This post arguably could have been titled 'Food no3'. Thus sending across the impression that I am pigging out over in Shanghai. I can not deny that claim. When you travel you have a tendency to treat yourself a bit more. I liken it to a night out in another city. I believe that you are always more likely to get a takeaway at the end of the night when in another city to the one you usually go out in. Its because you are allowing yourself just this once and its also a subconscious survival that when you are in another place you are always on the lookout for food. Its very primal.
Shanghai is rife with Western goods and services. However it was only recently that China opened its borders up to foreign good and vice versa. Deng Xiaoping, a forgotten leader almost because of Mao's popularity here, made economic reforms which transformed China into more of a global market, thus beginning the mass economic climb of China.The first McDonalds was built in 1978 in Beijing, 40 years after the first restaurant was started up in LA.
Being a Westerner, I am inadvertedly drawn to the Golden Arches or as of yesterday to the Pizza Hut. (I think I've ever been to KFC once anyway when I was in Nice that hasn't changed since i've been her). This is not on a daily basis, but probably about twice a week (this is including McDonalds takeaway which if I haven't mentioned before is quite surreal).
The restaurants are a lot cleaner than back home. Some you might think have just been opened. There is a staff member solely to open the door for you in Pizza Hut. The prices are also a lot cheaper, I paid 33/£3.30 for a decent sized lasagne, however if I had waited a day for it to be on special it would have been half-price. As for McDonalds, you can get a big Mac meal for 26 yuan/£2.60 but between 5-8 this price reduces to 15/£1.50.
So the prices are quite good, the service is also impeccable. However, this might just be me saying this but there really is no rush/queues for Western fast food joints. And Thank God there isn't.
It felt weird yesterday when for the first time here I was given a knife and fork to cut my lasagne with. I feel using chopsticks is as much engrained in Chinese tradition as overcrowding a metro. Therefore I feel it is only the more liberal Chinese family who would go in to a fast food joint but the more conservative Chinese resident would not touch it, even in the Western stance of Shanghai.
I find Westerners are looked up to anywhere you look here. 3/4 models on billboards tend to be Caucasian/Western looking. This I find a bit strange. Surely the model should relate to the market it is modelling or is the model acting as a model human being to Chinese men and women? However this post is for another day, from my time sitting in a fairly empty McDonalds I pose the question : Is Shanghai just catering for the ever increasing expat community or are they pushing Chinese people to drop their traditions and further embrace the Western world?
Me personally, I'm going to try and drop the hamburgers. As stated previously I love the school meals. I love the chopsticks. There is oodles more taste to find in a Chinese meal anyway.
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