Class of its Own
There are a lot of people in Shanghai.
No, wait, there are A LOT of people in Shanghai. And Beijing. And Guangzhou. And pretty much every city in the People's Republic.
You see it in the masses crossing the street, shopping in the malls, buying sausages in the supermarket. They're everywhere. And they just don't stop staring.
I'm mostly talking about the restaurants. By my last count (yes, I counted every single head here; took me an entire weekend), there were 14 million people in this city, with an addition 4 million migrant workers who aren't "registered." That's more than three times the size of Denmark, but all of you knew that. In any case, what this means is that with so much human capital to go around, there really aren't any functions or activities that DON'T have one or two Chinese people being paid to do them at any given time.
I craved burgers two nights ago, and walked down the street to a joint called Kiwi Cafe. I walked in, and I could tell I was the only patron at the place. A woman opened the door for me, welcomed me inside, and then remained at the door. A waitress came and gave me the menu. Another waitress came a few minutes thereafter to set my table. Then a third waitress came and asked me what I wanted to drink. And finally, a waiter arrived and served me my burger.
If you're counting, that's four people who have served me so far, and all I've done is sit down and order an "everything burger" (which turned out to be a bizarrely delightful combination of meat, pineapple, cucumber, and egg). And that doesn't count the chef at the grill who made my burger for me, and the manager and ice-cream server sitting at the counter. That's 7 people total who were standing there aimlessly, prior to me walking in.
The worst part is, all seven people are staring at me while I eat. This is quite unnerving; try it some time. Especially with a huge burger. When I eat big burgers, I'm like those folks in those disgusting Jack in the Box commercials. "Don't bother me, I'm eating." I like to take a big bite, and then paint with the juices as they drip off my chin. I'm not a nibbler by any means, particularly when it comes to aptly titled "Everything Burgers." So imagine the discomfort as I'm sitting there, leaking juices and sauce and looking like Ronald McDonald, and seven people are standing there, staring at me. Waiting for me...to slip up. I should have asked the waiter to come over and wipe my chin...but I'm not an asshole.
I often wonder what the future holds for this country. So many people, so little education, yet such an intense worth ethic. If half the people in Shanghai were able to get college educations and partake in a sense of upward mobility, then China would truly be able to tap into its greatest resouce: its watermelons. Oh yeah, and its people. And on the global stage, this country would be in a class of its own.
But first, they gotta figure out how to make a good burger. Without cucumbers and eggs, please.
No, wait, there are A LOT of people in Shanghai. And Beijing. And Guangzhou. And pretty much every city in the People's Republic.
You see it in the masses crossing the street, shopping in the malls, buying sausages in the supermarket. They're everywhere. And they just don't stop staring.
I'm mostly talking about the restaurants. By my last count (yes, I counted every single head here; took me an entire weekend), there were 14 million people in this city, with an addition 4 million migrant workers who aren't "registered." That's more than three times the size of Denmark, but all of you knew that. In any case, what this means is that with so much human capital to go around, there really aren't any functions or activities that DON'T have one or two Chinese people being paid to do them at any given time.
I craved burgers two nights ago, and walked down the street to a joint called Kiwi Cafe. I walked in, and I could tell I was the only patron at the place. A woman opened the door for me, welcomed me inside, and then remained at the door. A waitress came and gave me the menu. Another waitress came a few minutes thereafter to set my table. Then a third waitress came and asked me what I wanted to drink. And finally, a waiter arrived and served me my burger.
If you're counting, that's four people who have served me so far, and all I've done is sit down and order an "everything burger" (which turned out to be a bizarrely delightful combination of meat, pineapple, cucumber, and egg). And that doesn't count the chef at the grill who made my burger for me, and the manager and ice-cream server sitting at the counter. That's 7 people total who were standing there aimlessly, prior to me walking in.
The worst part is, all seven people are staring at me while I eat. This is quite unnerving; try it some time. Especially with a huge burger. When I eat big burgers, I'm like those folks in those disgusting Jack in the Box commercials. "Don't bother me, I'm eating." I like to take a big bite, and then paint with the juices as they drip off my chin. I'm not a nibbler by any means, particularly when it comes to aptly titled "Everything Burgers." So imagine the discomfort as I'm sitting there, leaking juices and sauce and looking like Ronald McDonald, and seven people are standing there, staring at me. Waiting for me...to slip up. I should have asked the waiter to come over and wipe my chin...but I'm not an asshole.
I often wonder what the future holds for this country. So many people, so little education, yet such an intense worth ethic. If half the people in Shanghai were able to get college educations and partake in a sense of upward mobility, then China would truly be able to tap into its greatest resouce: its watermelons. Oh yeah, and its people. And on the global stage, this country would be in a class of its own.
But first, they gotta figure out how to make a good burger. Without cucumbers and eggs, please.
posted by sushipanda at 5:24 AM
1 Comments:
I think you meant the Carl's Jr. commercial (don't bother me, I am eating), not Jack in the Cracks... :-) no offense on Jack, I LOVE their sourdough burger!
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