination, I discovered it was my lucky day as it was the location of Zhuhai's three day October Beer Street Festival--probably the closest thing to Octoberfest in Zhuhai. The St. Pauli Kommune German Restaurant & Bar was participating and had a special selection of food outside.

Several other tents sold non-German food. And one tent sold selections from Finsta--a German family-owned distillery based in Xinxing County several hours away from Zhuhai. After sampling the offerings, I left with my first bottle of red lychee brandy--good stuff and not too sweet. Lychees will never be the same for me.

My initial goal was food oriented, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that potatoes were included in the meal I ordered from the St. Pauli tent.

Given that the meal was a smaller portion and it passed muster (including the potatoes), I decide to sample another selection. This time, though, I accompanied it with some Hofbräu draft beer.

Of course, the festival included music and dancing appropriate for the "party" theme of the day.

The crowd steadily grew through the night, with the focus mostly on the stage.

Although sometimes the performers came out into the crowd.

Similar to experiencing a bit of China in Germany, it was fascinating to see the mix of very different cultures. And I'm glad I had an unusual craving for potatoes, or I probably would have missed it.

PBR in an SAR of the PRC

If you are in Hong Kong and like Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, you're in luck.

On Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong

More about PBR in China when I'm in the mood for a war story (really).

A High-Speed Digestif on the Way to Xiamen

On a high-speed train heading south from Shanghai to Xiamen I sat next to a man from the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

As I settled in for the almost 9-hour trip, I smelled something peculiar. Although the smell seemed familiar, I could not place it. As the man who appeared to be in his 60s later unpacked some of his belongings, I discovered the smell’s source -- some of the various preserved vegetables that along with a large chicken foot served as his lunch.

When he later enjoyed these delights, I noticed another smell, but this one I recognized immediately. I then saw the man had just opened up a bottle. Despite it being labeled as Tibetan spring water, I had no doubt it actually contained the strong Chinese alcohol baijiu. I then looked at him and huge grin grew across his face.

Whatever the baijiu’s strength, it was not enough to deter him from finishing the bottle during his lunch. In fact, the man still had enough room for a digestif. For after finishing his lunch he brought out a half-liter sized can of a strong beer.

I probably will never see this man again, but I won’t soon forget him. And I appreciate his offer to share his baijiu and his later offer of a can of beer. Maybe next time I ride a high-speed train, I’ll bring some alcohol of my own and offer to share it with whoever happens to sit next to me.

And maybe they too will leave with a story to tell.

Marketing in China: Drinking Red Star in a Smoggy Field

Imagine this scene: two people with bicycles on a narrow road passing by what appears to be a factory emitting copious amounts of pollution and contributing to the smog blanketing a nearby empty field.

Now consider the purposes for which you might use a black and white photo of that scene.

Did you think "that would be perfect to promote a Chinese brand of alcohol"? If you did, pat yourself on the back, because as I waited for a train to arrive at a subway station in Beijing I saw an advertisement for a brand of erguotou -- a type of liquor especially popular in Beijing.

An article on Red Star Wine's website (in Chinese) describes the marketing campaign. No, there is no mention of a strategy to use images of pollution to drive people to drink. Instead, Red Star Wine believes it can connect with younger people by evoking a desire for brotherhood and by tapping into the popularity of nostalgic themes in China through the use of Soviet-style imagery.

Will it work? All I can say for sure is it motivated me, not exactly a main target consumer for Red Star, to buy a 150ml bottle (the smallest I saw) for 13 yuan (about US $2.10) at a local convenience store so I could give it a try.

On that note, here we go...

Not horrible. I definitely have had less positive erguotou experiences in the past. And to me the bottle looks trendier than most other similarly priced erguotous. I'm not sure I'll be tempted to buy it again in the future though. Maybe I should have tried it on ice.

I'm intrigued by the ad campaign and there are many questions it raises to me such as "Do the signs of pollution in the ad have any negative (or even positive) impact on its effectiveness?", "Could a similar strategy be effective for marketing erguotou in  the US, even if it may work for different reasons?", and "Why is the one man walking his bicycle?"

I'll save exploring those issues for another day, though, since I am now confirming something I earlier predicted to myself. Red Star has quite a kick.

Artichoke Juice in Vietnam

Yesterday's post about the localized flavors of Lay's potato chips in China reminded me of a potatory experience I had in Vietnam a few months ago. While I perused an upscale supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the drinks for sale caught my attention.

I'm a fan of artichokes, but I had never considered seeking out artichoke juice. Of course, I bought a bottle. It tasted just like what you'd expect artichoke juice to taste like -- artichokes -- and had the viscosity of apple juice. Since I like a variety of vegetable juices and herbal drinks, I could imagine it might grow on me, even though I had mixed feelings about it during my first experience.

A couple of regions in Vietnam are known for growing artichokes, although some artichoke farmers have recently switched to growing flowers instead. And not only are artichokes used for tea, but they are also included in some local Vietnamese dishes. Unfortunately, I never came across any of them, so see here for someone else's enthusiastic report of eating artichokes in Dalat, Vietnam.

Tsingtao Beer To Go In Qingdao

This is how you get 2 jins of unpasteurized beer to go in Qingdao, China.

Another part of Qingdao's beer culture

Straws available on request.

Seoulish Jujubes

I've enjoyed my fair share of tea in China, including at a mountain lake in Changsha. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of being introduced to an historic teahouse in Seoul, South Korea.



As surprising as it may seem, I didn't drink any tea. Instead, my friend suggested a jujube (red date) drink. It proved to be an excellent choice as we chatted about a variety of topics, ranging from monkeys in museums to online services in South Korea.

A good afternoon in Seoul it was.

An Even More Edacious and Potatory Post

Some readers may feel most of my posts including "edacious and potatory views" are missing a key detail: the food or drink that accompanied the view. I'm not sure if I have suitable photos for all of the examples. I'll leave sorting that out for another day (maybe). Instead, I will start afresh and share the view from where I had a late lunch today in Ho Chi Minh City:

And here is what I ate and drank:

I hope this was sufficiently edacious and potatory.

And now for a few notes:

1. Not only was the previous post a chance to revisit some old scenes, but it proved to be a learning experience as well. I find it curious that the words "edacious" and "potatory" capture such seemingly common and useful concepts, yet neither were familiar to me (and I suspect to most readers) and I couldn't find any other suitable single-word options. My use of the word "edacious" is even considered "archaic". I would appreciate hearing any insights readers may have about these two wonderful words.

2. Readers who follow this blog through an RSS reader may have been puzzled by a post titled "Riverside View in Kampot, Cambodia". While working on the previous post, Blogger provided a strange error message when I tried adding a location tag. After I recovered, I discovered the post had been prematurely published. I'll avoid getting into all the technical details, but when recovering from an accidental publishing, simply deleting a post doesn't necessarily remove it from RSS readers. I think this is something which could be better addressed by blogging platforms (and possibly RSS readers as well), but that's another issue. Anyways, the easiest thing for me to do was to "update" the post with an empty content area and then delete it from my blog.

So if you saw a blank post titled "Riverside View in Kampot, Cambodia", no worries. If you saw that post and it included some content, congratulations--you probably had an inside look at the early stages of a post's creation. Now please feel free to discard it at the nearest incinerator.

"Finally..."

3. Returning to the word-usage theme, I can say with no small pride that I was recently offered compensation for a pun I wrote. Especially with the recent online debate about people being asked to write for free, I found it a most encouraging sign. I eagerly look forward to my next trip to Beijing so I can collect my beer from Anthony Tao. Maybe Señor Tao can offer me some tips on how to drink it while wearing a face mask. With his experience in Beijing, he should have a leg up on me.

Edacious and Potatory Views

While pondering today's earlier post of my view from a cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, I recalled taking photographs under similar conditions in China such as: where I relaxed with several glasses of green tea at Chuan Shipo Lake in Changsha, Hunan province; a restaurant in historic Xizhou, Yunnan province; a restaurant where I watched a donkey pulling a cart in Zhaotong, Yunnan province; where I enjoyed lunches in Sujiawei, Guangdong province, and Ganzhou, Jiangxi province; where I imbibed a bottle of British organic cider in Lamma Island, Hong Kong.

The previous links lead to a variety of views, and I wouldn't be surprised if I have posted other photos that fit this theme as well. Each in its own way feels special to me and prompts numerous related memories. I will avoid deeper reflection on what they mean to me. There may be some of that in coming months. Instead, I will share another photo from my recent travels outside of China:

The view from my seat at a restaurant in Kampot, Cambodia

That's all for today. Explore the above links for more scenes. It's time for me to have a late night meal and drink. Maybe my attention will be captured by yet another view.

Palm Wine and Sea Creatures in Kampot

As I was returning to Kampot town from a recent walk through the Cambodian countryside, I saw a place deserving further investigation.

What had caught my attention were the large bottles of "home-brewed" palm wine--a unique-tasting alcoholic drink a mototaxi driver introduced me to several years ago in Kampong Chhnang. Of course I ordered a glass.

After the drink was poured, they encouraged me to have something to eat with it. After all, they had a delectable treat.

What were they? At first I had no clue, and nobody knew the English word for its name. But I found out it was a sea creature of some sort. I think.

So I had one with my drink.

Based on its texture and what I had previously seen at a local market, I wondered if it was a large sea mollusk that acquires a flower-like shape after being cooked. But I'm not sure, and a quick online search hasn't helped me out. I'd appreciate hearing from any readers who may recognize this culinary delight.

Whatever it was, I enjoyed it with a spicy dipping sauce. After finishing it and the palm wine, I met a few of the other people there.

And was guided out to the back where they suggested photographing the view.

I am very glad I visited this provider of fine palm wine, and it was one of the highlights of a long walk. Maybe someday I'll know for sure what I ate. Later, I'll share something I ate in Cambodia that proved to be much more of a challenge because I knew exactly what it was.

On the Bus Again in China

Due to some sleep deprivation, yesterday morning I enjoyed some coffee with my tasty xiaolongbao, a style of steamed bun/dumpling* famous in Shanghai.

My way of doing "fusion"

Later in the day, I departed Shanghai not by high-speed rail, but by bus, because I hoped I would get to cross the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. However, the bus took another route, and the scenery often included the high-speed rail tracks. Oh well, at least I got to ride shotgun.

The bus driver was a fan of "proactive honking", a practice I have noticed more often in other regions of China.

One obvious difference from riding the train was stopping at the Xiasha (下沙) travel service center. Unlike the service center I visited on the way to Wuzhou, it did not have a restaurant "inspired" by McDonald's.

I don't think this experience justifies putting Xiasha on my list of visited places.

After arriving at my hotel in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, I asked the manager to recommend a place for dinner. He provided one and said I should take a taxi there. But I later discovered that available taxis were not plentiful at the time. So I improvised, and based on an earlier glance at a map I figured heading east would be my best bet to find a worthy restaurant. After walking for 10-15 minutes, I was surprised to see the street mentioned by the hotel manager. And about 5 minutes later I found the recommended restaurant. Sometimes it all works out in the end.

A good recommendation -- Zhuangyuan Lou Restaurant

In addition to my meal, I enjoyed a bottle of Shaoxing's famous huangjiu or "yellow wine". If you like Manischewitz wine, you might love this stuff.

A good way to celebrate arriving in Shaoxing

As I walked back to my hotel, I watched a bit of night dancing at a public square.

Earlier I saw a large group of older women dancing to American hip hop music.
Unfortunately, it was too dark to record a video.

And that's all for this light travel-bloggish post. I'm still sleep deprived but I hope to resolve that issue now. More later...


*Whether it should be described as a bun or a dumpling can be a deeply religious issue for some people. Perhaps I will touch on this debate of taxonomy and translation another day.

Lakeside Tea on Yuelu Mountain

If you are ever in Changsha I recommend a visit to the picturesque Chuan Shipo Lake (穿石坡湖) hidden on the scenic Yuelu Mountain (岳麓山).

I also recommend sitting at the lakeside and enjoying some green tea.

One final piece of advice: if possible, avoid the weekends when it might not be as peaceful as it looks in these photos. And that concludes this relaxing post for a Sunday.

A Boxing Cat July 4th in Shanghai

More posts on the way on topics such as the variety that can be found within the city of Shanghai and censorship in China. But on this Fourth of July American holiday I will be spending the evening at a most appropriate place.

No, not here:

The stories that bar must hold...

Bars similar to the Fafa Bar on Hengshan Road seemed to be more common when I moved to Shanghai six years ago. A story for another day. Instead I will be going to one of my favorite places for beer in China where after a long time away I recently returned and enjoyed this taster set:

Their India Pale Ale is my current favorite

I am certainly not the only fan of the Boxing Cat Brewery. For one example, beer (and China, aviation, anti-filibuster, etc.) enthusiast James Fallows wrote a piece about Boxing Cat and its founder Texan Gary Heyne that is definitely worth checking out -- as is the Boxing Cat if you are in Shanghai and in need of "non-watery beer".

Happy July 4th to American readers. And thanks for the memories to the British.

A Bit of China in Europe

In the previous post I identified the city -- Shanghai -- in the first of two photos I shared in an earlier post. The second photo may have presented an even greater challenge to recognize. I visited the city where it was taken two years ago to present a talk about conducting research in China. Despite being in Europe, at times I could still feel a small touch of China.

After flying from Shanghai with a connection in Dubai, I arrived late at night. The next morning I left my hotel to take a walk, and one of the first sights that caught my attention was this:

Although I was curious whether the "Restaurant Shanghai" served truly Shanghainese cuisine or a more generic form of Westernized Chinese food, I decided to take a pass. After all, I preferred to save myself for some of the local-style dumplings:

Related to Chinese dumplings or just an example of "convergent evolution"?

Also apparent in the above photo is the appropriately-sized glass containing a most glorious liquid. I enjoyed similar glasses at a variety of locations, such as this popular site with a "Chinese Tower":

I did not recall seeing a pagoda quite like that anywhere in China, but the excellent beer (in appropriately-sized glasses) kept me from deeply pondering the issue.

But my focus was not always on the local food and drinks. During one of those moments I saw this display in front of a museum:

The Chinese word "欢迎 "(huānyíng) means "Welcome" in English.

I imagine any visitors from China would have been even more surprised than me to see such a greeting.

Finally, if the above photos are not enough clues, maybe this photo of one of my favorite castles in Europe, Schloss Nymphenburg, will do it:

Will this castle someday meet the same fate as an Austrian village which has been copied in China?

Ah... München. Many years ago, the city known in English as "Munich" was the first place I visited outside of the U.S. (excluding an hour or two in Canada at Niagara Falls). It remains one of my favorite cities, and I have had the pleasure to visit a number of times. My most recent visit was the only time I arrived from China, so some of the above scenes particularly caught my attention.

However, Munich's art, music, people, food, drinks, and more have typically connected with me in ways that have little or nothing to do with China. As has some of its history. Some of it is a bit too heavy for this post, so I may touch on several assorted topics in the future. For now, I will leave you with a photo of one of my favorite snacks at Munich's Viktualienmarkt:

A delicious herring and onion sandwich

Of course it was accompanied by yet another appropriately-sized glass of beer.

Back to China soon, unless someone needs me to pay another visit to Munich.

Qingke Highland Barley For Sale in Qinghai

In earlier posts (see here and here), I have referenced qingke (青稞) -- a highland barley which is "the main grain plant for people living on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau". Although I have experienced two of its popular uses, for qingke wine and the traditional Tibetan dish tsampa, I had not seen qingke in a purer form until I met this street vendor today:

One could buy the fresh & raw qingke ground or unground (cheaper). I was encouraged to try some, and it had a very crisp and light "green" taste.

Nothing deep here, just interesting to see a bit more of Tibetan culture. For more about qingke and its uses check out the previous two links.

Imitation BOMBs in China: Rocket Fuel for the Soul

[Update at end]

Companies such as Apple face challenges in China due to trademark infringement. Given Apple's large profits and relatively high-priced items, it may not seem surprising that some would try to copy or imitate it. But even products that could not be considered "luxury items" in China are not immune.

There are many possible examples illustrating this point, so I will share one that I recently encountered:

Beneath the word "BOMB" on the label of the 100ml bottle above is "炸弹二锅头酒" -- which translates to "Bomb Erguotou Liquor". Erguotou is a type of baijiu -- in a loose analogy baijiu is to China as what vodka is to Russia. Erguotou is typically quite strong and BOMB is 56% alcohol (112 proof). Erguotou is typically cheaper than other types of baijiu, and the above bottle cost me about US $1 in Xining, Qinghai province.

Before introducing some of its notable competitors to this made-in-Beijing alcohol, it is worth highlighting how BOMB is trying to appeal to a larger audience. Its website at www.bomb9.com (in Chinese "9" sounds like the word for alcohol -- jiu) is part of this attempt. My favorite item available there is a movie-advertisement that combines the spirit of the Terminator, Superman, and other themes. Given its length and the various cultural references included I will not even try to provide a translation (but if someone else does, I will be happy to link to it). I will say that my earlier series of posts beginning with "People Not Helping Accident Victims in China" provides some context for a scene involving an injured older woman. But even without any knowledge of Chinese language or culture, I think one can enjoy the video which I will share here (ironically, the ad may be preceded by an ad):

If the video has not convinced you it is worth splurging $1 on a bottle of BOMB, fear not. Its competitors provide options. Perhaps a bottle of BDWB would be a better choice since I found it for about 17 cents cheaper:

Although "SI HE YUAN BDWD" is written on the top left of the label, more prominently under the large BDWB is "四合院炸弹二锅头酒" which could be literally translated as "Courtyard Bomb Erguotou Liquor". Most relevant is that it uses the same Chinese word for "bomb" as BOMB. It also claims to be from Beijing, but it has a heftier alcohol percentage of 58%.

If the price is right, but the drink is too strong then maybe the equally priced BOWB would be a better choice:

The Chinese under BOWB, 炸弹二锅头酒, is an exact copy of the text on the BOMB bottle. But if a weaker liquor is preferable then it "only" having 50% alcohol might be more appealing.

I would not be surprised to later find other similar imitators of BOMB. But unlike the examples involving Apple, I am not sure these imitators could provide any inspiring insights for BOMB. Regardless, the point here is that whether you are selling products worth hundreds and thousands of dollars or you are selling products worth a single dollar, being imitated or copied should come as no surprise in China.

Needless to say, watching the video, writing this post, and my earlier challenges of the week have left me welcoming a proper drink. And that will serve me well for the critical step of taste testing the above drinks to see how they compare. Can the imitators match the quality of the original BOMB?

I'll start with BOMB to serve as the baseline and then try the other while providing some brief comments of my initial impressions. Before I lose the nerve (or gain my senses), here I go:

BOMB -- I think I see as many stars as if I were kicked by a Beijing donkey. I have heard baijiu described as tasting like rocket fuel but I am not sure. I have yet to drink rocket fuel. Anyways, I think this may be the most aptly named drink ever. However, I should say I have tasted worse drinks in China. And better...

BDWB -- Oh my. That certainly felt worse. I swear my eyes are watering. And I do not have words for the taste. And you should probably be thankful for that. I am not sure how I can proceed. But in the name of science I shall press forward even though I may meet a fate similar to that of Clarence Dally.

Here it goes.

OK. Really folks. Do I need to do this? The BDWB made me realize I have no clue what may be in this bottle. Heck, why should I believe even BOMB is any safer than "unusual" baby formula?

Oh yes, in honor of Clarence...

BOWB -- Hey... that honestly went down smoother than the BDWB. Maybe due to the lower alcohol percentage? But the aftertaste is rather peculiar. Maybe the mercury? It should be emphasized that I drank it after the other two drinks. The previous alcohol may be impacting my perceptions. Ideally, I should later try them in counterbalanced orders but... that is not going to happen. Clarence only needs so much honoring.

So my point here? I have forgotten it. I feel fortunate that I spent less than $3 on this entire demonstration. It certainly would have been more expensive if I had bought fake iPhones.

Oh yes. everything can be imitated. Even $1 bottles of BOMB erguotou.


UPDATE: To respond to some questions... No, I did not drink the the full contents of the bottles (or even come close).  I was not interested in ingesting too much of whatever may be in the various liquids. I figured a one-time taste of a small amount would be unlikely to lead to any long-lasting ill effects. The worst part was the initial taste of the BDWB. I was absolutely fine later that night and the next morning.

Layers, Movies, Sea-Buckthorn, and Purcell

The extensive recovery effort for my earlier mishap continue, but the end is in sight. Since I do not have time for a proper post today and want to hold off commenting on what I have learned from my recent experiences until later, I will share just a few unrelated items.

1. Thursday at 7pm China time (7am US EST time; 1pm Berlin time) I will be joining a discussion on Hangouts led by the president of the China Speakers Bureau, Fons Tuinstra, and also including Thomas Morffew & Alicia Noel. The topic will be "the current wave of anti-foreigner press in China - where it comes from, what it means to foreigners living in China, and employment implications for non-Chinese living in China." I look forward to discussing a topic that I believe has many layers. If you want to join or watch you can find more details here.

2. The article "Hollywood gripped by pressure system from China" on the Los Angeles Times describes how despite Hollywood sometimes being seen as a part of America's soft power, the desire to appease Chinese viewers and censors is influencing the nature of the movies Hollywood now produces:

In fact, references to the Middle Kingdom are popping up with remarkable frequency in movies these days. Some are conspicuously flattering or gratuitous additions designed to satisfy Chinese business partners and court audiences in the largest moviegoing market outside the U.S. Others, filmmakers say, are simply organic reflections of the fact that China is a rising political, economic and cultural power.

Meanwhile, Chinese bad guys are vanishing — literally. Western studios are increasingly inclined to excise potentially negative references to China in the hope that the films can pass muster with Chinese censors and land one of several dozen coveted annual revenue-sharing import quota slots in Chinese cinemas.

Read the article, but I must point out an important fact first -- Kung Fu Panda has bad guys.

3. The other day in Xining, Qinghai I found this:

I had never heard of sea buckthorn juice so I figured I would give it try when I noticed it in a small convenience store. I must say it had a rather unique taste, and I am at a lost to describe it. I will give it another try when I have the opportunity.

4. And for today's baroque culture, I will share a video of a one minute long song with music by English composer Henry Purcell (it takes about 20 seconds for the music to start). The piece has the title "Man is for the woman made". Lyrics and music are displayed making it easier to follow. I found it a catchy tune and the title brought me amusement. Soon you may find yourself singing this song on the street as others look on in bewilderment. Anyways, I simply share it as a quick taste of music from long ago.

"O Santos": A Taste of Portugal in China

I plan to share more of what I found after taking a random bus that brought me to Nanping. However, it appears that a video I would like to use for the next post needs much more time to finish uploading. So, in the meantime I will share one of my recent experiences in nearby Macau.

Although Portugal no longer administers Macau, the Portuguese influence can still be found. A benefit of this is that I could have a "local" meal of Portuguese food today even though I was still in China. Since I was in Macau's Taipa Village, I stopped by this well-known restaurant for lunch:

"O Santos" Comida Portuguesa restaurant

After taking a seat I opened the menu with great delight. The first dish was an easy choice for me:

Octopus Salad

And for the main dish I stuck with the seafood theme:

Grilled fish and beans

Everyone else seemed to be finishing their meal with an expresso, so I decided to do the same with a little improvisation:

Espresso and chocolate mousse

One of the more remarkable moments of the meal occurred with a very simple item -- the free bread. As soon as I bit into it I realized it had been a long time since I had last enjoyed this style of bread -- the crust! I will not belabor my impressions of the food and will just say that I enjoyed every bite. The food, the house wine, the espresso, and the friendly people were just what I needed to make the more than 90 minutes needed to pass through immigration at the Macau border with mainland China seem like a distant memory and well worthwhile.

The owner heartily thanked me as I left the restaurant, and I tried my best to express that I should be the one doing the thanking.

So, again, "Muito obrigado!"

Inside of "O Santos" -- The owner is sitting in the center at the farthest table.