Eat your heart out

No, this isn’t about more bizarre foods, just trying to throw you off.  For Saturday night, we went with two other couples to Shanghai on the bullet train, which takes only about 40 minutes as it can go over 250 mph (although not over that leg of the track).  Anyway, the train was a very nice experience and it cost less than $15 for both of us.

The restaurant (Stiller’s, which is located at the Cool Docks) was quite nice with views of the Pudong skyline.  We decided on the set menu, which was about eight or nine courses.  The whole thing took about 3 ½ hours and was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.  It had everything: foie gras, basil sorbet over tomatoes, Australian lamb, a cheese course, etc.  In the end we were all tired and stuffed when we rolled out.  They also do cooking classes which all the men were contemplating taking at a later date while the women shop.

The one thing that tainted the event for me after further reflection was that while it was very nice and most westerner expats would say well worth the money, it ended up costing Rebecca and me more than the monthly salary of our ayi.  The Chinese would applaud us spending as much money as possible in China, but in the end you just keep coming back to realizing that most Americans are the “haves” rather than the “have-nots” and that we don’t have the steel that comes from true hardship.  I don’t want to end on a total downer, so instead I’ll leave you with a few photos of the train, Rebecca's salad (mozzarella cheese in the middle) and the foie gras / duck appetizer medley (yes the last thing on the right ice cream and it was spectacular).