House in Shanghai : Part 2

1st floor corridor

I must say that it was easier than I imagined having the ayi around. I did my own housework for 6 weeks and finally decided to hire help when I started having dizzy spells about a week ago. The house is too big and I have so many other things to do - like blog and/or explore Shanghai.

One of the girls working at the service centre introduced JL to me. She currently has a friend working in the compound. Compared to most of the other ayis working here, she's young, very petite and pretty. I took to her almost immediately for who wants an old and ugly cleaning lady when one could have eye candy on a daily basis?

For she wouldn't work for the initial 3 mornings a week that I wanted her for. Over here, most of my neighbours have full-time help at least 5 days a week, some even have live-in ayis. But I only wanted someone to clean, no need to cook or look after the children. And my kids and Hub will pick up after themselves - no question of them getting used to having someone serve them hand and foot.

View of living room from above

We in our compound are expected to pay double the average hourly wage for ayis in Shanghai. They wouldn't work for less and they want to work a minimum of 5 mornings/afternoons a week - unless you manage to find another family or 2 to share them with. And they also expect you to pay them a 13th month bonus during the Chinese New Year.

I agreed to all her terms because I can understand her situation and I have in any case talked with enough people to know what to expect. Besides, they usually come from poorer towns or villages in China with the hope of creating better lives for themselves - so if I can afford it I do not see any reason to make things difficult for them. With JL, I have also offered to help her teenage daughter with her English - as an additional bonus. Hopefully the girl will have a better life than her parents.

Master bedroom

I found out that they live in a small rented flat that is dark and humid, no larger than my bedroom, for about a thousand yuan monthly. They have bought a place of their own in their hometown since real estate prices in Shanghai are too high even for us. I have therefore also offered to let her shower at my place during the very hot and humid months since they share a bathroom and kitchen with other families in their building. I was reminded of one of my late grandaunts in those days when Singapore was still an underdeveloped country. She lived in a tiny rented room in a horribly dark and dirty shophouse and shared a kitchen and toilet with who-knows-how-many other tenants and I can still see the place in my mind more than 30 years down the road. It had certainly marked me as a child.

I will however stop there as so many other expats and even local Chinese friends have warned me not to be too nice with the workers or I would bring trouble to myself. I may have Chinese origins, but I am not Chinese and as such the way they think or behave is quite alien to me. There is no smoke without fire, so I will heed the warnings and try to keep a distance between my helpers and myself. My Ukrainian helper in Italy walked all over me as Hub liked to remind me.

The Teenager's room

The house has 5 bedrooms and a small study room. 3 of them have walk-in closets. There is no basement in the house so we do lack storage space. Since our driver keeps the car with him, the garage is empty and we use it to store our bikes, golf clubs (no more membership at the club for the whole family = all golf bags at home!), boxes etc. It is very similar to our house when we were living in the USA - meaning that the construction leaves just as much to be desired.

Babinou's room

The compound from what I heard was built in 3 months. Pre-fab wooden houses in 8 styles. The walls are mostly empty and Hub has proven it by knocking a hole in one of them as he tried to hang up a picture. Everything is electric because of the fire hazard and I now have a fabulous big wok - and no gas for fire.

Babinette's room

There are cameras everywhere in the compound and men on bikes and scooters patrol all day and night. You cannot enter without a pass and when you have one, the guard salutes you as this place belongs to the Chinese government. I leave my door open most of the time because you really feel safe here.

View of our small terrace

What a change from Italy I must admit.

Singapore Day Shanghai 2011

Singapore Day Shanghai 2011

For once in my life, I actually had some luck with timing. Who would have imagined that I would move to Shanghai the year Singapore decided to organise Singapore Day in the same city? And the week before the government even threw in a buffet dinner at the Westin for all Singaporeans living in Shanghai?

Bad tongues would wag about this being Election Year. But Singaporeans in Germany have always been invited to lunch annually in Berlin, I've attended Singapore Day in London in a year when there were no GEs and before I left Italy I was invited to dinner in Venice by OSU (Overseas Singaporean Unit) - it's all about connecting us with the country and with one another when we are away from it. And whatever it is, I love a free meal.

However, I didn't count on the Shanghai Grand Prix spoiling my plans a little. The qualifying race had to fall on the same day, of course. Aarrgh.

Very yummy satay

I originally planned to start out at Singapore Day and move on to the Grand Prix - but Hub reversed my plans and we ended up being too early at the latter and not having much to eat when we arrived at the former. In fact, almost every stall had sold out its food when we arrived at Century Park. We only managed to eat some satay and grilled seafood.

Nonetheless, I was happy to be part of Singapore Day Shanghai 2011, bumped into a few friends and just loved hearing people speak Singlish all around me. And the goodie bags were great, chilli tapioca chips (yum yum), chatek, 5 stones, picnic mat, T-shirt and lightweight umbrella...they have thought of everything!

My House in Shanghai - Ground Floor

The house : the Ferrari is mine and the scooter's my ayi's

I have mentioned before that I live near Jin Qiao, the expat part of it, of course. For just down the river on the other side you actually have locals and migrant workers living in a pretty busy part of the same neighbourhood - though I am sure that prices are not the same there. I am going to check it out when I have a moment, because I just love bustling streets where people actually hang out - though of course living in them may be another thing altogether now that I am becoming more antiseptic. I have incidentally become a total addict to Dettol.

Entrance : Kimi's helmet on cupboard from Kava Kava (bag is ayi's)

Roads are wide and clean in Jin Qiao, we have Carrefour, a number of international restaurants, Food Republic, Bread Talk, trees and laowais everywhere. I am a member of an organic spa owned by a Malaysian and I shop every week at Pines - a small supermarket specialising in imported foodstuff. Taking a taxi to Jin Qiao from my house can be a pain though - because it is not far away enough and many taxi drivers hate the hassle of getting into our compound only to earn a few yuan from us. And boy can they grumble.

Guest room

My compound is probably the only one in Shanghai that is green and has birds singing all day long in the trees and bushes. Houses are very big in Shanghai, but they tend to be very close to one another. When you have lived in the middle of an enormous field like we had for 4 years in Italy, you get claustrophobic at the thought of seeing your neighbour pick his nose in the morning. And I did have a large trampoline to set up outside my house - so we jumped at the sight of our current compound and signed the contract without even visiting the inside of the house. There are no fences around the houses here, we share the green spaces.

Ground floor corridor

Entrance : Gansu old altar table, vintage wooden lunchbox

We freaked out when we saw the curtains. The previous tenants were very rich Chinese and we obviously do not share the same taste in home furnishing. Since we have this clause in our contract saying that we would accept all the existing curtains in the house, they didn't want to hear about what we thought of their curtains. Then we found out when our 52-inch plasma arrived from Italy - that they wouldn't allow us to hang it up on the wall. Because even though you pay 60000 rmb per month for the house, it is made out of wood and most of the walls are actually empty. Panique a bord as this means No space for the home cinema and we had to go on another round of furniture hunting...

Dining room

Other than that I love this house. It is quite cozy and has (6) toilets that actually flush - though they do get blocked from time to time as it's Chinese plumbing after all. Only in China have you bins next to the WC for the toilet paper - which honestly is gross if you do more than pee. Anyway, the good thing about my compound is that you have an army of guys ready to turn up the minute you call - to unblock your toilets.

Family room : already a lazy bum in it

Study room : the side curtains will be removed later as just had Roman blinds installed

Because I live in a state-owned facility. I share the comfort and the privilege with the top brass of the Chinese Communist Party - though I'm always second compared to them. And not being white I am probably more 3rd class than 2nd - how often have I been mistaken for an ayi here. They wouldn't let me enter my own house sometimes.

The open kitchen : new bar stools from Kava Kava

We have a few restaurants in our compound (very good Indian cuisine, quite decent Thai and Moroccan, 5* Chinese, haven't tried the Italian bistro) and a 5* clubhouse with bowling, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, badminton, squash and ping pong courts, olympic-sized pool, spa, gym, KTV, tea house etc. There is also an enormous landscaped garden and lake out there - much appreciated after the hustle and bustle of a megacity like Shanghai. The only thing that is missing is an outdoor pool - but you can't have everything. Besides, there are lots of mosquitoes here.

The salon : our own Poltrona Frau Vanity Fair armchairs, wooden furniture salvaged from junk shop, sofa borrowed from the compound

The house is not totally ready yet (if it ever will be) as I am running out of steam after a month of non-stop unpacking. So this is a first glimpse (the 2nd is here), just pretend you didn't see the mess.

The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo, Shanghai

The Kitchen

Hub has been working alot since he started his new job in Shanghai. He travels to his factory in Anhui Province every week and stays there for at least 2 days (easily he'll be able to raise another family at the same time). The rest of the time he's married to his iPhone and computer, meetings and conference calls and the time difference with Europe doesn't help, it's possible for him to be talking to someone at any part of the day/night.

But he has done the unimaginable and has managed to break even last month - after 5 years of continuous loss incurred by his predecessors. He seems to love the challenge and is already forecasting expansion and what not. It is fortunate that I speak the language and can get by quite nicely without him, and if I need someone to hang a picture up on the wall, a quick call to the compound's service centre will see (paid) help on its way. I only lament the lack of availability of the chauffeur on those days when he's away in Anhui, the guy has to drive him there and I am left to the mercy of Shanghainese taxi drivers whose seat belts could never be found even though the voice recording when they turn on the meter advises systematically all passengers to put them on.

Very nice prawn and asparagus risotto

Nonetheless, Hub must think of me sometimes. On a few rare occasions when he was in Shanghai and had a spare hour, he would try to bring me out to lunch. Especially to a restaurant recommended by a colleague or somewhere he has tried out on business and found to be nice.

That was how we ended up one afternoon at The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo - an Italian restaurant situated on the Pudong side of the river. The guy's apparently famous in Japan, but when you came from 4 years of eating Italian in Modena like we did, you wouldn't be easily impressed. Still, I would recommend the restaurant for its fabulous view of the Bund and reasonably-priced set lunches. Plus the food wasn't bad at all, most of Hub's Italian colleagues here dine there occasionally.

View of the Bund from the restaurant

The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo

2967 Bin Jiang Da Dao

Lujiazui

Shanghai

Tel : 021 5054 1265

Mr and Mrs Bund, Shanghai

Bund 18

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Shanghai. I had to be pulled out from under the mountain (364 to be precise) of boxes that I had been unpacking since early April, shoved into our chauffeur-driven car and rushed in the (acid) rain to Mr and Mrs Bund for a celebratory dinner.

Pasta in porcini cream

But I did get my hair done quickly in a hair salon that afternoon, the beauty of Shanghai being that while imported foodstuff is very expensive, waidi girls massaging your scalp and shampooing your hair for 35 minutes cost almost nothing. I have been nagged into taking up a 10000-yuan membership at Amani Hair Salon and Spa and that entitled me to better shampoo and a few discounts. It is quite impossible not to prepay for services (aka membership) here in Shanghai and possibly the only way to be left in peace each time you seek a haircut or a massage.

Pan-fried Foie Gras and Pomelo

And once you have prepaid for your services, you find yourself always ready to try something new in the boutique, I found myself as such undergoing a series of dandruff and other hair strengthening treatments - an excuse to have my scalp massaged every week while I contemplate the motifs they have plastered onto the white ceiling in the hair salon.

Lacquered Beef cheeks

My new pair of white Hugo Boss heels turned quite black by the end of the evening - and I've only walked between the car and the restaurant. It was drizzling and the pollution must be pretty bad in the city for the pavement and the rain to turn black literally.

Strawberries and coulis on thin crispy filo tart

But the outing was worth the health hazards for the food was good. French, nice decor if a little too noisy, innovative menu and a nice selection of (expensive) wines. Efficient service and tasty food (try the Black Cod - excellent), every dish cooked quite to perfection. Hub was so enchanted by it he wants us to return whenever we can. From weekday lunch to late Saturday night dinner - any window in his tight schedule will do.

Mr and Mrs Bund

Bund 18, 6/F

18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu

Shanghai

Tel : 021 6383 9898

Life Without Access To Blogger And Facebook

Goes on...Not too sure about withdrawal symptoms unless you consider the binging, but then I am an all-weather eater so it'd be difficult to say for sure.

I am now in Shanghai - the NYC of Asia. In Pudong Jin Qiao more precisely, where the roads are wide and clean, the buildings each taller than the other, the restaurants at European prices (with service that is worse and more insipid though) and where you see more foreigners than locals in the streets.

The road to China had nonetheless been quite long (no, I am not just stating the obvious), it was to say that we left Modena on the 7th of January and only arrived on the 21st. Passing through Munich, Stuttgart, Reutlingen and finally Paris. We were very happy to be in Shanghai at last - minus all the locks on our luggage which honestly was a mystery. Nothing in them seemed to have been stolen, but every lock had been removed. And I am now left with keys that will no longer open any lock(s), made redundant through no fault of their own...

We have a 30th floor 2-bedroom flat in a 4-star hotel for 6 weeks. With a view (when there is no fog) of buildings and more buildings, as well as the grandest (and noisiest) private fireworks display that I've ever seen on the eve of CNY. 20 million people live in Shanghai, that's nearly the whole of Malaysia in one city, only that you can probably count the trees if you put your mind to it. I am sure that whatever tree they have around will grow tall and wide one day - if they survive the pollution and the incessant honking.

I was sick for nearly 2 weeks. Probably with flu though I have no idea if it was swine or human. Mum suggested that it was because I hadn't brought along a bottle or 2 of water from my last place of residence to drink together with water in Shanghai - and that I have paid for not acclimating to the new soil. Anyway, as you can see I'm still alive and kicking, though I have kept my promise to my friends not to say anything bad about my host country on my blog - I've just whispered my opinions to my Hub's new chauffeur (who always agrees with me), thought I'd keep it very local for a start.

Being sick for so long meant I had the chance to become acquainted with Chinese TV. Every other channel shows gunfire-heavy drama with Japanese soldiers, Revolutionary Green-beret Chinese soldiers and pig-tailed damsels in them, or full-throated wailing Chinese singers singing their hearts out on stage - but I cannot tell you much about them since I usually just move on...to the Korean TV series even though I really do not like kimchi (or watching people eat kimchi).

For a Communist country Chinese TV has more commercials than any other TV I've ever watched - not that I've watched much TV in the last 15 years. Especially not in Italy where you only see half-naked young women dancing in front of 2 old men on every channel. Anyway, I've become pretty good at zapping across channels now - all 40 of them. In fact, I usually follow about 3 drama series at the same time in between commercials. They sell a lot of skin-whitening beauty products, industrially-produced drinks and cakes, computers and other products for smarter children and cold medicine of all sorts. But I wouldn't be seduced even if they speak very Pekinese Chinese - 60% of all deaf children in China became deaf after consuming some kind of antibiotics. Isn't that scary?

Though safety comes at a price. Went to a Singapore-run clinic yesterday to check out the doctor and get a new prescription for birth control pills (yes, we're still at it). Paid 200 euros for the 10-minute consultation plus 32 euros for the (imported) pills. I should have trained as a doctor after all. That was good money.

Back to TV, I am addicted. I spend my afternoons and evenings crying in front of the TV. I have forgotten how Asian drama tend to make one cry - a lot. But once the kids started school, I had to stop (the afternoon shows) as they have a lot of homework to do and years of Maths and Chinese to catch up on. We wake up at 6 in the morning now, so 10pm shows are also out - except during eve of public holidays and weekends.

I haven't started socialising much - but that will start soon I suppose. There are millions of expats in Shanghai. And everyone passes through the city at some point, we've already had lunch with an Italian ex-colleague of Hub's and he's going to dine with the CEO of some company he had dealings with in the past tomorrow evening. And I just got a call from my good Chinese friend in Paris that he's now in Shanghai - I never got to see him when I was living in Germany or Italy - but fancy catching up with him in China.

The other morning I turned up at the younger kids' school for a knitting lesson (preparing for the day I'll be knitting for my grandchildren) and caught the end of a PTA meeting. In spite of myself, got roped into helping out at both the Singaporean and French food stands (for a charity event). Interesting thing is that the French think of cooking and the Singaporeans of catering. I have almost forgotten that. Haha.

This morning I went to a fabric market to hunt for an ancient Egyptian costume for Babinette - for Egyptian Day at school. I had barely made my request when the tailor told me that I must be from one of the International Schools and promptly charged me 280 rmb for a piece of white cloth held by another piece of gold cloth that my darling will only wear once. But what choice do I have? Sewing figures not among my many talents. Why do these schools always make us spend money? And I've also got to make an ancient Egyptian dish. Since I do not have foie gras with me, I have decided to try couscous and roast chicken (well, it's fowl) - if I manage to find the ingredients and get the mini-kitchen in the flat to work. We have been eating out everyday since we were here.

Well, I'm not back for good. Just for the duration of this VPN trial that the Teenager has signed up for. We will only move into our house in mid-March. It's a big wooden house with 5 bedrooms and an open kitchen. In the meantime, I look forward to discovering more of Shanghai which probably is going to be one of the most important cities in the world - if it isn't already. See you later.

Cucina del Museo Revisited - Again

Cerdo with Lambrusco Reduction & Berries

On the eve of our move, we decided to complicate our lives by going out for a long dinner - made really worth the while albeit by a wonderful group of friends. Being torn between finishing up the sorting out and spending quality time with said friends was nothing compared to being condemned to blogging about the dinner - because the Hub is currently snoring the house down. Which is normal after the after-dinner grappa, only there is no way that I can sleep with a bulldozer in my current restless state.

Gambas with Black Truffle Cream (excellent)

Fresh Pasta with Fish

Pan-fried Foie Gras

We dined at the Cucina del Museo in Modena. I've blogged about the restaurant here and here sometime back and we've always enjoyed our meals there. Going back with the French Bs and German Bs was the icing on the cake, a wonderful way to say goodbye to Modena and its cuisine. I was going to say "goodbye to our friends" too, but as CB reminded me, not yet - since she would cook dinner for us all on Friday for the real finale.

They didn't do any menus this evening but we cajoled the owner to come up with one for us, with matching wines thrown in (@250 euros per couple). The food was very good as usual - if the fish pasta was a little too fishy and the deer a little too cooked for my taste. But the wines (particularly the Amarone and Sauvignon fumé) were very good, though needless to say I couldn't abuse since I had to drive us home after dinner. As it was, I grilled the first red light out of the parking...

The merry diners

The movers arrive in a few hours. I still need to fold a last batch of clothes and put away the ski stuff. Oh, and there are also the dirty dishes from the children's dinner to put away...Will I ever be ready? Can I sleep? Will I get fined for that red light?

Restaurant Le Péché Gourmand, Briançon

A peep into the kitchen - Le Péché Gourmand

If you know us by now, you'll know that a good meal is never far away. Driving to France to ski in the French Alps was something to look forward to - because we would stop somewhere along the way to have a decent lunch. The restaurant we checked out on the way to Risoul was Le Péché Gourmand in the lovely town of Briançon, probably the only restaurant gastronomique in the region.

Herbed Sorbet

The dining room was small but colourful and tastefully decorated. We liked what we saw in their menu. You may have heard that Italian Chefs cook (what their mothers would cook) with love and passion - very true, only that I've never understood why you would want to go to a restaurant to taste your mother's cooking.

Foie gras

Grilled Scallops with Jus de Viande

French Chefs on the other hand, would have left their mamas at home and would have ventured out on their own, constantly innovating to bring their cuisine to newer heights. We adored what they served us in this particular restaurant, every dish was a nice marriage of taste and presentation, every course accompanied by the "right" vegetables.

Poultry stuffed with Duck Liver

Half portion of Beef Filet

Grilled Fish on Topinambour and Leeks, Ginger Sauce

We took 3 full menus for us and also courses à la carte for the Babies. We appreciated the fact that they would divide full portions and serve them nicely in 2 plates. Our children have always joined us in good restaurants e.g. even when they were still in the cradle. We believe in training their pallet young, getting them used to sitting for hours at the table.

Tobacco-flavoured dessert

Dessert on the theme of mandarin oranges

One dish that was particularly interesting was grilled scallops served with a meat gravy. The Teenager's chicken stuffed with duck liver was also delicious. We also had cheeses and the desserts were lovely. Ordering coffee was a must (though we prefer Italian coffee nowadays) simply because it came with hand-made sweets and caramels. The caramel with fleur de sel was literally melt-in-the-mouth.

Sweets for the coffee

We paid more than 220 euros for our lunch (including a lovely bottle of Savennières) which was normal for the quality of the meal. On our way out we admired their NY Eve's menu which included suckling pig and wish we could try it out - but that wouldn't be reasonable since we already had our dinner booked at the holiday village.

On the way back we had lunch in Asti (Italy) in Ristorante-Enoteca Pompa Magna which served very good wines at reasonable prices. The food was also very good - I would recommend their Piemontese beef which was very tender and they also did a very good Tarte Tatin. But no photos as the problem with Italian food is that it often looks the same no matter how different it may taste.

Restaurant Le Péché Gourmand

La Fabrique - 2, route de Gap

05100 Briancon

Tel : 04 92 21 33 21

Risoul 1850 - Again

The boys on their skis

We have been skiing in Risoul 1850 in the Southern French Alps since Babinou was still in my womb. It's a small unpretentious ski station - but has very good runs, is often very sunny and boasts of consistently above-average snowfall.

Risoul 1850

Last week had been no exception. In fact, we had one of the best ski weeks in a decade : a full week of sunshine, runs covered with the most amazing snow (it snowed alot the week before our arrival) and a station that wasn't overcrowded. I am not a big fan of skiing - but even I have to admit that I have enjoyed myself this week (in spite of my painful ankle no thanks to too-tight ski shoes).

Bottom of the station (pictures taken up there are still in my phone - no idea how to retrieve them)

We stayed as usual with Touristra-Leo Lagrange - an all-inclusive holiday village that is just at the bottom of the ski runs. They have a new Director (Elza) since last year and things have improved - from the showers to the food. In fact, our New Year's Eve dinner was really very good - though we went to bed before midnight because we had to wake up early the next day for our last ski lesson.

Touristra-Leo Lagrange Holiday Village

The Babies obtained their Second Star (Deuxième Etoile) together and were really proud of their achievement. They ski very well now and are capable of doing certain black runs with little effort. In fact the family often had to ski without me as I was holding them back too much. I am too rigid when I ski and somehow couldn't seem to correct my bad posture (nor my fears). Though I can ski reasonably well nowadays, situating between Classe 1 & 2 for adults. The Teenager skied with Hub in Classe 3 (the highest level) and they often did unsecured runs which gave me goosebumps just at the thought.

ESF ski instructors giving out certificates to those who have earned their 2nd Star

Who knows when we will ski again once we move to Shanghai. So we were glad to have done it though we are just days from starting our move. I'm all stressed out now as there is still so much to be done. Arrgh...