7.6 Friday in the French Concession

Today, I tried to visit Shanghai MOCA, but it was closed. En route to the museum, while walking through People’s Square, I met MiMi and her two friends. She was the most forward of the students I’ve met. She actually offered her hand, and her name. And her two male friends did the same. She tried on my sunglasses, and I took her picture. I took the subway to the area of town known as the French Concession—mostly a shopping district of tree-lined streets. Before boarding the train, I walked around in the subway station’s mini mall of underground shops and deposited my first cd-r. The trains were very nice and ran smoothly, but were crowded, as one might expect. Upon reemerging, I was bombarded by hawkers of watches and handbags, but once I was clear of the subway station, it was okay. The area had a nice relaxed feel, the shade of the trees making it seem cooler. I got hungry and wanted to try a little food stand that looked good, but without an English menu, I was at a loss. Found a little place that did have English on the menu, where I ordered a selection of bao and Chinese broccoli. Main dish wasn’t exactly what I expected, but was still very good—sauteed pork and beef, eggplant and peppers. I thought they had delivered the wrong dish, but a fellow visiting from Hong Kong next to me lent his help in ensuring that I had rec’d what I ordered. Lots of food, and a beer, for $9. No tip required. Afterwards, I walked some more, and happened to run into two fellow couriers, so I accompanied them to a scarf store, where I sat and relaxed with water and AC while they shopped. We parted after that, and I took a taxi back to the hotel, for 20 yuan (RMB): a mere $3.