Jean-Georges Vongerichten Cooking Demo & Lunch on Flickr.
It was a rare chance that we had the opportunity to see a world-class chef preparing our lunch in front of us. JGV spends a lot of time in Shanghai, but on this occasion he was in town to promote his new book. There are a few more pics of the demo on the Flickr page but we completely forgot to photograph the meal.
Fazangjiang Temple on Flickr.
We stumbled upon a temple that was completely devoid of tourists. A very calm spot in the midst of a bustling city. This statue was part of a stairway inside the temple.
Jinan Lu, Shanghai on Flickr.
After the noodle lunch we wandered around for a bit. It has been amazing how quickly Shanghai has started to feel like home. It is very similar to NYC as far as energy and accessibility.
Wei Xiang Zhai on Flickr.
On Sunday morning, Corrie and I tried 麻酱面, which are seasame noodles, from an amazing shop near Xintiandi. If you are in the neighborhood, I highly recommend it. In hindsight we should have also ordered some of their beef soup to go along with it. Maybe next time.
In the past seven days I watched my sister get married in Chicago, attended three “going away” parties, saw one Broadway play, packed up the entire apartment, and ran about 10,000 last minute errands before hopping on our flight. I also managed to eat about a dozen slices of pizza, a buffalo chicken cheese steak from Wogies (seriously the item I will miss the most), a fried chicken sandwich from Melt Shop (look into it – they deliver to 575), sliders from White Manna in Hackensack, and a final, decadent dinner at Blue Ribbon in Park Slope which included oysters, a NY Strip Steak, and at least one martini.
But what made the entire last week truly amazing was all of the well wishes and hugs (awwww…) that we got before we were allowed to leave. It started with our parents in Chicago and didn’t let up until we were heading to JFK. Heidi Wenzler and Owen Sweeney get the “MVP” awards for hanging out with us Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday – which included two nights of “going away” drinks and the aforementioned Broadway play, which was “Chinglish.” It is great to have two of my best friends as colleagues and it will be hard to no longer work in the same office.
So after all of that, Corrie and I landed in Shanghai on Saturday night and all we wanted to do was get some shut eye. Instead we decided to go out and celebrate Halloween (of course) until 2am and then slept in until 2pm on Sunday. I don’t know how, but after only one day we do seem to be back on track, despite the 14 hour flight and the 12 hour time difference. Of course, while you are reading this I will already be asleep and then when you are going to bed (or leaving the office to get a late lunch if you are in Marketing) I will be heading to my first day as a part of the L’Oréal China team.
We already miss everyone in NYC. Please stay in touch, and feel free to come visit as soon as we find an apartment. I already discovered a place that sells really good pickled mussels – so come hungry!
(Source: planetloreal.na.loreal.intra)
Last Dinner in Brooklyn - Blue Ribbon on Flickr.
Check out Corrie’s tumblr - www.thecorriestory.com - which gets updated way more than this!
Chinese Pull Tab Beer! on Flickr.
For some reason I was always sad that I had missed the care-free days of pull tab beers in the States. Luckily they have them in China. This came out of a vending machine at PuDong airport. Nice.
A few weeks ago my boss asked me a very interesting question: “Are you truly open to moving anywhere? Because if so, things might start to move very quickly.” I think that could be the understatement of the year. No more than a few days later I got a call presenting me with an opportunity to move to Shanghai to be the head of recruitment for L’Oreal China. That same week I was on the phone with the head of HR for the Asia Zone and then the next day with the local CEO. A few weeks later my wife and I were boarding a flight at JFK to have a “look-see” visit, as we had never been to China and we had to find out if we could survive in the land behind the Great Firewall.
We arrived in Shanghai on Sunday night, more than 27 hours after we left New York due to the 12 hour time difference and the 15 hour flight. Feeling a bit hungry, and energized to be in a new place, we decided to take a stroll in the neighborhood around our hotel. Looking to ease into the city, we were aiming for something with an American vibe rather than a noodle shop or dim sum place. We ended up at a bar that had a chicken fingers and chili cheese fries on the menu. I am a bit embarrassed, but that was our first meal in China. We might as well have taken the subway out to Coney Island.
The first day of looking at apartments was a bit rough. We were jetlagged and we didn’t see a single place that we were even close to liking. Add to that, it was raining and steamy hot, so we could not wait to call it a day. After taking a quick nap at the hotel we pushed ourselves to get back up and go grab a fancy cocktail at a fancy lounge overlooking the Bund. I don’t know if we would have made it through the rest of the week without it.
I spent a few days in the office meeting the team I would be working with. I learned a lot about how recruitment works in China and it turns out they are going through a lot of the same things we experience in the US. I am lucky that everyone in the Shanghai office can speak in English, because I don’t speak a whole lot of Mandarin. To be clear, I only know that if you say “my done” it means “bring the check”. Other than that I have zero grasp on the language.
While I was at work my wife continued to explore the city and she actually interviewed with a few PR agencies. We know that the toughest part about the move is going to be finding something for her to do. She has always been very career driven, so it is important that we eventually find her a job. I think she is looking forward to taking some time to relax, but we know that she will need to find something to fill up her time.
By the end of the week things had (thankfully) taken a turn for the better. We found an apartment that we are currently in negotiations to rent, we got massages at a great spa, and we ate some AMAZING food. We love to eat and I will try pretty much anything. That includes strange cuts of meat, bizarre fruits, and most of all - street food. Assuming all goes well, we will be there on November 1st and you will see more posts about what we are eating and cooking…
(Source: planetloreal.na.loreal.intra)
I work for L'Oreal and was relocated to China in 2011. Welcome to my Shanghai.
