So how was Shanghai, Enno?

It was fun. I can’t believe how little of it I saw though – we worked almost the entire week, and I pretty much only had Saturday to explore. Luckily, I had a very nice guide. Line showed me the back streets and the touristy places alike.

So why did I enjoy the trip so much, when my colleagues mostly didn’t? Well, I admit the heat and humidity were pretty bad – 35 degrees and 80-90% humidity take some getting used to. But I’m a sucker for exotic food. Anything I can’t get at home I’ll try, and even set my vegetarianism aside for it.

These eggs are brown on the inside. I had them at a restaurant, and Line explained to me later that this is what they looked like on the outside. Okay, maybe not the most appealing way an egg can look:

But this here should make everyone happy. Fresh coconuts (not the brown hard stuff we get in Europe) that have hole poked into them and a straw inserted. Refreshing! they bring back memories of Brazil, expect there wasn’t a guy with a machete who’d cut them open after drinking so I could spoon out the fresh coconut flesh. Which is maybe the best part.

Not everything tastes great. The big problem is that you can’t tell from looking at something how it’s going to taste. And nobody speaks your language, so unless you have a guide, it’s random luck. I bought this thing off a street vendor hoping for a sweet, and it had terribly-tasting green stuff in it:

And I managed to get some crackers that tasted exactly the same. I’ll stay away from anything green, I think. In this part of the world, green is apparently not the same as pistachio.

This on the other hand looked creepy, but tasted really good. It’s a turtle in walnut sauce.