what's cookin' good lookin'

poppin off like the top of a chinese soad pop - tastes like american coke, only sweeter.

met with one factory today, its sunday so not many factories are open. it's SO smoggy here, the sun never shines - worse than LA. ten times worse. the girl i correspond with "karen" (sweejun is her real name) is only 26 - and married, she came to qingdao as her "lifes dream, because she believes it is the most beautiful city in china" - it is SO crazy to learn about these people's lives. she freaking taught herself english!

ok on to the crazy shit..

so "karen" and "jack" took us out for a VERY authentic chinese lunch. scorpions and all. im a pussy, i wont eat anything that swims (unless its tuna or a fish stick) or any mystery meat.. so, this was quite the experience. especially since qingdao is a "sea city" - they are right on the water, pacific ocean - or what the locals call the "yellow sea" -keep it to yourself- So everything was seafood!

(yes those are scorpions)

besides the fact that this was TOTALLY in the middle of rural china, like dirt roads and tractor bikes - wait everyone rides tractor bikes here; well you get my jest.

the resty was inside a hotel, where we were indefinately the only non-chinky eyed wonderkids inside. The way it was set up was all these dishes (below) wrapped in plastic wrap, and live tanks of sea food.. you basically pick what you want and then they serve it to you.

it is typical chinese culture to eat inside private dining rooms, so we went in a large room and all sat around a table with a HUGE lazy susan so the food could be easily shared.


i almost thought it was a can of dog food, or food made of dog - but i think its a can of fish?


shrimp salad, in a uh - plastic wrap?


get your mind out of the gutter you pervert, i know what youre thinking.


i couldnt even tell you what the hell these "sea animals" are, but they're eyes are all cloudy


thats what you call a "fun basket"


octapus


not me not now, not ever.


a pile of dead fish, with a lobster cherry


this is your brain on drugs, or fried with veggies..


this is my are "really?" face. bc i really just dont know how to operate fucking chopsticks



the best chicken soup of my life, until i found out it was fish stomach and sea urchin soup -


now thats a lunch (note the pumpkin filled with mushrooms - fucking amazing!)

on that note,

a three wheeled car from the window of a four wheeled car, dip set.

L what is in that, does it have legs 7