One of the adjectives too-often associated with China that I hate is "mysterious." It's one of those words that brings to mind a time when Asians were referred to solely as "Orientals" (um... we're not a seasoning) and the US wrote informatively racist pamphlets of how to tell us all apart.
Anyone's who's actually lived in China quickly realizes that it isn't really that much of a mystery so long as you're observant and put aside pre-conceived notions of the infamous "bamboo curtain." In the day-to-day aspect of it, China is an open book where you can regularly get glimpses into very private details of stranger's lives. If you've got some basic to intermediate Chinese skills, China opens up to you even more.
True to the cultural notion of group vs. individual, traditional Western notions of "private space" are often interpreted as "public spaces" here. There's no sense of "your space" or "my space" it's all the "group's space" and as a result you get a wonderful, voyeuristic array of outdoor dance lessons, constantly open front doors and incredibly public displays of both anger and affection.
Robert van der Hilst has created a beautiful collection of photographs of the interiors of local homes. The above photo shows an elderly couple who have instated a shower in the kitchen due to the apartment being so old that the regular taps don't have hot water. Thus the shower acts as both a shower and where she does kitchen washing up.
The best pieces in his collection for me are the ones like this photo where van der Hilst captures in perfect detail the emotional connection people have with the spaces they live. In his subject's faces and bodies you get one, brilliant moment frozen forever in time of something intimate and private that they're sharing with you.
\I am a seasoned eater. After practicing diligently for the last 26 years, I've become a total pro in the skills of chewing, tasting and making pretentious judgmental comments that annoy people I eat with. ("The chef used a 94 Chardonnay in the reduction? Well, now I know we're in a recession. Ha. Ha. Ha.")
I will be taking photos of meals I have on a daily, regular, When-I-Remember-To basis and sharing them on this blog w/ a one word review. Why such brevity? Because when it comes to lengthy food writing, there are people who do it much better than me.
That and the fact that I like to keep the lengthy food judging live and in person.
First up - Mi Tierra
Type of food: Upscale and "authentic" Mexican cuisine
Meal Type: Late Saturday Brunch - roughly 2:30pm
Ordered: Beef Burrito (comes w/ side of potato) and Chicken DF Quesadillas
Review: Lukewarm
There's so much new music coming out that sometimes forget how good old music is. I've been doing this ridiculous image search project this last week for a brand I'm working on which (silver lining) is completely making me revisit bands from 80's and 90's.
A video gift: While taken off youtube by Sony Music, thanks to the power (and lax IP laws) guarding the Chinese internet I was able to find an awesome music video of The Clash performing live. Pale boys, skinny jeans. Yum.
Shanghai eye reports on the recent artist protests against ongoing evictions in Beijing. Art districts/venues being closed down by either the government or unscrupulous landlords has been a long standing issue. While the resentment amongst the art community for these happenings is well known, the wide-spread protest movement is quite a new thing.
"Flash mobs, violent fights with thugs, a march down Chang'An..." pretty gutsy stuff especially given it's China.
Click here for full article.
Pixar animator, Angus MacLane creates iconic figurines using legos. Awesome flickr site with all his creations.
