Food in Jinan

I am sure you would all agree that when moving to a new place, the last thing on your mind to pack are eating utensils. I know it was never on my list, didn't cross my mind until my first meal in Jinan.

The new teachers were taken out for dinner our first night at the Nice Lady restaurant (nicknamed by the foreign teachers). And not until I saw my delicious looking spicy chicken (anything would have looked delicious to me as the last time I ate was on my flight from Toronto) did it hit me I would be using chopsticks. I know, I moved to China, why didnt I learn how to use chopsticks before leaving blah blah blah … well I didn't.

Chopsticks skills

I struggled with eating with chopsticks that night which meant I didn't enjoy my meal and I needed to do something about the situation. I know eventually, I would learn and get used to using chopsticks but for now, I need to get cutlery I can use or employ my hands. Growing up, for some odd reason I didn't like eating with spoons so my mother bought me cheap forks I could walk around with. I guess I have to do as she did … oh wait, the forks at the supermarket are not cheap. I didn't have a choice so I got couple of forks and a pair of chopsticks. So, if you find yourself travelling to China, remember you would need chopsticks at some point.

Back to the food in Jinan …

There is no shortage of good food, healthy or otherwise, cheap and expensive, local and foreign, indoor and outdoor (street food vendors) but I still find eating out a bit challenging for different reasons. Main reason though is that I do not eat pork and up to the moment I moved to Jinan, I can say with 95% certainty that I have been able to avoid cross contamination as well. So for those that eat practically anything, you will have variety of food to choose from in Jinan. Couple of reasons in addition to not eating pig product is the amount of salt and oil in almost every meal. Which brings me to few of my "GO TOs'' …

Chicken Lady

Eat Street

Close to my apartment, there is Eat Street (not sure what the real name is) with almost any kind of food you need. These are street food vendors that are worth the time and money. On eat street, most of my friends including myself have few favorites. These are meals we've all had with no issues (no bathroom visit). There is the Chicken Lady right at the north entrance of the alley, the noodle place few stalls down, the squid guy (and his adorable son) are couple of stands down from our favorite veggie wrap lady who I believe is mid-distance from either entrance.

Veggie Wrap Lady

Also, close by are few halal restaurant that all serve the same exact dishes and all the same price tag attached to the dishes. There is one across the street from me at Li Sha Da Sha that I go to as a last resort as the people there are not very friendly. There is one few stores down from the entrance to Eat Street and one in the Eat street that I visit at least once a week. They are very friendly which is why I prefer them to the one closest to my apartment. For those off us that eat halal and would rather avoid cross contamination, you have nothing to worry about as there are Halal restaurants within 15 to 30 minutes walking distance in any direction.

Then, there is Food Street (again not the real name); this is also walking distance (about 30 to 40 minutes) but a short 10 minutes bus ride (k50 or 101 bus). The main entrance to the Food Street is right across from Zara clothing store (yep, same Zara @ Shimao Mall next to Parc 66). Food street is longer and has more variety compared to Eat Street but you need to leave your sense of smell at home. All you need is a bit of sight, your wallet and taste buds.

I have only been here for two months so I can't say more at the moment about other street food areas in Jinan but I doubt I would be disappointed.

In terms of fine dining or sit down meals, I have been to a couple and would like to recommend one for now. I don't have much to say as I have only been to a handful and so far only Taste Western is worth a return trip. They serve western food and as I have been told, the restaurant is fairly new. Food quality, customer service and wait time at this restaurant is way better than other places I have been to. Also, it comes with a decent price tag.

BBQ Chicken Salad from Taste Western

Some of my friends have other places they prefer like Melenas (on the north side of Parc 66) every Sunday night (usually for drinks) and sometimes Lazy's for both drinks and food. I have never had anything at Melenas so I can't comment but food at Lazy's is fairly OK. They offer membership card with different perks everyone you visit.

Big Daddy's burger @ Lazy's

Before moving to Jinan, I was never a fan of eating out but when you move into an apartment like mine (see previous post), you will be forced to eat out.

Home Cooked Meals

Although, I cooked sometimes, I eat out almost everyday. Eating out 2 to 3 times a day means more spending which means you need to find something feeling and affordable. Most time eating local gets you what you need at the right price compared to eating western (KFC, BK, McDonald's, etc.) So back to the issue of eating no pork or its by product, couple of phrases I learnt were ''bu Yao Zhu  rou (不要猪肉)'' which means I don't want pork, ''Wo bu xi huan zhu rou (我不喜欢猪肉) - I don't like pork. Plus I had to memorize the Chinese letters for beef (cow meat 牛肉 - Niu rou). There are more things I would rather not consume that I see everyday so I just stay clear of the vendors or these items when I see them on the menu.

This is based on my two months experience and should there be any changes, I will update this post with the new details.

Please note that this is my experience and others' thoughts and experience in relation to food in Jinan is bound to be slightly or totally different.

Still getting used to eating with chopsticks and the frowns I get when I order food - with one too many "bu Yao …/ wo bu xi huan …" (I don't want …/ I don't like …

Daily Commute experience - pedestrian crossing skills next.

Thanks for reading.

Houcaller - Steak meal

No Honeymoon... One month in.

One month in with no honeymoon phase. I arrived in Shanghai safely, with a 15 hours layover, I booked a 4 star hotel online. Yep 4 but more like 2 stars. Anyway it was clean-ish and smells nice-ish; plus it came with a huge low price tag, free wi-fi and airport pick up and drop off. With an half decent night sleep, I made it to Jinan all in one piece. Got picked up by my Manager, soon to be friend and go to person for directions, bus routes and stops.

I was so excited that dragging my 3 heavy overweight luggage in a heavy down pour of rain did nothing to dampen my mood. Plus, I just found out I won't be having a room mate for most or the entire duration of the current semester (6 months). 

Foreign Teacher's Apartment for my school

Then, I walked into my apartment and my excitement hit an all time low. 

Looking back, I can't say for sure what it was but I can recall clearly asking, "how much will it cost me to get cleaners in here? And where is the closest grocery store, I need to buy some household cleaning supplies. 

I did get cleaners, paid for by my school but I might as well have gotten nothing because they did such a bad job I had to complain. Yes, I am a very detailed cleaner but even to the least detailed or not so clean person this is an awful cleaning job. I was not surprised though as I was warned I would be getting a so called "China Cleaning" - didn't know what this meant at first but now I do. I was advised to take before cleaners and after cleaners picture of the whole apartment. Which I did but I went a step further to clean by myself every inch of the apartment except my bathroom and then took pictures just so I can show what I meant when I said please clean. Please see some pictures after cleaners cleaned below and above.

After Cleaners cleaned.

After I cleaned

So, what have I done in my first month besides scrubbing my kitchen floor?

I have been teaching from day 3, at an English language school, and from my second week,  few public school English classes got added on (some agreement between the public school and my actual school). Visited few historical/ tourist attractions out of many friendly Shandong province has to offer. Shulianxian, The Thousand Budha Mountain, Qufu (Confuscious birth place), Five Dragon Pond, Daming Lake and Batou Springs (highly recommended). Not much has happened but so far, I am adjusting and adapting very well.

I will fill you in on food and commuting in my next post. Stay tuned.

Shui lian xia 水帘峡

Thousand Budha Mountain 千佛山

Spring Square 泉城广场

Baotu Springs 暴徒全

Five Dragon Pond 五龙潭

Daming Lake 大 名湖

Yeah Man! Jamaica Me Crazy!

Wat a gwaan?

Me Irie. 

Taking a trip away from reality although does not eliminate all the life huddles permanently. It does help relax and revitalize you in readiness for some aspect of real life. 

I have never been on an actual vacation. All my trips away from home has always been for a reason (weddings, family, school etc) never just to relax and enjoy the scenery. Picking Jamaica as my first real vacation was not intentional. Myself and my partner in crime, as usual wanted somewhere affordable with an all-inclusive tag but we also wanted somewhere with high ratings of fun, safety, good food, hygiene, good customer service and most of all good quality/ quantity of booze.

Well we (she) found it in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. An all-inclusive package at the Gran Bahai Principe (GBP) Resort. It was a long and fairly hot ride from Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay to GBP Resort, Runaway Bay but being recieved with a cold drink was welcoming. 

A 5-day  all inclusive trip to Jamaice was worth the bill. The tours and excursions made it worth the bill, the time, and the experience. 

Hiking up the Dunns River Falls took approx. 45mins and 15mins back. I wish I could describe the experience in words but all I can say is it was awesome. Scary, tiring but it was so much fun. If you ever get the chance to visit Jamaica, make sure to do this. Here is a breakdown of my days and the excursions I went on. 

Day 1 was not uneventful except for the long line to cross the immigration desk st the airport. And our driver to the resort felt it would be ok to drive us to the gas station to pump gas and across the street to pick up his female friend at the bank. I would think having our flight landing time, factoring in the long line, he would have thought ahead and purchased gas before getting to the airport. Anyway, this didn't ruin the day. I was looking forward to food after a long day and didn't care what happened so long as I get to the resort safe. 

Day 2 

Soaked in the sun all day and ended the day with a fairly ok dinner at the Japanese restaurant. For me, the decor in the restaurant is the only link I could make to Japan.

Day 3 - Supper Fun Day

Did the Dunns Riiver Tour and Chukka Catamaran Tour (Party Boat) - these two are my favorite, highly recommended.

Day 4 - not so good. 

Woke up with a bad migrane (blaming this on the all day partying and late night. Woke up very early to make sure we get breakfast and catch the 8:45am bus to the Horseback Swim & Ride excursion. We made breakfast and was in the lobby by 8:30am but we didn't make the 8:45am bus that was apparently there and left by 8:35am. The driver got to the resort, picked up 4people instead of 6 and went on his way. This is a lobby with different people waiting for different buses to different excursion/ tour locations. I personally assumed a driver driving an unmarked bus picking up strangers would announce (like the previous day and other drivers did) his company name and ask for passengers going to "XYZ" location. No, that would be too much to ask. 

Anyway, the horseback ride was fun, didn't like any of the pictures taken by the guide so I didn't pay for any which is ok by me. I enjoyed the ride and would do it again if the opportunity arises.

I was all watered out and just wanted to do nothing which by the way is exactly what I did for the rest of the day. Still had the migrane when I got back from the horse farm but a nice and long bath with followed by lunch and then longing helped reduced the pressure.

My personal recommendation when vacationing in Jamaica: 

Dunns River Falls tour, Chukka Cat Tour, Bug spray: insect repellant, your preferred lotion, sunscreen and lots of energy. 

Gratitude to the Chukka Cat Crew, for a very good time and all the Gran Bahai Principe Staff that kept the rooms decent, made the nice foods and most of all, were always friendly and ready to help. There were some not so perfect occurrences but these were things I could live with.

Jamaica was fun, I would definitely be doing more of this. 

This is the first of many to come. 

Next Stop; Jinan, Shandong, China

New Dawn, New Day, New Life

Within a short period, I went from one of the highest/ happiest moment to one of the saddest moment in my life. In a period of a week, my life as I knew it and as I planned it came into place and fell out of place. 

In light of the new development, my heart is fixed on progressing. I have taken a conscious decision to make my life about me (this is new for me). A conscious decision to be happy, strong and confident. 

I guess there is no other option for me but to be happy and strong. What else do you do when you get a joyous news that fills you with so much happiness and in less than a week you are hit with one that takes away the happiness. 

Well here is what I did, I cried so much eventually tears stopped running, didn't eat or drink for some days to the point where remembering the previous minute was a chore. Then, it hit me, that I don't do we'll being sad and miserable. My beautiful smile is allergic to misery. So here I am, it is very hard but I will make it a daily mission to be true to myself, strong and happy.

This TERN is on a roll, the sky is no longer the limit. It is just another gate to another adventure. 

Sitting at an airport gate, heading to NC to visit my mother, I look back and realize there is just this life and I am going to live,  laugh and love till I can't no more. 

For those that know me personally, you know my mother is everything to me. I called her sobbing like a baby to share my sad news and here is her response (To those who know my mother, I am sure you can predict her response). 

      "Adunni, no need to cry. May God continue to bless you. You wil never know sorrow. There is no reason to cry, please wipe your tears, take a shower and give thanks to God for everything." 

I do know my mother and somewhere deep down I anticipated that response but I couldn't help thinking she didn't hear me due to my endless stream of tears. So again sobbing I told her what had happened (play by play). She said "Oko mi (My dear), I heard you the first time. This is not the time to cry but a time to get closer to your God, ask for forgiveness, strenght and happiness. 

I did as she said and till the end of time, I will continue to say my mother is one of a kind. She went through the same ordeal and always wished she had someone then to help when she needed it the most. I will always love you (Iya Hajarat); may your days be long in good health and wealth. 

These past couple of weeks she has been there like a mother should, like a sister should and like a friend should. She  raised me to be strong and dependent but still held on tightly when I needed her the most. 

This is why I am taking time out of no time and spending money I don't have, flying to NC, to visit her, and other family member that have always and I know will always be there for me. 

Enough of the sob story. 

Before China, I will be in NC for 5 days to return Monday night. Then I will be heading to Runaway Bay, Jamaica (long over due vacation) with one of my all-time favorite. 

So you see why I am loving it 😃

Not a lot of trips before China but I know this is the begin of many more to come. 

I will try to update before Jamaica, if not, see you before the big MOVE

So ... Did I accept the offer?

It has been a very long couple of weeks. Trying to figure out what the next course of plan would be should I accept the offer or turn it down? What this would mean for me now and my career aspirations.

Like I said in my earlier post, this would be a stepping stone to other interesting and career changing opportunities. I would need to quit my current job, move to the other side of the world away from family, friends and foes.

The uncertainty still remains as I am not sure what to expect, I am yet to arrive at answers to some of my questions. Some of which would not be answered until I commence on this new adventure.

So far, it has been a rocky road, one that I hope someday I will be able to look back and smile. I have been very excited about this offer and have been reading on Jinan, Shandong as well as China. Some reviews have been encouraging and some not so much. All in all, one thing is for sure - keeping an open mind provides some form of cushion.

Great Wall of China

 

I am sure with any decision in life, there are bound to be challenges and obstacles that makes you want to run the other way, change your mind, regret the choices you've made or wish you could time travel back to the past. I am hoping this is not one of those instances. I am anticipating lots of travels, time and wallet permitting.  

So ...

Did I accept the offer?

Yes I did.

I gave in my two weeks notice at work, started packing up some of my things that I will be taking with me the rest of my stuff I have found a storage space for (a bit skeptical about safety). FYI - Packing is not fun, especially when you have to consider airline baggage allowance. Although I am able to send some of my stuff over once my Visa is confirmed, I have been warned postal/ courier service to and from ... is not very reliable.

Enough of my packing dislikes.

Looking forward the next 12 month of UPs and DOWNs, happy and not so happy, culture shock and new experience. 

What's next ... 



Moving Soon ... Maybe, maybe not

Lots of question going on in my head. Should I accept this offer? If I do, am I able to commit to blogging my experience? The first and last time I took to blogging was over a year ago. I can't say for sure if I did a good job, if anyone read it or if anyone is going to read my new postings. I guess I have to try to know the answer to that.

OK then; one question answered. If I do accept the offer, would I be able to blog occasionally, maybe weekly or bi weekly (not daily like my last one)?

So what is this offer I am referring to? I have just been offered a teaching position in Jinan (济南), capital of Shandong (山东) province in Eastern China. This will be an experience of a lifetime. It is the start of something new, the beginning of an end as I have been with my current organization for over 5.

Although I am super excited about the role and the opportunity teaching abroad would bring, not to mention the experience, I am also sceptical and a bit scared.  It is after all a new place far away from family and friends. What if it is not what it is shaped out to be? What if I don't enjoy it as much as I thought? What if I embark on this new chapter and it exceeds my expectation, loving it so much, I don't want to look back?

Hmmm ... lots of "WHAT IFs" So ... 

Will I be accepting the offer? You will have to stay tuned to find out.