Bangkok under Curfew

July 14, 2014

I had the pleasure, and luck, of picking Bangkok as my final travel destination over the tumultuous days of the bloodless coup d’état that has recently ravaged the country. The military, which holds extra-congressional an extra-judicial power in Thailand, imposed martial law in the capital on May 20th to control pro-democratic riots. My fear of traveling was further validated when the army enacted a full-blown coup d’état a few days later. The biggest fear would have been a full-scale shutdown of the airport over the 48 days I was there, trapping me in a politically unstable country until further notice. This scenario played out in 2008. A similar coup d’état also happened in 2006.

The recent turn of events was met with a business-as-usual attitude. In my two days in Bangkok, I did not see one military personnel. I did not witness any violence, or enforcement of the 10pm curfew. The only change seems to be the persistently profiteering taxi-drivers who use the curfew as an excuse to over-charge. In some ways Thailand was an improvement over the perpetual military-ruled country of China. A $10 sim card granted me unlimited access to Facebook, Google and New York Times; I felt unshackled from my chains as I entered into the supposedly tumultuous state. As I entered my hotel room, many of the TV channels were indeed blocked. All that you could watch were talent shows with scantily clad girls with skin too white to be natural, or sports - the opium of the masses, or HBO’s newest episode of Game of Thrones. Censorship, of course, is problematic. But again, it is not unexpected.

Bangkok conjures a wide-ranging and often opposing list of stereotypes. First off are ping-pong shows against saintly shrines. Second is rickety tuk-tuks driving through an architectural hotspot brimming in modern art. The final might be fly infested markets and splendid foliage. It turns out the city is not the poster child of these stereotypes as tourists might hope for. It is a fairly normal city, as evidenced by its recent emergence in the world foodie scene (taking 6 of the top 50 spots in Asia). Through all my gallivanting, it was hard to witness anything salacious (admittedly, I could not witness the atmosphere at night given the curfew). As a point of comparison, the innuendo-filled Akihabara district in Tokyo was much more outwardly suggestive than any district in Thailand.

Of course there is the famed Khao San road, which has gained international recognition as a backpacker’s capital. The area is unconnected by public transportation and is not worth visiting unless you want to see foreign travelers. But the area around there is filled with goodies: the Wat Saket (Golden Mount) reaches for the heavens and provides an excellent view of the city (closes 17:30), the stately Grand Palace (closes 15:30), the paired Wat Pho (reclining buddha) and the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) across the river. The blistering heat and humidity is dangerous. The shacks selling iced milk teas (the thai version is orange) and freshly squeezed juices are the oasis, as are trains and taxis. As tempting as a tuk-tuk is, you will regret it. The last important sight in this part of town is Chinatown, where you can get a huge, stinky Durian fruit. Just don’t bring it into a taxi or a subway station.

The aforementioned sights are all tourist-ridden (though less-so given the coup when I went), forming the west side of Bangkok. The trendier parts of the city can be found in the centre and east sides - connected by sky train and metro. Note that the sky train and metro tickets are in general more expensive than taxis. However, they are faster during rush hour. For example, take the dark blue line to Chatuchak, a market that is open on the weekends. If you’re there on a weekday, then you can at least go to Or Tor Kor (directions: take the dark blue line to Kamphaeng Phet station and exit number 3) which is a farmer’s market. Most sources suggest getting a som tam, a green papaya salad. In the middle of town, connected by the Sky Train over the stops “National Centre” and “Siam” is the glitzy (and most congested) part of Bangkok. It is filled with high-end hotels, brand names, and signs that have Chinese, English but no Thai. Of course, shopping in Thailand is no fun so you can go to Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, which currently has a cool exhibit on architecture by Foster + Partners. They’re the firm that designed the bullet-looking building in London. A few blocks away is the Buddhist sanctuary of Erawan Shrine lost in the hustle and bustle of the capitalist sanctuary of Siam square.

Without a doubt the most enlightening experience in Bangkok was going to Bang Krajao - a patch of land south of the river. Getting here is not difficult but requires a little adventurism. Exit the Khlong Toei MRT and take a taxi to the Wat Khlong Toei Nok Pier (g: Wat Khlong Toei Nok Pier). The taxi will drop you off at customs for a port. But head towards the Buddhist shrine and then you will notice the passenger pier. From there, a tiny motorboat with a single driver will ferry you and other commuters to Bang Krajao, where you need to rent a bicycle (100 baht/day). On a weekend you can go to the floating market but otherwise there is a peaceful park called Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park that is well kept and looks out of place in its lowly, dilapidated surroundings. But bike a little more and you see some wooden bridges that are crumbling under their own weight. I wouldn’t recommend you go over one but I did. The worst case is falling into a moss-infested pond.

But back to the real reason I came to Bangkok. It seems like within a year, it has overtaken Tokyo as the foodie capital of Asia, taking both first and third spot in the San Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants award. Indeed, I was hoping that it would be the San Sebastian of Asia, a bastion of innovative Asian cuisine in a city known for less fine things. In general the food was excellent and some accolades are deserved. But none of the restaurants come even close to Narisawa, the Tokyo restaurant that was booted down to second by Nahm.

Nahm

1100 baht Set

Pineapple triangle topped with chilli, pork, peanut and prawn

Prawn and coconut wafers with pickled ginger

Blue swimmer crab with peanuts and pickled garlic on rice cakes

Green curry of chicken with thai eggplants and basil

Deep fried grouper with fish sauce

Salad of fresh river prawns with pork and asian pennywort

Thai dessert [mangosteen, lychee]

It begins with the amuse-bouche that is on everyone’s blog - a pineapple triangle (“Ma Hor”) topped with chilli, pork, peanut and prawn. I appreciate what Nahm is trying to do here. It stays true to Thai cooking and uses traditional ingredients and replicates traditional flavours. Unfortunately, as this amuse-bouche already shows, the cooking fails to push the envelope far enough. It’s just a ball of sweet on top of a sourish fruit. A few courses later, you wonder if anything interesting has happened. There is excellent, shattering crunch of the “coconut wafers” and a fresh salad of ginger and prawns inside. The rice cake offers much less texture discovery. Unfortunately, it is mostly downhill from here. The deep fried grouper is hopelessly dry, and again, boring. It amounts to a glorified deep-fried fish in vinegar. The green curry offers little new. The dessert is somewhat redemptive, especially the lychee soaked in a icy, sugary water. Unfortunately, the meal was far from the best meal in Asia. This experience reveals some telling things about the 50 best restaurants list. Most simply, it is one opinion as is mine. It is also dependent on mindset and experience. I went for lunch and could not order anything spicy. Perhaps the spicier dinner options are more inventive. For example, a guinea fowl comes highly recommended that was not on the prix-fixe. Maybe I ordered the wrong things or played it too safe. Furthermore, the top 50 restaurant guide might better be named the 50most talked about restaurants. It often rewards names that are controversial instead ones that are good by consensus. Nahm’s main controversy was how a white man could bring Thai food back to Thailand. After consulting other reviews from other bloggers, I am happy my concerns are echoed everywhere. There is no wow-factor. It leaves me wondering how this can be the best restaurant in Asia.

Taste of Gaggan

1800 Baht

Street Eats from India: Yogurt Chaat, Samosa, Spiced nuts in an edible plastic bag, pain puri

Viagra: Freshly shcuked oyster, spiced marinated apple and Yuzu chutney with lemon air

Sandwich: Foie gras mousse, onion water baguette, onion chutney and hazelnut candy

Down to Earth: Summer vegetables: asparagus, morels, mushrooms, artichokes with 62 degree C egg yolk and truffle, chill air

River King: Fresh water prawn grilled in a tandoor with a curry leaf infusion and mango chutney

Keema Pav (Lamb Ragout): Minced lamb curry with dehydrated tomato bread and chutney

Bong Connection: Red mullet in green chill herb marinade with Bengali mustard, sweet potato, all spice gel

British National Dish: Home-style chicken tikka masala accompanied by naan bread

Made in Japan: White sesame cake, wasabi ice cream and miso leaves

Divine: Fresh Mahachanok mango with cardamom ice cream, pistachio gnocchi and yogurt cookie

Dubbed “progressive Indian,” this experiment in molecular gastronomy is rated the best Indian restaurant in the world. Its only criticism might be that it isn’t very Indian. How is Foie gras even Asian at all? Yet from the first bite - a Yogurt Chaat with an raw egg consistency - you know the meal will be special. This amuse-bouche turns molecular, using techniques from Spain, giving the chaat a thin membrane. When it breaks, an eruption of traditional indian flavours break loose and serenade every point in the mouth. Fast forward to the controversial foie gras dish. the “baguette” is made of onion water - a foam that dissipates in your mouth, leaving just the succulent duck mousse. Then a perfectly cooked “62 degree” egg comes in a stone bowl with copious servings of mushrooms and truffles. The egg alone, the sunny yolk running lusciously, makes the dish. The meal continues to be interesting - with a good sense of humour too: one dish is named “Viagara,” presumably for the aphrodisiac in the oyster; another is named “British National Dish”, alluding to how the tikka masala chicken is more widely eaten than fish and chips. At time, the food feels almost too experimental. The pistachio gnocchi, for example, misses on flavour and the slobbering of concentrated mango feels anything but fine. And indeed, some dishes are not Indian at all. But perhaps that’s not the point (one dish is called “Made in Japan”). This menu is about Gaggan, the chef, who is adept at Indian cooking. But when he successfully puts in dishes from other cuisines, I am not complaining.

Issaya

~1300 Baht à la Carte

Yum Hua Plee: Banana blossom and heart of palm salad, crispy shallots and roasted peanuts a chill jam dressing

Gai aob: All natural Sankhaburi chicken “Issaya-spiced” rubbed and charcoal grilled

Wok sautéed short grain rice with “Hed por”: Asian multi grains, shanghai mushrooms and garlic sprinkled with mushroom-scented oil

In an environment quite like Bo.lan, situated near a well-off gated community in a white mansion, Issaya Siamese Club comes right out of colonial times (though Thailand was never colonized). The most famous dish of them all - a salad with banana blossom and heart of palm with lots of nuts and strips of crispy shallots, is addictive. The ingredients seem like they are from another world, and to most of us, they are. Then, flaming whisky is poured over grilled chicken, rubbed with a strong but not spicy mix. It is a lot of chicken, best eaten with pot-sticking rice with mushrooms. The chicken starts off tender and juicy. After a while, it turns a bit dry but you’re done eating by then. Another fun dining experience, thanks to Thai cuisine.

srabra by kiin kiin

1300 baht à la Carte, lunch

Kaffir lime leaf scented lotus Root

Prawn Cracker with Chilli tomato Dip [prawns, garlic, dried prawns, chill, tomato]

Soy roasted cashew nut meringe [soy sauce, sugar, cashew nut]

Frozen red curry [Red curry paste, lobster, lychee, lemon juice, chill, coriander, keffir lime, Lychee foam]

Tom Kha Soup with Quail and Sauteed mushrooms [Quail, mushrooms, tapioca, coconut milk, galangal]

My favourite of the restaurants in Bangkok, not least because of its preference for the modern. It is an offshoot of Kiin Kiin (Copenhagen), the only Thai restaurant to have a michelin star. Srabra is in the ritzy Kapensky hotel in Siam square, as ‘downtown’ as it gets. And in Bangkok, you can eat at a fraction of the price in Copenhagen. To start are three amuse-bouches. A crunchy deep-fried lotus root sprinkled with sugar. A prawn cracker dipped in a airy but defined tomato paste. Finally a sweet and salty piece of soy cashew meringue. To begin, a modern take on the widely eaten red curry. Except it is frozen. Giant pieces of lobster in a lemon juice share a helmet-shaped bowl with a scoop of red curry ice cream. The “inside” of the bowl is filled with liquid nitrogen, which regulates the temperature of the curry and more importantly, looks cool. Between the liquid nitrogen and the lychee foam, it feels a bit like digging for treasure in some ancient hot-spring. The prize is curry-soaked lobster, in a cool sauce - a perfect antidote for the heat. The next dish is just as heavenly. It is a (again) modern take on the traditional Tom Kha (Coconut) soup. Instead of chicken, a tender quail is used, sitting with mushrooms and tapioca. The beauty of this dish is how defined each of the strips of ingredients (either quail or mushroom) are, each maintaining its own flavour and pairing together perfectly. The coconut milk with hints of galangal (a ginger) does not ruin the integrity of the quail as if the quail is water-proof. Instead, the sauce adds a gentle, milky touch. This is an inspired meal.

Bo.lan balance

1980 Baht

Welcome Drink - Chilled Lemongrass & Pandanus.

Ya dong grachai dum served with sour fruits

Bo.lan amuse bouche

Single plate of the day - prawn

Salad of chicken, pork & prawn with grilled banana blossom served with chill dressing

Central-plain chill relish of Andaman shrimp paste and acacia leaf omelet & local greens

Quail

Green curry of “KU” beef

Bo.lan clear soup

Bo.lan dessert du jour

Petit fours to accompany your cup of Bo.lan blend

Bo.lan blend: Chiang Mai tea with spices, mint, ginger & honey

Bo.lan is the most traditional of the five, serving course after course of traditional Thai fare. As you step out of the humid Thai climate and enter into this nice cottagey restaurant, you are given a refreshing welcome drink - a Chilled Lemongrass & Pandanus water. The main ingredient is the extract from the Pandanus flower, which is a bit like coconut - sweet and nutty. Then another two drinks come as part of the set course. The “whisky” is much too boozy but another serving of Pandanus water is again, refreshing. There was also an odd selection of sour fruits that were much too sour and chilli crumble and salt that didn’t seems to be useful. Five amuse-bouches, are served. Many follow the sweet-stuff on weird Thai fruit formula. Most of them work - the succulent ramboutin fruit topped with a chewy prawn. Using the amuse-bouches, the restaurant solicits your spiciness tolerance. Apparently, I was intolerant. The set menu appropriately caters to the uninitiated like me - not by putting less spice in a dish, but rather by making a new dish together. I was that the dishes were not being changed or compromised because of a personal weakness. After a final starter of chilli relish with a omelette inside a “acacia” leaf, the real onslaught begins - salad, soup, curry, rice - all served together. It is a mountain of food and choosing what to try next is mentally difficult. It turns out to be a lot of fun. Picking apart the dense quail with your fingers while pouring green curry over the brown rice, and of course digging into the traditional thai salad - full of coriander and sweet and sour sauce. The food itself is top notch, though the point of this meal is not to deconstruct or necessarily push the boundaries. It is traditional Thai recipes cooked properly with good ingredients. More importantly, Bo.lan is a comfortable experience with thoughtful service and lots of food to eat.

Most fruits you will not have seen before, except maybe at Chinese supermarkets. See here for a pretty comprehensive guide. First, a purple Mangosteen, which looks like a plum with a four-leaf cover atop. It opens up to fibonacci-perfect cloves of juicy white fruit - the perfect mix of sweet and sour to some. It is the subject of a splendid NYT article that expresses the power of food in some people’s lives. Particularly fascinating to me is the scientific beauty in the fruit - like how the number of petals at the bottom match the number of cloves inside. Also, the ease of opening it up, and the balance in flavours all seem to possess an order. If the Mangosteen is the queen of fruits, then the durian is the king. This prickly, ugly and smelly fruit could be used as a weapon or at least a practical joke. I have not tasted one out of cowardice but I’ve heard it is creamy. Then there is the Rambutan, which looks a bit scary - like a hairy deepsea shellfish or something. It opens up and tastes like a lychee (which is also prevalent in these parts). A very sweet fruit with a plushy texture and lots of seeds is called a custard apple. It tastes nothing like an apple. Of course, there is the watermelon, and the mango. In short, the fruits here are worth writing about.

So despite all the fears, going to Bangkok was actually liberating. It undid the shackles of the Chinese government for a quick few days. While the coup erupted in the background, not a single weapon could be seen. Nor any soldiers. The politics here are a nightmare. The heat is unbearable. But somehow it attracts adventure-seekers again and again. After seeing the youthful atmosphere and the opposing dichotomies that make this place hard to generalize, it makes a lot of sense.

Accessibility: The predominant language is Thai, though most people have a working knowledge of English, especially in nicer areas. Taxi drivers, generally, do not speak English. Google maps often accepts Romanized Thai and conveniently spit out the location in Thai, which you can show to the taxi drivers. Rarely will you have to enter directions in Thai into Google maps. Sim cards are available at the airport for about 300 Baht. Taxis are cheaper than subway and light rail, but subway and light rail are faster in congested periods. Always use the metered rate in Taxis. Some drivers will ask for a negotiated charge. There are enough taxis that you should be able to find one that is metered.

Seoul: Pudgy Idols, High Tech, High Culture

July 14, 2014

Korea is a cultural enigma, jutted between and heavily influenced by two superpowers yet at the same time indignant at the history of war and conquest that often swallowed the three nations. In a recent diplomatic nightmare, Obama watched as the Korean President failed to notice a hand shake from Japan’s Abe. Some speculate that her misread was a intentional reaction to Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine that can be contrived as glorifying Japan’s militaristic past (go visit this in Tokyo). Culturally, Korea is far closer to China than it is to Japan. Down to the messy markets and terse cab drivers, it is clear that the two nations had a lengthy common and experience. At the War Memorial of Korea (g: War Memorial of Korea), where newly conscripted soldiers get their history lesson, and National Museum of Korea a few subway stops down, you can witness the wealth of trade and warfare that brought the countries closer together in culture. In particular, The Mongolians’ heavy-handed subjugation of the Koreans in the Chinese Yuan dynasty and Japan’s more recent 20th century invasion of the peninsula are presented.

View down to Samcheong-ro

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… — View down to Samcheong-ro

Baedongbaji (closed)

In many ways, Korea is a country stuck in the past. However, it is developing a vibrant modern art and design scene. Beginning in Insadong (g: Insadong), a touristy strip of stores interspersed with art galleries, you can witness modern art at its finest and buy the matching souvenirs cheaply. Then take a cab to Baedongbaji (closed) in Samcheong-dong (2000 KRW / person), where a bubbly mom welcomes you into her house (a hanok) and cooks a traditional Korean set lunch, full of pickled goods, noodles, carved meats and finishing with a bimbambap - a blazing stone bowl with some rice baked to the sides, coming off only when hot tea is poured in. It is ridiculously difficult to find and might require some pointing to get there. From there, walk down some steep stairs to get to the touristy streets of Samcheong-ro. Importantly, there is the Gallery Hyundai (g: Gallery Hyundai) and Artsonje Center (g: Artsonje Center), again a testament to Seoul’s budding art scene.

Gyeongbok Palace

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LatentSt… — Gyeongbok Palace

Nearby is the well-known Gyeongbok Palace (g: Gyeongbok Palace), which like the Forbidden city, is actually a self-sustaining village of ancient times. Outside the palace is the Folk Museum (g: National Folk Museum of Korea), for some well-advised Korean history. Most of these attractions are either free or cheap.

Another essential area is city centre. Some Korean barbecue is surely in order, perhaps at Arirang Folk Restaurant (g: Westin Choson; near). Some deliciously sweet and fatty short ribs (Kalbi) cooked table side (39,000 KRW) comes with more sides than you can imagine. From there, the close-by and bustling Namdaemun Market (g: Namdaemun Market) sells essentially everything, but intriguingly a lot of yarn and fabrics. The option to move upscale presents itself too at the nearby Shinsegae Department Store (g: Bottega Veneta (SHINSEGAE MAIN); or g: Chungmuro 1(il)-ga). The little boutiques of well-known brands remind us of Korea’s wealth, and the emporium that follows reminds us of Korea’s hunger for good food.

The newest instalment of Seoul architecture is Dongdaemun Design Plaza (g: Dongdaemun Stadium), a massive and flowing complex with museums and shops inside that replaced a sports stadium of old. For its opening expositions, there is a display of Zaha Hadid, the architect, a informative sports design exposition with all sorts of bikes, foot ware and balls, and a exhibition of Mori, an Italian designer who made animal pieces that fit together into an educational toy (together 8000 KRW). The Cheonggyecheon River (g: Cheonggyecheon) is right nearby and makes for a nice stroll to Gwangjang Market (g: Gwangjang Market), another gritty market with all sorts of food and trinkets. At night, see what “Gangnam Style” is all about on Garosugil (g: Garosugil) and have a wasabi latte at Mug for Rabbit

The best food in town is no doubt at Jungsik (g: Jung Sik Dang), a top 50 restaurant in Asia. The menus are either five courses for 110,000 KRW (with choice) or a six-course set menu for 130,000 KRW. The procession begins with four amuse-bouches, all intricate and special, like half a quail egg topped with popcorn. The best dish perhaps comes at the beginning - an assortment of mushrooms dipped in truffle aioli and mixed with cheese. Course after course of expertly cooked dishes come through. Slices of raw tuna arranged like a rose petal, mixed in with quartered quail eggs, kimchi and sprinkled with a traditional seaweed powder. An octopus “salad” that focuses on huge chunks of octopus. A dice bowl mixed with roasted sweet seaweed and sizeable chunks of seared swordfish. The only mistake in the meal is the two fish dishes - one a snapper and the other a red bigeye (Priacanthidae), both cooked with brittle skin in sauce. One is too light and the other is too sour. The meats also leave something to be desired. The pork belly is expertly cooked but lacks effort, sitting isolated among an assortment of traditional Korean sides. The steak is tasty but lacks inspiration. At worst, it might be described as an American salad with add-on steak as an option. The Dosan Park was a well crafted dessert that brought back the forest imagery many Asian restaurants aspire to - a tree trunk is fashioned using layers of creamy chocolate, coconut and raspberry sorbet. The “cherry blossoms”, a mélange of all things strawberry turn out too sweet at times and sour at others. In review, it was a good meal but certainly lacks the triumphant signature of a top 50 restaurant.

Jungsik

110,000 KRW

Mushroom Quatorze. Truffle Aioli, Cheese

Sword fish. Roasted seaweed, cucumber kimchi

Red Big Eye Fish. Salted Hairtail, Vinaigrette

Crispy Pork Belly. Pickled Vegetables, Groundsel Herb

Dosan Park. Chocolate, Coconut & Raspberry Sorbet

130,000 KRW

Tuna. Seaweed Powder, Kimchi

Octopus. Chilli Pepper, Vinaigrette

Royal Bibimpap

I Like Snapper

Jungsik Steak

Cherry Blossoms

This country popularized by girl bands and pudgy idols, by high tech and high culture, and yes by plastic surgery, turns out to be a perfectly normal place with the same starry-eyed populous as the rest of Asia. Unfortunately, Seoul is not a wildly popular destination spot because of a rather flimsy list of things to do. As a niche travel spot, a looking glass into Korean culture and sensibilities, it makes for an excellent couple of days of repose.

Accessibility: English ability will vary but not reliable. A Romanization of the Korean alphabet is usually present on signs and useful when entering into Google Maps. On rare occasions, the actual Korean character must be copied and pasted into Google maps. Taxis are cheap and reliable, but taxi drivers do not speak English. Google translate is essential. “EG” sim cards for foreigners are available at 7-eleven and GS25 convenience stores, which are usually open 24/7. However, they must be registered online (http://www.egsimcard.co.kr/) with a passport scan, and will be activated during business hours. The total cost is $35,000 KRW, which is enough credit to purchase the data package on the EG website.

Tokyo: The Paris of Asia

July 13, 2014

The city that was once bursting with modernity is what made Japan the superpower it is today. With the Meiji restoration in 1868, the city renamed from Edo, became the capital of Japan, taking the place of antiquated Kyoto. The city even in the late 1800’s was just home to a strip of government buildings. Of course, this would become one of the largest metropolii in the world. The city, however, has arguably seen the best of its days. Japan is no longer the unstoppable Asian growth-story; it recently receded to third place in the world’s biggest economies. As such, you might be surprised to find a somewhat tired city, still bursting in lights at night, but a bit old and dilapidated at the seams. In short, it’s the Paris of Asia but you will have to do some work to find the right places to go.

Tokyo is huge. There is no one scene for shopping, nightlife or attractions. There are many nodes - and no epicentre. The Ginza area, of course, is home to glitzy shops and Jiro’s famous sushi restaurant. But on the other side of town, Shinjuku, where you will probably be staying, is also filled with malls, restaurants, skyscrapers and distractions of every magnitude. Then there is the student favourite bar-district of Roppongi, and the masses of the Shibuya crossing. Harajuku and the pedestrian alleyway of Takeshita Dori (g: Takeshita Dori) is another district, between Shinjuku and Shibuya that is full of sights and sounds. Go to Akihabara for the nerd culture: electronics, girls dressed in Cosplay, and the titillating girl band AKB48. On the eight floor of the local Don Quijote (Don Quijote Kanda) store is the AKB48 theatre where pimple-infested adolescents wait patiently for entry via lottery. Tokyo is much like Paris. There are many arrondissements, each with its own small twist, all bustling with activity. It is a truly two-dimensional city.

Thankfully, there is a highly effective subway system that links all of these nodes. It is so effective that very few times did I have to transfer trains, or walk more than 10 minutes. Busses are unnecessary. One criticism is the multitude of different companies that operate in the Tokyo area. There are two subway companies, one railway company and a light rail company. The best way to tackle this is to purchase the 1000 yen combined pass that will allow you to go on both subway lines, then buy individual tickets for the JR (above-ground railway) lines and the light rail lines (which you will essentially never use). This combined ticket gains you access to the Toei lines which are necessary to go to mainly of Tokyo’s main attractions. Furthermore the additional cost is more than recouped by the wonderful closing-door tones that you will enjoy on the Toei lines, in particular the first 16 notes of “One Day More” from Les Misérables. Given the Japanese fetish over everything French, it should not be a coincidence.

Sushi Dai

What seems like an unconquerable city, can be done in about two and a half days. For breakfast, go to the Tsukiji Fish Market (g: Tsukiji Market). The line-up is about 2 hours if you arrive at 5am at Sushi Dai, the most famous of the line of sushi parlours in the area. In true Japanese style, the sushi is placed on the sushi counter in front of you as you sit in a narrow pass. The grinning sushi chef mutters the fish names in Japanese, English or Mandarin. “Don’t use the soy sauce,” he says. It’s already marinated, in traditional fashion. Notably, a beautifully marbled slice of fatty tuna, a huge cut of Spanish Mackerel where the ends touch the table, a simple snapper topped with salt and lime juice (2600 JPY - 7 pieces or 4000 JPY - 11 pieces). It is delicious but maybe not worth the wait. If you arrive at 5am, it might make better sense to go to Daiwa-Zushi, which gets a line by 6am. For the late birds, your breakfast will have to be at the many other sushi shops, which I’m sure are almost as good.

Lunch might be had at Aoi Marushin (g: Aoi Marushin), a famed tempura restaurant (2200+ JPY for a set). Nearby is the busy, if touristy, Asakusa market and the Asakusa Kannon Temple (g: Senso-ji). If the day is perfectly clear, consider going to the nearby Skytree (g: Skytree) to see the outline of Mount Fuji. The 2-year-old Skytree is the tallest tower and Japan’s attempt to stay modern in a world that has forgotten about them (~2000 JPY). If the day isn’t clear, just go to the free Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office (g: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office) in Shinjuku.

For dinner, consider going to Shimo-Kitazawa, the hippest part of Tokyo. It’s formed of veins of little streets with even smaller restaurants. The hottest spot seems to be Dill Fait Beau (g: Dill Fait Beau), which is a little French restaurant behind a shop. For some curry, go to Pannya Curry house (g: Pannya; ~1000 / curry, no English menu). Finally go to an unnamed Italian Wine Bar (g: 35.6635194, 139.668594) for only the hard-to-find drinking vinegar, a coolly refreshing soda that is more sour than sweet. Its coriander salad is excellent as well. Singles, beware. The area seems to be teeming with couples. For some French food or just drinks, there is natural wine at Shonzui (g: Shonzui, Roppongi; 1200 JPY a glass) with some slices of ham (900 JPY) near the Roppongi area. Otherwise, slurp the best soba noodles in town at Sarashina Horii (g: Sarashina Horii; ~900 JPY for noodles) near Roppongi. Also, the teriyaki chicken, which tastes nothing like teriyaki as you or I know it, is not to be missed (600 JPY for chicken). That dish singlehandedly brought back growing up in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Sarashina Horii

Now, for some star-gazing, Tokyo has the most Michelin stars in the world - more than Paris. Yes, the standards are lower but Tokyo is still foodie-central. At Ishikawa (g: Ishikawa restaurant), keep in the 3-star region, master chef Ishikawa serves but four tables. The lengthy 10 or so course is in traditional Kaiseki fashion, beginning with cold dishes, some raw food, then mains, rice and dessert. The start is stellar. First, we see a cold, oily Sea Bream topped with a sour milt, all in a clam-like bowl. Then a few lightly deep-fried fish - head and tail - that is crunchy and bitter, accentuated by a sweet jelly sauce. Then a high-grade Waygu, perfectly pink, sitting on bamboo so that it rests outside of the clear broth. It seems like a way to ruin a good piece of beef - by putting it in soup. Instead, the beef retains its juicy flavour. The salmon sashimi, mainstream in North America, is so soft and fresh. The crab sashimi dish (from Hokkaido) is too mushy and mixed-up that it fails to be fine. The fish is explosive in soy flavour, with a nice crunchy skin against a crunchy sautéed Japanese cabbage. Unfortunately, the abalone and unagi, both in broth, fails to be interesting, though some of my disdain might be a personal agenda against watery mains. Furthermore, the unagi had quite a few bones still in it. But Ishikawa (who just came out to serve the rice) redeems himself with the dessert - a grapefruit dish sitting in coconut milk. It ends looking a bit like the meal started - orange condiments on white. The taste is completely different. Two grades of grapefruit - one soft yellow and another blushing pink, has the citrusy kick whereas the thick coconut milk gives the dish body. It is an unbelievable end to the meal.

Ishikawa. 3 stars. 20000 JPY dinner. Top 100 restaurants in the world.

Appetizer. Sea Bream Milt, ‘Udo’ Mountain Vegetables, Daylily Leaf and Grilled Shiitake Mushroom with Grated White Radish

Deep-fried. Baby Ayu Fish with Minced Japanese Pepper Bud

Soup. Bamboo Shoot from Kyoto and Wagyu Confit

Sashimi. Cherry Salmon Garnished with Fresh Seaweed and Japanese Herbs

Horsehair Crab Topped with Crab Innards

Charcoal-grilled. Cutlass Fish and Spring Cabbage

Delicacy. Steamed Abalone and Turnip with a hint of Ginger

Hot Pot. Unagi Eel, Tofu and Seasonal Vegetables

Steamed Rice. Steamed Rice with Black Rock Fish and Fresh Ginger. Miso Soup and Pickled Vegetables

Dessert. Fresh Grape Fruits, Grapefruit Mousse. Crushed Rum Jelly and Coconut Milk

Google seems to think Les Creations de Narisawa (g: Les Creations de Narisawa) place is “permanently closed.” Quite the opposite. It’s thriving. Although it was recently bumped from first in Asia, it is still the place to be in Tokyo. Unlike the other culinary stars in the region, it is deeply rooted in the French style, though many of the ingredients and influences are no doubt Japanese. The dining room is strictly modern, with an open kitchen from which the well-built chef makes a few appearances. As soon as you enter, you notice a candle-looking contraption that holds what first appears to be a pate. Then you notice that the pate is actually growing. It isn’t until the first course arrives - some deep-fried Chiayu sweet fish, water soaked in cedar and some deep-fried burdock and wasabi leaves on fermented soy bean yogurt, and a bucolic arrangement of crunchy green crumbs - that the pate is actually revealed to be sourdough in the fermenting process. A blazing clay pot is fetched, some chestnut tee powder is added, and the “Bread of the Forest 2010” is cooking.

A pamphlet explains the concept - that “humans once lived in the forest” but have recently destroyed it. Therefore, the ingredients of the impending 10-course meal are all said to be sourced from the forest as well as the animals that feed on the forest. This theme is stereotypically Japanese (think Princess Mononoke) so the ideas are not exactly original. However, the execution is. The bread is just about finished cooking when a butter covered with herbs arrives, disguised to look like moss on a tree. The fresh bread is delicious - soft, creamy, with a hint of grapefruit. Then, a lightly seared sea mackerel is lovingly covered with japans herbs and colourful flowers, as an anchovy and garlic paste round out the dish. Together, it represents the “mountain and sea”. Then in a twist of cool, a white bowl from which a mystical white smoke arises is brought to the table-front. Of course the 2nd best restaurant in Asia would use liquid nitrogen. But the powder that rests in it looks exactly like ash, and disintegrates on contact with water. After all the show, which resembles a beautiful landscape of the seashore near a volcano site, is a perfectly cooked squid loaded with paprika flavours, neutralized by lemon and olive oil.

At this point, you notice that only half of the meal has been served yet you will never look at food the same way again. The next few dishes lose the pazazz and focuses just on flavour. There is a in-shell langoustine under flower pedals, a steamy white asparagus under seaweed and clams, a perfectly tender porchetta - cooked on and off every 3 to 5 minutes in an onion sauce with Japanese root vegetables, and a crispy-skinned Alfonsino with green asparagus, potato and a caper sauce. The only criticism on these dishes is that they come out too slowly. The entire affair takes about three hours so kiss your afternoon in Tokyo goodbye. Of course, the wait is worth it, if only for the signature dish - “Sumi 2009” Omi beef: a “Waygu rump roast marinated in leek, basted in olive oils and then carbonized on the outside”. The beef is first brought out on a steel grate to look like a chunk of charcoal (“Sumi” is Japanese for charcoal). The effect is achieved by the arosé style, a French method that cooks via basting. It keeps the centre perfectly pink. The black powder rubs off and makes for an adventurous meal, especially in a red wine reduction that brings out the sweet meat.

Dessert is special too. The first is a play on a salty dog, a British slang term used to describe sailers. It uses domestic Japanese grapefruits. They are of high quality and rare. Then yogurt ice cream, amaze sorbet (non alcoholic sake), mugwort mochi and strawberry sauce. I found the strawberry sauce to be a little overpowering and there was nothing too differentiated about this part of the meal. However, Narisawa would not leave us on a down note. Out came the proverbial three-storey cheese trolley, but with desserts of all varieties. In our stupor we got one of everything. There were lines of macarons and tiny French pastries for every sweet tooth. The best ones were the Japanese-influenced ones: a beautiful green tea mochi served in a spoon and a ball of rich, dark chocolate, coated in green tea powder. Needless to say this was a dining experience for the ages. Without a doubt in my mind, Narisawa is the best restaurant I have been to.

Narisawa. 2 stars. 12000 JPY Lunch. 2nd best restaurant in Asia / top 10 in the world

Spring Collection, 2014

Evolve with the Forest

“Bread of the Forest 2010”

Essense of the forest and Satoyama scenery

Chiayu, Sweet fish

Spring mountain and sea

“Ash 2009” Scene of the seashore

Langoustine. Garden

White asparagus. Clam

Kashu pork. Udo. Fuku.

Alfonsino. Green asparagus. Potato

“Sumi 2009” Omi beef

Salty Dog

Strawberry. Amazake. Mugwort

To transcend the distant cultures, it helps to show you adopt Japanese culture. Talking about pokémon and Naruto, unfortunately, will fall on deaf ears, especially if you talk about it in English. Instead, buy a Totoro money purse (~900 JPY) to hold all little coins (from 1 JPY to 500 JPY) you will have to lug a round. Then take it out in front of any Japanese person you have to interact with and they will immediately respond “Totoro!”. But your interest in Miyazaki films should not end at cultural bridging. There is a popular Ghibli museum (g: Ghibli museum) about an hour out of town. Unfortunately, it was closed when I was there (as was the Nezu museum, as was Mori Art Museum - i.e. the art scene seemed to shut down for my impending arrival).

If sumo wrestling is in session, consider getting day-of tickets for only 2200 JPY and watch jiggly sumo wrestlers have a bout with each other. The fat ones are particularly fun to watch, but you also see a rarer sight of skinny wrestlers try to unseat each other. The best wrestling starts in the afternoon but events occur for the entire day. Ticket sales start at 8am. The defeated ones leave by subway just as you might. It all feels very real. Right beside the sumo stadium off the Rygoku stadium (g: Ryogoku Kokugikan) is the essential Edo museum (Edo-Tokyo museum). It gives an excellent lesson of the history of Tokyo.

This city of comprehensible culture, from a country with unparalleled honour and self-respect, is certainly worth exploring. It has many Western qualities, not to mention some Western-influenced food. But it has a culture very few Westerners can even begin to understand. Such a mixture of East and West is rare, present historically only in geographic centres like Anatolia. But Tokyo also receives this honour, the product of globalization and post-war assimilation. And although its days of glory may be numbered, at least in its former glory, it will continue to confound and bewitch visitors for many more years.

Accessibility: The only sufficient language in Japan is Japanese, though English is prevalent in some areas. Generally, the Romanization of the Japanese writing system (which is composed of Japanese alphabet and Chinese lettering) is sufficient for Google Maps. At times, the actual Japanese must be used, which is indicated in this blog’s Google guides. This Romanization is also used significantly on signs, especially in public transportation. English is not a useful language so access to Google translate is essential. Sim cards can be purchased at select airports. More likely, you will rent a “wifi hotspot device” for about 900 JPY a day at the airport. Taxis are expensive.

Kyoto and Osaka: First Steps into Japan

July 13, 2014

The Japanese condition is a fairly curious one. It is too often forgotten that for all of its economic troubles, it is still the third largest economy in the world. For such a tiny strip of land on the pacific coast of Asia, its economic power is nothing but striking. Historians have also gone so far as to categorize Japan as part of the “west”. In many ways, it is nothing like the east (though it uses Chinese characters and has Asian religions). Its culture is so special that it has been a favourite example of business professors in the study of international business (e.g. “Kaizen”). Going there, you notice an isolated island, with little support for English, and a fairly xenophobic country.

The Japanese are a prideful race. In its history, losers committed suicide. To foreigners, they have a pleasant arrogance. For example, looking lost for a split-second, a Japanese person with no English skills went out of his way for at least a few minutes to lead us to our destination. On multiple occasions, we said we could go alone, but he would not relent. This is not an isolated affair - it happened again and again. One taxi driver took us to the wrong location with no fault of his own (it was our concierge’s fault) and he was dying of embarrassment.

There are many reasons to love the Japanese. To begin, Disney recently purchased the Doraemon, to be dubbed in English. Taiwan declared Hello Kitty to be its city mascot for 2014 and has since put its large pusheen-shaped face on anything and everything. At the International Manga Museum (g: International Manga Museum) reverential manga-lovers sit quietly on stools and read from the troves of manga in its collection. Most of it is just slapstick humour, pointless romance, or “ecchi” (search it up), but some of them have artistic merit. Importantly, the famed Miyozaki recently made his last film, “The Wind Rises”, an animated film for adults about the man who designed planes for Japan in WWII. The controversial subject matter has made it hard to distribute outside of Japan. Kingston had a showing in April – showing the international reach of Japanese culture. The title of the film itself is a direct translation of a French proverb: “le vent se leve, il faut tenter de vivre.” The film carries an uncanny tone of struggle, resilience, and destiny as suggested by this title. Needless to say, the French adopted this film at a much higher rate than did Canada and the U.S. Movie posters with the well-known clear skies and lush greens of Japanese animation were floating around in Paris.

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji

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LatentS… — Otagi Nenbutsu-ji near Arashiyama

The Japanese and the French have a lot in common. They are the only two cultures in the world that have a profound respect for food. Many other cultures have great food but only the Japanese and the French treat it as an art form. The French culinary tradition is the most widespread and used by restaurants everywhere in the world. A world without mother sauces, blanching and Bordeaux would have no fine dining to speak of. But for all the fine cuisines that have adopted the French style of cooking, the Japanese have stayed fairly autonomous. However, they still have the same profound respect for food - the artistic endeavour, the personal sacrifice. In particularly, the Japanese master chefs specialize in one particular category of food: sushi, soba, yakitori, etc. They treat rice or noodles like they were expensive ingredients.

Aside from their love and respect for food, they also share similar characteristics. They love their own culture, protecting it from outside influences. In that sense they are relatively xenophobic and arrogant. They also contemplate immensely on life and have much self-awareness. This reflectiveness makes both cultures overly glum. The French are less happy than Ugandans or Uzbekistanis (http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-specials/21591749-bleak-chic). The Japanese have a screamingly high suicide rate.

We touched down in Osaka. Kyoto is only 30 minutes away by a congested train and Tokyo is a 2hr Shinkansen ride away. Osaka was the earliest economic centre for Japan, itself a port city. It gave rise to a strong merchant class that could not spend money on anything but food. The result is a vibrant foodie and drinking culture. Admittedly, there is not too much more to do than eat. The most famous site is the Osaka Castle Park (g: Osaka Castle). Indeed, it is majestic, and rests away from all the hustle and bustle. Nearby is the excellent Osaka Museum of History (g: Osaka Museum of History), for some context.

Endo Sushi

The most vibrant shopping area is Umeda (g: Umeda). Go to Hankyu for a Grand Epicerie to rival that of Paris (g: Hankyu Umeda Main Store). There are many stalls that sell the most beautiful looking food. One well-known spot is 551 Horai, which sells gigantic buns of pork. Unlike the Chinese equivalent, these Japanese buns are sweet. Another heart-clogging treat is a puff pastry stuffed with yellow custard - the Japanese take on the French éclair. For sushi, attend Endo Sushi breakfast near the fish market (g: 中央市場 ゑんどう or search Endo Sushi and pick the one on the river). On one side you can see all the stalls of fish being sold to discerning sushi chefs (and some gruesome remains); on the other, eat that same fish in some of the best sushi in the world. There are four sets to choose from, each about 1000 JPY, and you can order à la carte. The essential Japanese specialty is tuna belly, a melt in the mouth fatty sensation not to be missed.

Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M

For dinner, the nightly festivities occur at Dotonbori. There, you must have street-side Takoyaki - fried octopus balls. Then step into a place that makes fried pancakes (maybe Mizuno, g: 1-4-15 Dotonbori) filled with whatever you want. They’re made in front of you so they’re fun to watch, if not entirely good. The real prize is at Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M (g: Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M), which has a small shop in a minor artery of the Dotonbori. It is the most lavish form of Korean barbecue using Matsuaka beef. Notice Osaka is a stone throw from Kobe. This is the prized beef that drinks beer and gets massages. The result is deliciously marbled cuts of beef, sliced thin like sashimi. You then flash cook it on charcoal to blue rare and savour the bursting flavours. This time we had a sampling (2500 JPY/person) that took us through cuts of loin, shoulder and sirloin. They don’t sound like the best cuts, but on this quality of beef, it doesn’t matter.

There is a budding beer scene in Osaka. Most restaurants will have at least a beer or two on tap. The best bar with many on-tap options and flights, a cool bartender who speaks broken English and the best beer food is Dig Beer Bar (g: 1-12-31 Kyomachibori, Nishi-ku). Certainly get the oysters to go with a flight of dark beers. Afterwards, there are many 24-hr Ramen bars open.

Going to Kyoto is like travelling back in time to find a well-preserved city full of temples, castles and shrines. It’s a fairly small city so the best method of getting around is to rent a bike. Near Kyoto station, where the train arrives from Osaka, you can rent a decent hybrid bike at Fuune for only 800 JPY a day (g: Fuune, otherwise directly north of Rihga Royal Hotel). Notice the culture of trust and honesty. No deposit or ID’s were taken - just my unverified name and hotel. Biking is Kyoto is a free-for-all. Between the sidewalks, bike lanes, and paved streets, join the many bicycle-commuters and wreak havoc amidst the cars and pedestrians. Finally, have the pleasure of acclimating to riding on the left side of the road.

The three main tourist attractions are Kinkaku-ji (g: The Golden Pavilion), Nijo Castle (g: Nijo Castle) and Kiyomizu Temple (g: Kiyomizu-dera). The first is overcrowded, the second is a decent history lesson, the third is a beautiful view on a mountain top. Get that over with and bike to the small village of Arashiyama (g: Arashiyama). It has some splendid views of mountains covered with greenery. Go into the Tenryu temple garden and have lunch cross-legged at Tenryu-ji Shigetsu (g: Tenryu-ji and ask for the restaurant) for some vegetarian fare (3500 JPY/person). Then ride up north through little streets lined with rural buildings. It will evoke the most powerful reminiscences of the Miyazaki films you’ve watched. For me, Totoro and the Wind Rises come naturally. End the peaceful journey with a look at stone statues with all sorts of faces at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji (g: Otagi Nenbutsu-ji). The bike ride back into town is about 50 minutes.

Tenryu-ji Shigetsu

Go to the National Museum of Modern Art (g: National Museum of Modern Art), which has Chagall reproductions and local Japanese modern art, but skip the amateurish Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (across). There is a huge red gate between the two museums for a customary Kyoto photo with two fingers sticking up. The walk to the nearby subway station along a little canal is relaxing (g: Higashiyama station). It comes with some dessert opportunities too (g: 祇園饅頭工場; or right bank of the canal close to higashiyama). The coolest museum is probably the International Manga Museum (g: International Manga Museum), where you can read from over 10,000 titles collected. Close to the International Manga Museum is the inexpensive Kyoto Design House (g: Kyoto Design House), where cute Japanese style gifts can be found. Some origami paper is a must.

At night, the area near the river close to Gion Shijo station has the stereotypically Japanese sights. Many streets hug the many canals that run off from the river - all very picturesque. For lanterns go to Pontocho-dori (g: Pontocho; go to where the red dots are) - lanterns and for Geishas go to Shirakawa Minami-dori (g: Shirakawa Minami-dori). The best restaurants are also found on tiny streets around this area. For yakitori, there is Wabiya Restaurant (g: Wabiya; choose the one near Sanjo station). In true Japanese fashion, the restaurant seats a row of guests (maybe 8 people) and there are two chefs/servers who also do the entertaining. The restaurant provides the quintessential Japanese after work experience, a little like going to a bar except the chefs do the introductions. I couldn’t tell what they were telling the other people about us except that we are from Canada. These yakatori restaurants put various parts of a chicken on a stick. On the menu were liver, gizzards, neck, skin and breast. In each case the skewers flew right off the grill, exploding in juiciness and flavour (3200 JPY / person).

Wabiya

At Karyo (g: 祇園迦陵 or 570-235 Gionmachi), shoes comes off and ten courses of traditional Japanese food is served. The courses are usually structured as: cold dishes, soup, raw fish, cooked dishes (mains), rice, dessert. The dinner starts on a mediocre note, really taking off with the grilled grunt topped with sea urchin. The fish itself was of the dry and firm type, itself lacking the flavour expertly provided by the unctuous sea urchin. Then a wonderful cut of pork. It is simmered but still full of mouthwatering flavour accentuated by the dollop of “mayo” on top. But perhaps the best part of this was the soft half of eggplant, swimming in the lightly-flavoured broth. The meal dies down again, with few inventive dishes, until the dessert - a wonderful tripartite of Japanese creme brulée, green tea ice cream and sesame cake. Each is interesting in its own right - the creme brulée was wonderfully bitter, the ice cream resembled a sorbet and the sesame flavour popped in the cake. Together, they finished the meal excellently.

Karyo (8000 JPY / person)

1. Eggplant noodles / Grilled sillagnoid / Steamed abalone

2. Japanese soup / tofu made of mugwort / Fried and boiled dagger tooth pick conger

3. Sashimi (Fresh raw fish)

4. ball-shaped sushi

5. Grilled grunt with sea urchin / Butterbur cooked with soy sauce (!)

6. Japanese simmered pork / small taro / small eggplant (!)

7. Tofu of green peas / Asari clam & deep-fried tuna dressed with mustard / common freshwater goby sweented and boiled

8. Fly lobster covered with rice crackers & onion / egg soup

9. Steamed rice

10. Karyo’s original dessert (creme brulée, green tea ice cream, sesame cake)

But the coolest thing in Kyoto takes the idea of modesty and small spaces to the next level. In an attempt to find the inconspicuous bar “Kazu’s”, one must walk down a seemingly deserted alleyway. When the GPS says you’ve reached the destination (g: 309-4 Bizenjima-cho), you see a deserted bar with a guy playing a ukulele. I ask him if he’s Kazu and he points me to the 3rd floor. On the 3rd floor, you might have given up since it looks like someone’s apartment, or a drop off point for illicit dealings. You enter a sign-less door to find a dark candle-lit bar with cracked ceramic floors and flashlights to show the way. Of course it’s tiny. After getting the guts to order a drink (you should definitely do the “Omakase”) you are pleasantly surprised at how perfectly mixed the drink is. It didn’t even taste like it had alcohol in it. One was San Pellegrino blood orange flavoured, another lychee-based. Both were just sweet enough and incredibly refreshing.

The Kansai region is an essential visit for discovering Japan. Just a few hours from Tokyo, this older area combines Japanese sensibilities with a relaxing, old-world charm. Tokyo looks to the future as Kyoto and Osaka look to the past. A striking difference can be seen with bike rentals. Kyoto, the more harmonious, trusting city, took no identification and no deposit. In Tokyo, the large city with a few more charlatans (not many more, as expensive road bikes lay lock-less), a 5000 JPY deposit applied. For the old world songs and greenery of those animated films, go to Kansai. It’s like being transported to another world.

Accessibility: The only sufficient language in Japan is Japanese. Generally, the Romanization of the Japanese writing system (which is composed of Japanese alphabet and Chinese lettering) is sufficient for Google Maps. At times, the actual Japanese must be used, which is indicated in this blog’s Google guides. This Romanization is also used significantly on signs, especially in public transportation. English is not a useful language so access to Google translate is essential. Sim cards can be purchased at select airports. More likely, you will rent a “wifi hotspot device” for about 900 JPY a day at the airport. Taxis are expensive.

Taiwan: An Alternate Reality

July 13, 2014

Taiwan is the alternate reality to the centrally planned China we all know. In many ways it seems vastly superior. It is clean, people are polite, the girls are exceptional (by consensus). In other ways, it seems to fall short. It is ugly, uneventful, and past its peak. Aside from all the temples and gardens, the national pastime seems to be eating. Even the “Mona Lisa” of the famed National Palace Museum (g: National Palace Museum), where Chiang Kaishek sent 230,000 pieces of China’s treasures as a last insult before losing the civil war, is a jadeite cabbage and meat-shaped stone (a very fatty piece, for that matter). The museum is no Louvre, but probably worth a quick look.

More interesting is the Chiang Kaishek Memorial Hall (g: Chiang Kaishek Memorial Hall), a huge memorial worthy of Washington D.C. dedicated to the leader of the Kuomintang. On the top floor is a statue of the man with soldiers performing an unsettling changing of the guards. Downstairs, a museum shows the life of Chiang Kaishek.

Choosing a temple (perhaps the Lungshan Temple, the most famous one) is good idea, if only to see the vast amounts of food being offered to the gods. Cartons of food – Lay’s chips, for example - are sold at the entrance. It all goes to exacerbating the hedonistic lifestyles of these pudgy pods. But seriously, where does all the food goes afterward?

Definitely skip Taipei 101 - it’s expensive and not worth the wait. Instead, go to the Eslite Bookstore nearby for a cool selection of books and gifts. Another top spot is the Lin Family Garden, where the alleys and tunnels feel like a maze. That’s all you need to do in Taipei - now you can focus on the food.

For breakfast, have Doujiang Youtiao. Doujiang is a sweet soybean milk, usually served hot but the cold one is particularly good. It is usually eaten with Youtiao - a salty deep-fried cruller that splits into two long sticks. Go to one of the many Sihai Doujiang or Yonghe Doujiang (g: 四海豆浆 or永和豆漿) in town - they’re all pretty much the same. For lunch, note that Taipei has the original Ding Tai Fung - the pork bun chain that popularized the Shanghainese Xiaolongbao. It has copycats as far away as Highway 7 of Richmond Hill. The original one is on Xinyi Road (g: Ding Tai Fung Xinyi). It is notably better than the other ones in Asia.

For afternoon tea, go to the Muzha Tea Plantations. The best way to get there is a gondola lift from the Zoo MRT Station. Otherwise, take bus 10 from the same Zoo MRT Station. It’s in the middle of nowhere but don’t be afraid to go. The tea shops are open 24 hours and they are easy to find. Pretty much all of them have the same things so just go to any that has a nice view. In about an hour, you are transported into a bucolic wilderness with only Taipei 101 visible above the clouds. All of those nature-themed ink-drawn scrolls you just saw at the Imperial Palace come to life.

Keelung Night Market

At night, the food takes a drastic turn for the better. Taiwanese people go to one of the many night markets and gorge on streetfood goodies. The best one for foodies is the Keelung market, which is accessible by train and bus. The latest train leaves Keelung at 11:40pm. To stay later, a taxi will cost about $400 NTD, which isn’t much. Another large one is the Shilin market (g: Shilin night market). There are at least ten more. The Keelung market is right off of the sea so it is rich in fresh seafood. The best things there are the oyster omelette, deep-fried soft-shell crab, raw sea urchin, crispy chicken and shaved ice. Most of the places there have no idea how to make a Lemon Iced Tea so get either the standard Milk Tea or a freshly squeezed juice. The fruit vendors are also worth a try. Some of the exotic fruits are delicious.

Taiwan is easy to finish so plan a day trip to Taichung. The main reason to go is the Top 50 Asian Restaurant, Le Mout (g: Le Mout), which is certainly worth the two-hour bullet train. But there are other perks too. As expected, they all revolve around food. First, have the original pearl milk tea at the Chun Sui Tan teahouse on 30 Siwei St (g: Chun Shui Tang, Siwei Street, Xi District, Taiwan). They are the undisputed creators of the popularized and often bastardized drink. The one at Chun Sui Tan uses small bubbles and has a strong tea flavour. Apparently, the inspiration for chilled tea came from chilled coffee in Japan. What a good idea given the swampy climate. The inspiration for the bubbles was a chance mixing.

Then, sample the famous pineapple tart at Miyaharu - a misnomer by the name of Gong Yuan Eye Clinic (g: 宮原眼科), a reference to the location’s original purpose. I’ve heard the ice cream there is excellent too. Perhaps the coolest part of Taichung is a collaboration of shops called Fantasy Story. It is almost impossible to find (g: 范特喜, multiple locations). You will notice they are clustered in two main streets. It’s a cluster of cafés, ice cream parlours, specialty stores and design stores. The most notable one is a design shop on Lane 117 that sells the frozen fruit popsicles. Look for the storefront with a huge popsicle sign.

But the real reason one goes to Taichung is to eat at Le Mout, a French master restaurant headed by a female chef with a stunning C.V. By Taiwan standards, it is expensive - $3500 NTD for a full course. The explanation of the name is given in the menu: “Le vin se fait à partir d’un moût. Et le rêve, il se fait à partir d’ici….” The setting is gorgeous - a three-storey restaurant with all the finishings to match any three star in France. The meal begins with a nicoise “pizza”, a little bite-size calzone that bursts in tomato flavour, and a lobster jelly. For amuse bouche, you are surprised with one of two excellent plates. The heavier one is a coffee flavoured creme-brulée that could have easily come at the end of the meal; however, it works at the start as a strong palette cleanser. The tuna tartare is more neutral in flavour - specks of dill paired with the crunchiness of toast. It is a first indication of the artistic merits of plating to be seen in the rest of the meal.

The showstopper occurs early. It is named “nature’s beauty,” a gourmet interpretation of an egg splattered against a black canvas. The height achieved by this dish is like that of the grandmasters in the Basque country: the egg whites and shell are reconstructed using edible ingredients - cream and sugar. The focal point is the egg yolk, which is real. It is a beautiful sunny orange colour, and bursts upon contact. The beautiful display seems like a waste to mess up, but the mixed result is a tasty manifestation of the chicken. In particular, a homemade granola and the just-cracked faux-egg shell soak up all the lovely juices from the egg yolk.

The “walk in the forest” continues with the sweetbread, itself looking like a bucolic area of resplendent shrubbery. The key ingredient is the shallot-leek sauce that acts as an acidic counterbalance to the fatty sweetbread. A trio of lamb comes next - some fatty belly from a farm close by, some loin and some slices mixed in a salad. The only special part was the black bean hummus, a beautiful paste that brings out the softness of the lamb loin.

The best part of the meal is the foie gras. It’s a beautifully cooked piece - crispy on the outside and mellow on the inside. However it only looks like a spectator, tipping into the pond of Chinese “Toon” (a nutty celery flavour), with edible flowers and wild mushrooms as foliage. A few more well-made courses and finally a chilled tomato soup - sweet so that it counts as dessert, paired with sweet soybean (“Doujiang”) ice cream. Excellent. The entire meal can be considered at the highest end of French cuisine and therefore of all gastronomical experiences in the world. It fulfills the three-star definition - worth a special trip to an off-the-path city in Taiwan.

Le Mout. 3500 NTD

Aperitivo [Nicoise pizza, lobster jelly]

Amuse-bouche [Coffee Creme-brulée, potato chip / Tuna tartare with toast, dill oyster sauce]

Nature's Beauty. Organic Silken Hen’s Egg, Cream of white Chicken Stew, Homemade Granola, Chicken Skin, Split Chicken Jus

Double Consummé, Roasted Mushroom and Fine Herbs

Sweetbread, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, Sour Onion, Porcini Foam, Shallot-Leek Sauce

Duck Foie Gras “Promenade dans le Bois,” Wild Mushrooms and Toon

Halibut, Flourless Squid Ink Gnocchi, Seaweed Butter, Calamari, Thai Inspired Shellfish Fumet

Tai Tung Guan Shan Lamb Belly, New Zealand Smoked Lamb Loin, Nashi Pear, Beetroot, Fermented Black Garlic & Black Bean Hummus, Warm Rice Salad

Éclair de Bleu d’Auvergne, Sweet Bordelaise Sauce and Hazelnut Butter

Tomato, White Coco Bean and Black Sugar

Mignardise

As the rest of Asia moves at miles an hour, Taiwan is a relaxing détente and a superior quality of life. Everything is affordable: sim cards cost 300 NTD; taxis are cheap. Service is done in the traditional Japanese style with all the platitudes and bowing. People are genuinely friendly: a look of loss is an invitation for unsolicited help. The Taiwanese seem enlightened - having figured out that life should be enjoyed instead of being constantly stuck in the rat race. Could this be the future of China or is it just an alternate reality never to be realized?

Accessibility: Taiwan uses Chinese and most people speak Mandarin. English is not reliably used, though it is prevalent in some parts of the city. Mandarin speakers might find it difficult to comprehend the accents in Taiwan. Chinese is Romanized but often, a non-standard Romanization is used. As such, simply reading out the Pingyin is often incomprehensible. Google maps accept both English and Chinese words but some locations are only searchable by Chinese characters. See the Google guides (“g:”) in the article. Sim cards are available at the airport for 300 NTD. Google translate is essential. Taxis are both cheap and reliable. The subway is useful and tickets can be bought using an English system. ATM’s accept most international cards.

Shanghai: The Real Capital of China

July 12, 2014

The most worldly and modern city in China is also its loveliest. It feels like it is decades ahead of anywhere else on the mainland. It is clean, cultured, many times more polite. Perhaps it is the China of the future, or at least what other cities aspire to be. At times, you actually forget that you’re in China. Arriving from Pudong airport, you take a magnetic train that cruises up to 430km/hr called the Maglev line, made in collaboration with the Germans. At the Centre for Urban Planning (g: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center), a model of the city fills an entire floor. You’re spirited away in a 3D demonstration through the technological urban marvel. You can’t help but be reminded that this is modern day propaganda by the CCP, a modern day Magnitogorsk. But the propaganda is mostly accurate. The city is briskly modern. With the 21st century belonging to China, Shanghai represents things to come.

Shanghai First Food Store on Nanjing Rd. — *Shanghai First Food Store* on *Nanjing* Rd.

The main geographical feature of Shanghai is the Huangpu River. Puxi, literally west of the river, is the old, storied remnants of old Shanghai, where you will find most of the things to do. On this side is the remarkable bund, with its beautiful European architecture – a throwback to colonial times. Pudong, east of the river, is pure science fiction, like its communist spire that acts as a television tower. Around it are beautiful hotels and office buildings. The bar at a the top of the Ritz Carlton is easy to get to by subway, is connected to the lofty IFC shopping centre and offers a magnificent view of the bund. The hotel itself offers a look into the nouveau riche who currently define modern day China. In one elevator ride, a rowdy group of young adults from the aforementioned class were dressed up for a night out. On the bund they congregate. One building seems to be the French destination of choice. There are two ultra-expensive clubs to serve them. Then, afterward, a French restaurant is open until 4am. It is also a Top 50 restaurant in Asia. It’s lovingly called Mr. and Mrs. Bund.

Cha's Restaurant

In China, the food capital is Shanghai. As a general rule, the food gets better as you travel south. Couple that with the international contingent of chefs and tastebuds and a major foodie city in Asia arises. For example, Cha’s Restaurant has better tea than most of the Hong Kong (~15 RMB, 2.62 CAD). The Iced Milk Tea is made with tea infused ice cubes and is so flavour-packed that it almost resembles an iced latte. The Iced Lemon Tea is similarly refreshing. Here, the main attraction is the smoked chicken - a simple dish of sliced skin-on chicken that turns out to be a juicy mouth-popping experience (~50 RMB, 8.74 CAD). Later at night, go to Mr. and Mrs. Bund for the most pretentious drunk food you can find. It’s one of Asia’s best restaurants in the French style. The late-night menu mirrors the lunch menu – 200 to 250 RMB for a set course. Begin with a mushroom arugula salad served table side, where the pungent flavours and smells of the mushrooms accentuate the peppery arugula. Next, have a tuna tartare, topped with a slimy mayo and the first fries I’ve had in a month. Finally, three slices of pomelo fruit - a drier, sweeter cousin of the grapefruit - dipped in a sweet sauce with rocket powder if you please.

Mr. and Mrs. Bund

For breakfast, do the standard xiaolongbao - shanghai pork buns. People seem to call it tangbo here, which alludes to the soupy pork fat trapped in the bun. The xiaolongbao is a masterful piece of Chinese cuisine - a delicate yet tasty invention that the rest of the food struggles to live up to. There are many branches of the store that internationalized the pork bun - the famous Michelin starred Ding Tai Fung, but that’s a Taipei original so go to Taiwan for that. Instead, walk off of people’s square and have it at Jiajiatangbao (g: Jiajiatangbao or 90 Huanghe Road). The shop is a bit run down so you might want to take it over and eat it at Xiaoyangshenjian (the sign says “Yang”), where you can get the Shen Jian Bao - best described as the grandpa of the xiaolongbao: thicker skinned, rougher around the edges, and pops vehemently when bitten.

Jian Guo 328

An excellent lunch spot is Jian Guo 328 (g: Jian Guo 328 or 328 Jianguo West Rd). It’s a tiny, homey place that stays true southern Chinese cuisine. At this point, it’s clear that Shanghai is different. Even these small shops are tasteful and clean - a hard sight to find in the rest of China. The best thing here is actually its home-made iced tea - a similar concoction as the traditional lemon iced tea, but quite a bit sweeter and less lemony. Another treat is the sticky rice in dried date, a traditional dried fruit eaten in these parts. The sticky rice is a chewy paste to run through your teeth (~150 RMB for two).

FU1015

For some high-end dining, make a reservation at FU1015 (g: 福 1015 or 1015 Yu Yuan Lu), another top 50 restaurant with a minimum expenditure of 800RMB. We were put in a private room with a dedicated server and ensuite bathroom. The experience is quite special, starting when you walk into a mansion with no signs (it has a Casa-like feel). They suggest a tasting menu, though it’s essentially à la carte - the prices just need to add to more than 800 RMB. I would recommend requesting the menu and picking for yourself. For example, they gave us a sea cucumber - an ugly creature not for the faint of heart. It alone was 300RMB, and rather pointless. There were some memorable dishes - soy milk ice cream with crispy youtiao - a prescient mix of Chinese flavours in a western dessert. The black cod was a nice, oily contrast with the austere pieces of egg white. The cold dishes were interesting too - soy flavoured fried carp, a bamboo shoot with the consistency of cucumber, foie gras coated in orange. On the other hand, some of the dishes lacked inspiration, or sometimes common sense. A bowl of blueberries and cherries were plopped on a bed of ice. The roasted pork was like all the others I’ve had in China. And a weird stick of bread rested on a gargantuan prawn.

According to the Economist, China opened 451 new museums last year, versus 20-40 in America (http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21591710-china-building-thousands-new-museums-how-will-it-fill-them-mad-about-museums). For the mainland, this is a relatively recent phenomenon and is the result of the pull towards anything Western. For although China has enough temples and palaces and national treasures to overwhelm even the most seasoned artifact-lover, its appreciation of art is limited. The pointless modern art museum in People’s Square features a weird display on a superhero named “Uterus Man” (http://vimeo.com/82164043) that attacks by shooting babies out of its feet. It stretches or perhaps forgets the definition of art. Much better is the Power Station of Art (g: Power Station of Art), a converted industrial building that has a Tate Modern feel to it. The carpet exhibition is cool, especially the beeping mosaic made of watches. Unfortunately, it has no permanent exhibition so it feels rather empty. In true PRC fashion, the museum seems to have forgotten to buy anything to put into the huge complex.

The main art museum has been rebranded as the China Art Museum and has relocated to the Chinese Pavilion from the Shanghai Biennial 2010 (Expo). The building was made show Shanghai off to the world (as the Olympics showed off Beijing in 2008). The result is a huge inverted pyramid that looks like a traditional Chinese crown. When it turned into an art museum, it automatically became the largest in Asia. The building itself is worth going to. Most of the floors are complete junk but the lowest level has a nice graphic description of modern Chinese history. A lot of it is propaganda, but that’s the reason to go. Another two famous museums to peruse if you have time are “the Aurora (a treasure trove of ancient bronzes and jades designed by Tadao Ando, a Japanese architect) and the Rockbund Art Museum (a thriving contemporary-art centre)” (The Economist).

For some history, go to the former residence of Sun Yat-sen (g: Sun Yat-sen former residence). It gives a colourful history of the man who introduced democracy to China. Interestingly enough, he was the premier of the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party which the Communist party just derided at the China Art Museum. It’s close to Fuxing Park (g: Fuxing Park) so consider dropping by to see what senile Chinamen do in their spare time. But the one thing you cannot miss is the dating scene in the centre of People’s Park (g: People’s Park) where parents of singletons meet with white-haired grannies to search through catalogues of eligible, unmarried adults (a.k.a. Shanghai Marriage Market or People’s Park blind date corner; Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5pm). On strings hang ‘advertisements’ specifying all the criteria these scrupulous shoppers are looking for – including zodiac sign. Photos can be requested. The whole experience is surreal. When you first see it, the advertisements look like notices for missing people.

Shanghai is a storied city of exceptional influence throughout its history. Its recent pre-eminence in the world is not so much a surprise but a continuation of its pre-Communist days. For years and years there was not a person in China that was not envious of the Shanghainese. It rose to world status when the Europeans carved it up, much like how Hong Kong grew under British ownership. It stuttered in communist years as trade waned and focus was placed on Beijing. But in the new economic revival, heads are turning, once again, to Shanghai.

Accessibility: China uses Chinese and most people speak Mandarin. English is not reliably used, though it is prevalent in some parts of the city. Non-native Mandarin speakers will find it difficult to comprehend the various accents and grammatical oddities from non-traditional speakers. Most Chinese signs are spelt out in Pingyin, the Romanization of Chinese. Google maps accept both English and Chinese words but some locations are only searchable by Chinese characters. See the google guides (“g:”) in the article. Furthermore, Google Maps may be blocked or might be slow in China. Hotspot Shield or another way to bypass the censor is essential. China Unicom and China Mobile offer sim cards but they are somewhat difficult to attain. Some phones only work with certain networks so research beforehand. Google translate is essential. Taxis are sometimes difficult to hail but generally reliable. They are inexpensive, just make sure you use the metered rate.

Inner China: Culture Shock

July 12, 2014

China has always been an odd-ball. Its recent success has convinced it of the sanity of its practices. Its current state is like that of an adolescent - young and unafraid, rude and unrefined but ambitious. Tourists will find it difficult to survive in this environment. Culturally it is incongruent with anything you may be used to. There are surprising sights around every corner. Despite its premier economic position in the world, it is resoundingly inefficient, probably because of the proliferation of SOE’s. For example, the three telecommunications providers each have its own model of iPhone - pick the wrong service provider and be doomed. Worse, no one that works at these companies know anything - a stark contrast to the five minutes it took to set up a 3G connection in Hong Kong for a fraction of the price. Train bookings are a nightmare as well. Many things in China require a Chinese citizenship card or a domestically issued bankcard, or a Chinese cellular number. You can see the circular argument that makes travel to China an abject difficulty. Also, note that a Visa is required for Canadians.

China is obsessed with wealth. At a basic level, think of the “BMW” quotation, the emphasis on home-ownership in marriage, and the wonderful Youtube video on “Princess Syndrome” (indeed, this was a video on Hong Kong, so some of these issues cross straits). None of these issues are particularly problematic, except that the explosion of wealth in China has led to dishonesty. For example, at most tourist destinations, there is a charge to get onto the grounds and then an extra charge to enter the place of interest, unbeknownst to entrants. With the initial sunk cost paid, the additional cost is usually borne by the tourist, even if the entire cost would have been prohibitive. Then add the various transportation options inside the attraction and the destination becomes an unmistakable business.

In general, things are cheap. For example, a bullet train from Shanghai to Hangzhou, a one hour ride, is about 50 RMB. But the social stratification has resulted in “price discrimination” that is borderline dishonest. For example, an 888 RMB bottle of wine, i.e. an above-excellent bottle in any country, smells like soap. Even nice restaurants charge for tissue paper. Culturally, China will be surprising. Cold drinks are non-existent (so drink red wine, not beer). Take tissue paper with you - even nice places might not have it in washrooms. And finally, get used to unsanitary conditions. At Hubu Alley, a famed foodie street, a lady holds her infant son over a disgusting garbage bin so he can relieve himself. Also, anywhere where there’s water, there’s always a line of black mould along the cracks (even at the nice hotels and restaurants). At an hourly rental at Beijing Airport, the washroom looked reliably 3rd world. I was scared.

I had the pleasure of exploring inland china as a part of a wedding procession. The actual wedding of my cousin was over a year ago in Canada but the in-laws wanted a traditional wedding in Jingzhou, a small city near Wuhan. Without the normal religious influences of Western weddings, Chinese weddings are an odd mélange of all sorts of cultures and traditions: red bags containing money and tea drinking ceremonies from ancient China, European “wedding march” and wedding vows, and flashy lights from modern Chinese Communist television shows. Of course, there were oldies like “The Moon Represents My Heart”, popularized by one white sinophile who sang it in a remote Chinese village to the applause of the provincial Chinese.

Not far away is the ancient capital city of Xi’an, the gateway to China via the Silk Road. Tourists flock to the terra cotta warriors of Xi’an (g: Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum). It’s a sight of gargantuan proportion, 30 minutes out of town. It dates back to the Qin dynasty, which unified China over 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, the site is too touristy and artificial to make for an enjoyable experience. For example, on the way out, there is a forced 20 minute walk through tourist-trap stores. The history itself is worth exploring. Black soot can still be found on the pit walls, a remnant of the fires set by the rebels that overthrew the tyrannical Qin dynasty.

The best sights in Xi’an lie much closer to city centre. A particularly enjoyable activity is to take a bike ride around the city walls. But don’t expect to fully circumnavigate it - the path is so uneven that it makes for sorest hands and behind. The nicest part of the wall is the “south gate”. Considering going at night to see the walls light up. The other main attraction is Beiyuanmen street, or Muslim street (g: Beiyuanmen). It starts near the Bell and Drum towers (g: bell tower, xi'an; g: Drum tower, xi'an) - both beautiful in its own right but altogether uninteresting. The street itself is lively with the best food in town and arranged in night market fashion. A sampling of lamb mutton soup, spiced tofu, frozen yogurt, watermelon chunks, durian ice cream and lots of meat on sticks. This and other street food represent the best culinary experience in Xi’an. Restaurants in this city are so defunct that they do not deserve a mention.

Down Beiyuanmen is a mosque (g: 30 Huajue Alley) - an excellent display of multiculturalism in an otherwise uniform country. Inside, Chinese Muslims wear headscarves and Taqiyah. Also see the Arabic writing and prayer mats in Chinese architecture. A little ways away, see Buddhist pray/mumble at the Big Goose Pagoda (g: Big Goose Pagoda). In a neighbouring commercial alley, a few extra steps take you to the most down to earth experience in the city: the poor drinking afternoon tea (or beer) at rundown tables, listening to fat ladies sing century old songs (g: 34.22, 108.96). A final non-touristy attraction is the Tangbo Museum (g: 26 Gong Yuan Nan Lu), where you can learn Chinese calligraphy with a Chinese brush pen. The English-fluent tour guide explains the significance of the museum’s art, then tries to sell art created by students.

Going to China and surviving is a badge of honour. Experiences differ significantly, depending on attitude and the various localities of China. Shanghai, for example, is not too far from a Hong Kong: rich, westernized, less of a culture shock. Beijing is very much still the communist capital it has been for over fifty years. And “inner china”, the populous but economically undeveloped parts – they tend to be even more of a challenge to accept, probably because of their poorness.

Accessibility: China uses Chinese and most people speak Mandarin. English is not reliably used. Non-native Mandarin speakers will find it difficult to comprehend the various accents and grammatical oddities from non-traditional speakers. Most Chinese signs are spelt out in Pingyin, the Romanization of Chinese. Google maps accept both English and Chinese words but some locations are only searchable by Chinese characters. See the google guides (“g:”) in the article. Furthermore, Google Maps may be blocked or might be slow in China. Hotspot Shield or another way to bypass the censor is essential. China Unicom and China Mobile offer sim cards but they are somewhat difficult to attain. Some phones only work with certain networks so research beforehand. Google translate is essential. Taxis are usually difficult to hail and unreliable.

Singapore, a Polyglot Little City

July 12, 2014

Singapore proves to be a multicultural experience, particularly through the mixture of brown (mainly Tamil) and Asian (mainly Mandarin) people. Signs are usually shown in all of English, Tamil, Mandarin and Malay. Its orderly composure creates an aura of safety, even in the grimier parts of town. The red light district in Geylang, which feels more like Chinatown than Chinatown, is completely safe. It is a clean city but not unlike Canadian cities. At times, the general hustle and bustle and dilapidated buildings give a feeling quite opposite to cleanliness.

The blazing heat is a signature of this city-state, which lies a stone throw from the equator. Neither in the morning nor in the night can one find refuge from heat - only in air-conditioned buildings, busses, subways or with a cold Lemon Iced Tea. One weird sight, then, is how the nightlife materializes on the Singapore River at Clarke Quay. The young and exuberant sprawl out in the night, buying beers from the 24 hour 7-eleven store. They seem immune to the laborious heat.

Hawker centres are an essential part of Singaporean culture. Best is the gigantic one at Tiong Bahru Market. It is covered but not air-conditioned, making a cold drink essential to weathering the heat. Thankfully, there are a dozen stalls that sell the Hong Kong classic, Iced Milk Tea, a concentrated black tea with condensed milk; and Iced Lemon Tea, the same black tea with a few drops of squeezed lemon and a dollop of sugary syrup. This is what Nestea had in mind when they filmed those refreshing commercials. Interestingly, some people seem to want to punish themselves by drinking hot tea (or soup for that matter).

For food, begin with four half balls of water rice cake (“Chwee Kueh”). It is topped with preserved radish relish, a poignant sauce. It is eaten with two elongated toothpicks, which after a long while we realized were meant to be used like chopsticks. There is a surprising texture - smooth and firm, giving it a fine quality unseen in glutinous rice cakes elsewhere. Best yet, it costs 1.50 SGD (1.30 CAD) for four half balls.

The Singaporean staple Chicken rice is a must try and available at many of the stalls. Perhaps the easiest way to choose which one is to see where the line forms. At a market leading 11 SGD (9.60 CAD), you’ll be eating like royalty. The dish itself originates from Hainan, an island off the south coast of China. Its beauty comes from its simplicity - lightly salted and steamed just until the juiciness is right. The skin comes out light white-yellow, giving the dish a monochromatic, minimalist quality.

Most of Singapore feels rural and dilapidated. But the downtown core turns into another world. It reminds of the brightly lit and naturalistic universe of Avatar or the bucolic forest of Prince Mononoke, and even the terrifying playground of the Hunger Games. In the centre of it is all is the futuristic Marina Bay Sands, which looks like a mushroom and the adjoining Garden by the Bay, which is densely populated by foliage and from which spires and sci-fi structures rise. The most essential activity in this area is to do the SkyPark (23 SGD or 20 CAD) for the best views of the city. On one side, an unending array of boats (of all ships and sizes) remind of Dunkirk and Normandy. On another, see the skyline of urban Singapore. Not too far away is the Ritz-Carlton, which has a dashing display of artwork, notably some glass pieces of Chihuly. If you don’t plan to go to Seattle anytime soon, this is the place to see it.

Near the subway station of Bugis is the sketchy Thieves market (g: Sungei Road Flea Market), where hustlers bring a van-load of junk and disperse them on the ground, ready for sale. It has everything you could ever not want: broken telephones, used playing cards, herb-scented condoms. A few blocks south is Haji Lane, where more reputable shopkeepers co-inhabit a narrow street, selling collectable knick-knacks and other stuff you’d actually want to buy.

An interesting cultural alcove is Little India and its surroundings. In the middle is the gigantic Mustafa centre. It is jam-packed with products: thousands of shoes that differ slightly in size and colour are tossed onto a rack. It is a one-stop shop three times as dense as Wal-mart. The little alleys bursting with the smell of curry and overrun by Tamils complete Little India. The only white people to be seen are at Bismillah Biryani - a rundown shop with no AC, but with critically acclaimed food (15 SGD). For a change in scenery, go to the Chinatown. The most authentic place to visit in this commercialized district is the Chinatown Heritage Centre, which has reconstructions of rooms from a bygone era.

Candlenut

The food culture in Singapore is notably strong. As already seen, there is no shortage of things to gorge oneself on. For something posh, consider Candlenut, a well-received restaurant that serves Peranakan cuisine, a mixture of Chinese and Malaysian cuisine. There is an extensive non-alcoholic drinks list (common in these parts because of the high taxes placed on on alcohol) which includes barley milk, a therapeutic, coconut-like drink. The food included shrimp and radish in crunch cups, whole fish topped with a spicy sauce, and a notably dark chicken curry. The sweet potato leaf sautéed in garlic was light, flavour-packed and aromatic. Finally, the best part of the meal was home-made chocolate ice cream, exceptionally dark, topped with more Valrhona chocolate and crunch (~80 SGD for two).

Tippling Club

Now, moving to foodie-level, go to Tippling Club, which has a 42 SGD lunch - a steal for the top 50 Asian Restaurant that it is. It feels modern and bustling, complete with an open kitchen where chefs meticulously fashion and plate dishes and touches of cool like an oil-pack to rest cutlery on. The meal begins with a few amuse-bouches - a warm curry soup, peppers with a soy wasabi paste (eaten with giant tweezers) and a clear tomato ‘soup’ slurped with a straw with basil paste inside. The show really begins with the appetizer - salmon ‘confit’ with enough components to look like a futuristic Singaporean garden. For the main, another perfectly cooked fish, this time a Barramundi topped with celery, green curry purée, an emulsion and an eggplant chip. The fish is dense with a light flavour, and the greenery is just strong enough to pick up the oils of the fish. It’s all good for the "23rd Best Restaurant in Asia”, except the 8 SGD ginger ale (which I inadvertently ordered two).

A final stop for food should be Dempsey Hill, a happening area a little out of town. Most famous there is Samy’s Curry, a large Indian affair with food survey on a lotus leaf placemat. It’s some stunning curry, for a cheap price (~20 SGD for one). Nearby, a Viet brewery has live music; one well received song was “Let it Go” from Frozen.

Singapore urges you to be a model citizen. Men with assault rifles walk in formation at the airport. The customs form, distributed on the flight in, proclaims “Warning. Death for drug traffickers under Singapore law.” But also, seeing the collaborative nature of different cultures come together imbues a heartfelt nature to the city. You can’t stand but be a model citizen.

Accessibility: The predominant language in Singapore is English so this blog post did not have google guides. A sim card is available at the airport for 20-40 SGD. Taxis are generally easy to hail and are reliable. Charge cards for the subway require a small start-up cost but are subsequently easy to use. Public transportation is useful.

Hong Kong, the Gateway to Asia

July 12, 2014

Hong Kong is a city of dichotomies. At its core, suited financiers speed walk through skyscrapers connected by over and underpasses. It is all too familiar. Yet on the Sunday I arrived, south-east Asian domestic workers seemed to have taken over, displacing the bankers completely, as if they had stolen their spirits. In one rundown arcade, you were transported to the land of remittances, and as is expected in Hong Kong, any personal space is a fantasy.

Another interesting sight is the archaic double-deckered trams that seem to come out of a movie set, completely anachronistic with the futuristic Central. These trams run across the waterfront of most of Central and are a great way to see the city. The transportation network is vast and efficient. A bullet train from the airport takes you straight to Central in 24 minutes. The price segmentation of customers make this public service seem like a profit maximizer. Open-air trams are 2 HKD (0.28 CAD) and air-conditioned busses are twice as much. The train to the airport is 100 HKD (14 CAD).

These disparate prices continue everywhere. Identical products have egregiously different mark-ups. The same power adapter, which I bought for 15 HDK was selling for 80 HKD not far away. In the heart of Causeway Bay, it was 200 HKD. Exploring the markets at night is another Hong Kong staple. The two main ones are Temple Street Market (g: Temple Street Night Market) near Jordan and the Ladies Market near Mongkok (g: Ladies Market). Most of the fun is from haggling with vendors, which can bring down prices by half. These markets mostly sell classic tourist kitsch, but there were some intricately cut 3D cards - one of the Eiffel Tower and another of the Astrological Clock for about 30 HKD each.

Museum central is on the Kowloon side - the history museum (g: Hong Kong Museum of History; 10 HKD) and art museum (g: Hong Kong Museum of Art; 10 HKD) are particularly provocative. They are easily accessible in English. The history museum recounts Hong Kong from its place in the various Chinese sdynasties, under British influence, under Japanese conflict, and more recently, as a special administrative area of the PRC. The art museum is well known for its modern art; one provocative display is of photographs taken of rooftops of Hong Kong - some posh and some quite the opposite.

One morning can be spent in the area west of central. Pay a quick visit to the Man Mo Temple (g: Man Mo Temple), then walk east until you reach the mid-level escalators, which in the morning run toward the waterfront. That will take you to Lan Fong Yuen (g: Lan Fong Yuen; n.b. Google Maps says it is permanently closed but it is not), an authentic breakfast spot with the best Milk Tea and French Toast, Chinese style. This famous vestige of Hong Kong culture was recreated in the art museum mentioned above. Around the corner is the famous Tai Cheong Bakery (g: Tai Cheong Bakery), where you can get egg tarts.

Then there’s a big Buddha on a tourist-trap hill, though the gondola is breathtaking. The glass bottom is well worth it (238 HKD), especially if you pay by AMEX (15% off). Near Diamond Hill are the Nan Lian Garden (g: Nan Lian Garden) and Li Chin Nunnery (g: Li Chin Nunnery) - go for a peaceful escape from the general hustle and bustle.

Hong Kong is the easiest place to rack up Michelin stars. For a cheap one-star, there is One Dim Sum (g: 一點心; multiple locations; 15-30 HDK a plate). Arriving a few minutes before opening time at 11am should secure a spot. The food is nothing revolutionary – but it is perfectly executed. A bit more posh is Kin’s Kitchen (g: W Square; n.b. searching “Kin’s Kitchen” on google gives wrong location; lost a 1 star). Start with a cool Pig Kidney in Sesame Sauce (68 HKD) and end with a Smoked Chicken (170HKD) with complicated burnt flavours. Finally, the 15th best restaurant in Asia, Bo Innovation (g: Bo Innovation) is French with Chinese inspirations. It has three stars. There, one mainland couple, which I mistook for Canadian because of their Roots paraphernalia, was busily taking photos. The lunch is affordable at 288 HKD and includes a selection of dim sum, a main course and a dessert.

Begin with a choice of two dim sum. The cauliflower is puréed but not too finely so that it resembles a creamy risotto (or congee, if you please). It sits in a fine black truffle duck jus, a nice forward flavour to contrast the cauliflower. A second appetizer is a play on the classic Cantonese dish Cheung fan, a rice noodle roll. Instead of the usual sloppy, flimsy pedestrian dish, it is finely portioned and again, smothered in black truffle. The main is a sliver of pigeon breast and leg. The pairing of chicken liver that appears almost magically inside the breast with the similarly fragrant shitake mushroom is spectacular. Dessert is the weakest part - too sweet and too busy. Otherwise, a truly innovative meal deserving of three stars.

Bo Innovation

Cauliflower Risotto, black truffle, duck jus

Black Truffle “cheung fun”

Pigeon stuffed with Chinese liver sausage, shitake mushroom cake, chicken jus infused with sour plum

Taro Ice Cream, Watermelon Jelly, Spicy white chocolate

Another 3-stars is Joel Robuchon’s - where you can get tea for two for only 380HKD (g: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong). For a more authentic Hong Kong experience, get the squid ink pasta at Tung Po (g: Tung Po Seafood Restaurant) - just don’t look under the table, look for bugs or pay attention to the waiters.

Hong Kong is a city where from a three-Michelin star restaurant, you can see someone’s dirty laundry hanging in the back yard. It is just the beginning – the start of the mind boggling incongruities that will characterize any trip through Asia. For years, Hong Kong has been the gateway into Asia. Thankfully, that has not changed.

Accessibility: Hong Kong is most accessible to Cantonese speakers, though English and Mandarin are in use as well. There are plenty of English signs. Google maps accept both English and Chinese words but some locations are only searchable by Chinese characters. Google guides (“g:”) in the article are designed to help you find locations simply by entering them in Google Maps. A sim card is available at the airport for 100 RMB. This will be helpful in directing taxi drivers, who do not speak English. Taxis are generally reliable and inexpensive but crossing into and out of central is expensive because you need to pay the toll – use the subway for that. Public transportation is usually sufficient.

Moral Suicide. A prerequisite to survival

July 7, 2014

My pass through Turkey was mainly to get between Israel and one of its hostile neighbors of the Arab world. I had been to Istanbul before, and since I had done it to satisfaction, I had little motivation to explore this city further. I had also been griped with a discomfort so Turkey was mainly a resting ground. But I did have one experience that is worth noting.

Jumping off of the bus at Taksim, where the busses from the airport go, we quickly grabbed a few simcards from rip-off street vendors, then began hiking down the hill with all of luggage to the nearby tram stop. Along the way, a shoe-shiner whisked by, dropping his brush. Like any self-respecting person, I tapped his shoulder and pointed out his apparent mistake. He thanked me and we parted ways briefly before he called me back and called me his friend and offered me a shoeshine. Of course, I had thought his kindness was in return for mine, and so I took it and left him a small tip. You probably know how the story ends: he asked for the full price of the shoe shine. Of course, I didn’t pay. The price wasn’t high; I just couldn’t believe how this man tried to take advantage of my kindness.

Upon getting on the tram, another dark thought popped into my head. Was it possible that he dropped the brush on purpose? I searched up some harlequin tricks on my phone carrying my newly minted sim card. Apparently, dropping the brush was as old of a trick as it gets. A search for “shoeshine trick” on Google has Istanbul written all over it. I was appalled. How morally draining would it be to devise a trick that hurts the very people that try to help you. It lies deftly in the face of humanity. I felt no anger towards the man; he probably needs to do this to survive. If anything, I felt sympathy for having to commit moral suicide to survive.

Finally, it is worth mentioning two academic theories that explain why the shoe-shiner’s strategy is unstable. First, humans have biologically evolved to appreciate reciprocity. It is an ancient form of lending, an accounts receivable. If one act of kindness is not reciprocated, that antagonizes customer such that it is highly unlikely the customer will pay anything more. In game theory, certain stable strategies are called “tit-for-tat”: they involve co-operating until the opponent defects. It is a game theoretic version of reciprocity. Of course, as soon as the shoe-shiner defects, that’s the end to the co-operation. By this reasoning it seems like the shoe-shiner needs to get another job, or at least another way to get his clients. Perhaps, if he reads this blog, he will thank me. I’m saving his soul along with his livelihood.

Canada from Krakow

July 1, 2014

From Krakow, a most unlikely setting from which this post is written, I celebrate Canada Day. The holiday celebrates the creation of our nation in 1867, when the four founding provinces of Canada joined together. It formed a confederation, like that of Germany, which exists still today, governed by a dual structure of federal and provincial governments. With the railway, Canada as we know it today was slowly formed, creating an autonomous region peacefully as opposed to by war down south. However, it wasn’t until the First World War, that Canada earned its stripes, fully distancing itself from Great Britain.

In the last few years, Canada has enjoyed a strong economy through the recession, earning it international prestige. Notably, Icelanders had recently toyed with the idea of adopting the Canadian Dollar over the Euro or the USD. Tangibly, a third generation Canadian of Chinese origin, calculates a citizenship to be worth over $750,000. No wonder pregnant mothers from lesser countries are desperate to get in (http://www.torontolife.com/informer/columns/2014/05/20/jan-wong-canada-birthright-citizenship-nation-of-suckers/). Intangibly, the list is endless. And it is through travel that one understands the privileges afforded to Canadians by birthright. The value of feeling safe, of not having to lock away belongings in a safe, or not being afraid of being robbed at gunpoint. These benefits, we have taken for granted, and perhaps it should be. For Canada faces intractable challenges ahead – mainly uncompetitiveness, debt, separatism and a dependence on oil.

Plaque at staterooms at the Wawel Castle, Krakow

At the emblematic Royal Castle of Wawel in Krakow, the seat of Polish power for centuries, the first noticeable display thanks Canada for helping to safeguard the treasures during World War II. By the time the invasion of Poland set off WWII (and indeed, Poland was divided by the Russians and Germans by the Molotov-Ribbentrop act) the treasures of the Wawel were being clandestinely carted off through Romania, Malta, France, Great Britain and finally, Canada, where it stayed until 1961. Needless to say, given the proximity of this city to Auschwitz, the art would have been entirely destroyed. (I will add that as a Canadian student instead of a European one, I did not qualify for the discounted price). In many ways like this, the Canadians have earned tremendous respect for being unaffected by wars, and being a place of refuge for whatever that seeks it. For another example, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tulip_Festival.

But for a peaceful nation, Canada punches above its weight in military action. As stated, Canadian military prestige was earned in WWI (for which we approach the hundred year anniversary of the start) through the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele. But it is probably most thanked for its participation in WWII, where it participated alongside the British and the U.S. on D-Day (for which we recently celebrated the 70th anniversary) and subsequently the liberation of Europe.

And although these accomplishments are old and mirror many American ones, the country has sustained itself in modern history, as a beloved country by most of the world, or at least not an entirely hated one. And this, in travel, becomes deftly obvious. The honour it is to hold a Canadian passport, though it is less useful than the British one we forfeited (http://www.movehub.com/blog/world-passport-power), is enough reason to celebrate Canada Day. So although I feel deceitful to claim any authority on Canada, writing from Krakow on July 1, I hope my feelings from abroad strengthen your nationalism from within.

Why Dating is so Difficult?

June 4, 2014

Marriage, surprisingly, has an analytic solution. Economists have devised a “deferred acceptance” theory that applies to marriage, and have won a Nobel prize for it. Game theory suggests that to be happy, one must be prepared to be lonely 37% of the time. On a bus ride in the Tieguanyin tea plantations of Taipei, fueled by caffeine and a high altitude, I wondered whether economics can explain why dating is so difficult. Emotional irrationalities aside, it seems like dating in the modern era is more difficult because of transparency – the incalculable struggle of deciding when to become “Facebook official,” or whether to post a particular display picture. This might seem obvious enough, but the following will hopefully justify why this is indeed the case. In short, our current environment accepts fewer couples than the socially optimal quantity.

Deciding whether or not to date someone should be a simple enough task. Like in any decision, the benefits should outweigh the costs. In other words, the marginal benefit of dating the next girl should outweigh the costs of doing so. Although there are few if any real costs of dating, there is clearly opportunity cost: missing an opportunity to date someone better or sacrificing career opportunities. The socially optimal quantity for any individual is to date every girl whose marginal benefit, i.e. the utility derived from dating said girl, is greater than the opportunity costs. However, this socially optimal point is rarely reached. Perhaps that is why people find dating so difficult.

As in most markets, the marginal benefit curve is downward sloping. If you could only date one girl, you would choose your favorite – the one that provides the most utility to you. The next girl you date will provide slightly lower utility. In this way, you may visualize dating with a downward sloping demand curve. As we rush into our twenties, most with little interest in settling down anytime soon, this demand curve can be viewed as how many girlfriends or boyfriends we have over a certain period of time (maybe 5 years). Indeed, this is exactly what a demand curve is.

In order for a socially optimal point to be reached, the marginal revenue curve must be equal to the demand curve. This only happens when there is first-degree price discrimination. The analogue in the world of dating is each date you find does not affect the quality of other dates. In actuality, this is rarely the case. In the world where appearances are everything, choosing to date one girl might exclude you from dating another girl. This is the problem a monopolist faces. In a one-price monopoly, lowering the price for one customer means lowering it for everyone else – the explanation why marginal revenue is always below demand. Similarly, choosing to date a girl that you are perfectly happy with dating, but just passes the bar, might exclude you from dating a girl you would otherwise be happier with – because of social reasons and signaling theory.

So how do we move ourselves so we are closer to the socially optimal amount? First-degree price discrimination is difficult to perform. However, there may be an opportunity to perform third-degree price discrimination. In the dating world, we will find ourselves facing groups of people will differing elasticities. In laymen’s terms, some will like us more than others. For 3rd degree price discrimination to work, these groups must be identifiable and separable. A good example, as evidenced by a close friend, is an Asian church-going group that is shielded from Facebook, and mostly-white friends of friends from Queen’s. These groups will have different elasticities and more importantly dating people from one group will not exclude you from dating people from another group (i.e. “non-transferable”).

Segmenting potential candidates into these groups and ensuring some Chinese wall between them will move dating to a more socially optimal quantity. Interestingly, this response has already happened. It appears like many relationships are moving in the direction of limbo – not just passerbys but no labels either. That helps keep relationships unofficial and therefore out of the dinner conversations (or the Alehouse bar, if you will). Couples are getting better at keeping relationships to themselves, though sometimes the housemates get drunk and spill the beans, and still other times a scrupulous, troublemaking detective becomes gossip Queen. Perhaps this is an economic justification to engage in “double-dealing”, though certainly not in the traditional sense of the word.

50 Best Restaurants in the World Updated

April 29, 2014

The 50 best restaurants in the world list has been updated. See http://www.theworlds50best.com/

Randwalk has gone to or has reservations at 13 of the top 100 of these. See review below.

D.O.M. (Sao Paulo, 7th)

Arzak (Basque, 8th - booked for June)

Narisawa (Tokyo, 14th - booked for May)

Azurmendi (Basque, 26th - booked for June)

Le Chateaubriand (Paris, 27th)

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (Paris, 31st)

Septime (Paris, 52nd)

St John (London, 55th)

Nomad (NY, 68th)

Tim Raue (Berlin, 78th)

Marea (NY, 93th)

Bo Innovation (Hong Kong, 97th - review being written)

Jean George (NY, 98th - note review is for Nougatine but I have been to Jean George proper)

Limbo: Leaving Queen's

April 27, 2014

An uneasiness is settling in as I wander deeper into limbo. Over the next four months, I am a graduated student but not yet integrated into my next institution of affiliation. This is the first time in a long time that direction and purpose has unraveled. Over the last four years, one could content himself with focusing on activities that would improve his employability. And after finding a job (which occurred about two years ago), one could content himself with enjoying the university experience with the security of employment going forward.

So as difficult and growth-inspiring university is, there was no question as to whether you were going in the right direction – since that direction was so readily defined and the entire program had signed up for it. I am unsettled, peering not far into the looking glass, and finding an uncertain world that diverges into so many paths that any sense of direction and order would be misguided.

As I sit on a plane to China, on the start of a 35-day Asia trip, I realize that this is the first time I’ve been completely stress-free. See, the saving grace of limbo is that you are not beholden to anything, except perhaps financial resources. So for the first time in a while, as I type these words, I notice writing this essay has no opportunity cost. With my duties to school and clubs severed, there is nothing else I should be doing or thinking about. In many ways, it is liberating. This kind of life must be the appeal to bohemians, drop-outs, hungry artists, and so on. Yet there is little comfort to be drawn at this time. For opportunity cost is never zero, which raises the question “What should I be doing?” Indeed, these words form the question I will struggle with for the rest of my life.

The only comfort I can take is by looking back to the previous four years and reflecting on my accomplishments. Perhaps I can use that to excuse myself of four months of dilly-dallying. I recently made a two-page résumé to recount my existence. It's sobering to see your accomplishments reduced to two pages of paper, though of course such a document does not account for the personal growth and personal accomplishments university brings. I compare myself to my high school self, who dealt with similar issues but in completely different ways and with less composure. I feel fortified, knowing that I can withstand all this world will throw at me. For all the issues with the business program, I feel more sure of myself and my place in society. I came to Queen’s unloved and distraught by the social web I could not see myself fitting into. I sought validation from others. I still do but not nearly as much. This is rudimental organizational behavior theory. Before my competence was noted, I had to keep eccentricity to a minimum. More recently, I could increase my eccentricity. So the major difference between now and then is I am not as concerned about showing my competence – perhaps because I now believe it is readily apparent.

Looking forward, my plane two hours from landing in Beijing, I see those carefree, sun-drenched days of summer. For humans that subscribe to evolutionary biology, care-free is never care-free. So in addition to enjoying myself and gorging epicuriously, I intend to expand my catalogue of the world to Asia and the Middle East. As someone mentioned recently, travel makes for the best conversation.

I have done a lot in the last four years and sometimes thinking about keeping pace going forward is scary. But the only reasonable response to uncertainty is to continue on the journey of life without overthinking things too much.

Chamonix, London, Paris

March 12, 2014

Spring break in the final year of university is defining. As the inevitable grind of work-life appears imminent, the knee-jerk reaction is to live in-the-moment (“YOLO”). A few good ideas have emerged. The most popular course is a trip organized by S-trip, a monopolist that benefits from a network effect, and is therefore able to charge exorbitant prices for a rather flimsy offering. They market themselves through ridiculous videos of unwound youth, organized in mosh-pit formation.

As I argued in my “Pick Your Poison” article, the video exhibits behavior not only is expected for this given segment, but should be encouraged for its effectiveness. As for those that attended Punta this reading week, I am sure the seven-day binge led to many enlightening experiences.

As the Punta group strategized on how to ingest free alcoholic beverages at the maximal rate, another group scratched heads on how to sneak the most alcohol onto a stupidly cheap cruise ship. As one Queen’s professor suggested, shampoo bottles may come into use.

My destinies led me back to Europe, where I had spent the entirety of my exchange. It began with a ski trip in Chamonix, then a hop to Paris and ended in London.

Chamonix is as English as it gets in France. There is none of that typical French sneering but it almost loses the French charm. Menus are too often in English and the default language is also English. Some French notorieties remain. Taxis are impossible to hail, and when they do come, they charge exorbitant prices. Luggage storage is impossible to find. In all, it is not consumer facing. Given the natural jewels of the mountain, the entire operation is poorly run and consumers are undeserved.

On the three days I was there, the temperature was never foul yet the snow stayed soft. No ski masks or scarves necessary. On one happy day, the snow fell all night and stopped by sunrise. It was like skiing on a pile of sugar or bouncing around on a memory-foam mattress. Turns and stops came quickly and effortlessly and falls, if any, were cushioned. The good conditions were particularly noticed off-piste. A light wind had the effect of creating first-track conditions essentially anywhere off-piste. In one adventurous run, I had lost my skis in the middle of some off-piste glades. Without the surface area of skis, the snow displaced like quicksand. Unsettling. I used a half buried tree to pole-vault myself back into position. I descended laboriously only to find the lifts still an ascent away. Upon completion, my prize beer was denied from me by inept service.

We stayed in a cozy chalet with beds in an attic reachable by bookshelf stairs. It was a tiny slice of mountain life – “the Swiss experience”, one more say. But it is hidden and hard to get to and excruciatingly far from the village. Chamonix seems to be one of the only places in Europe that is not pedestrian friendly.

Returning to Paris was a trip down memory lane. Most memorable was getting back onto the Vélib bicycles and finishing off what I had neglected last year. A canal tour on the St. Martin was sometimes cool but often boring, especially with incomprehensible English guides. But not far from Parc de la Villete, where the canal ends, is perhaps the most heart-wrenching site in Paris. Pere Lachaise cemetery, still in operation, feels like a Kingdom of the Dead, with graves stacked on top of each other. It came out of a scene from Lord of the Rings.

The food, of course, was extraordinary. At le Grand Epicerie de Paris, shelves of Foie Gras and full slabs of swordfish are common place, egg cartons look like macron-looking and there were enough types of bottled water to look like a Vodka bar.

Across the Channel, it feels like we’ve zoomed fifty years into the future. They are both beautiful but for different reasons. In London, the archaic architecture is juxtaposed with modern monoliths. In Paris, old charm prevails.

For London, the new hot-spot is the East, where new restaurants are popping up and old markets are crawling with yuppies. Near Shoreditch, shops and restaurants span cargo containers (like those in the market Zurich). Have an affordable afternoon tea at Albion nearby. And Brick Lane Market is arguably the most happening spot in London, where the graffiti is an attraction.

The museums are an obvious must. They are all “free” but ask for donations. The obvious ones are: The British Museum (history), Tate (modern art), National Gallery (non-modern art), Portrait (portrait gallery), Victoria and Albert (like the British Museum but more European/British), the British Library, and Natural History and the Science Museum if you’re into that. They are all worth going to.

Between these two cities, the history of the modern world was written. They are by far the most interesting and unfinishable cities. Paris has all 20 of its arrondissements and London, the many boroughs connected by the underground. Both cities grow on you as soon as you move outside of the touristy core. See the Paris Restaurant Guide and the European Restaurant Guide for an updated list of restaurants.

The West Coast: Land of Coffee, Sushi and the Outdoors

March 7, 2014

I tried the same fast-paced travel formula through the hills and valleys of the “West Coast”. It led me first to Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, and later to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many of these cities I had previously visited but I went back with a new lens.

The West Coast is filled with stereotypes (“techie”, “bougie”, etc.). Start with coffee. By an objective analysis, the West Coast has far surpassed the European institutions of old. Each of the West Coast cities have its own spin: the original Starbucks in Pike Place Market, Seattle, or the famous Stumptown roasters of Portland, or 49th Parallel in Vancouver, whose beans are used by most uppity cafes in Canada. Calgary, by one count, has the most cafes per capita.

The West Coast is “outdoorsy”. The best skiing in the world are two hours out of Vancouver; a web of bike lanes turn Portland into the most rider-friendly city in the world. And, of course, there is the far-too-touristy bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The West Coast is filled with culture. Los Angeles is particularly strong with the unfinishable LACMA (with its iconic lamp posts) or Huntington Library Gardens or the Getty museums. In quite an ugly and material city, there is more than enough beauty and art to witness. Vancouver has its first nations art, Seattle has Chuilly’s glass works and Portland has a Samarai display. The highlight of Napa, other than the wining and dining is the di Rosa exhibit, curated by a rich winemaker who decided to go shopping. The exhibit is accessible only by tour.

And finally, there is the food. And the West Coast has effectively adopted the entire dictionary of culinary buzz-words: organic, local, gluten-free, vegan, and so on. It takes its food seriously but not in a pretentious manner. In the last best restaurants report in the US, about half came from the West Coast. Run-down cities like Portland (which has one of the highest unemployment rates) are unknown food capitals. Here, masterly food is served in forgettable diners.

Cultural food is also booming. It is through these parts that sushi hopped onto the new world and became a staple of North American diet (e.g. “California Roll”). The most unique experience of the trip was Pok Pok, a surprisingly good Vietnamese restaurant serving messy meals and drinking vinegars and with Viet music pumping. In Vancouver, there is apparently the best Indian food outside of India. Another trend is Asian fusion. At newly minted Carino, Calgary, Japanese mixes with Italian and in The House, San Francisco, with French. Deep in druggie territory, Pidgin (Vancouver) mixes with Asian with pretty much everything. Aziza in San Francisco spices it up with Moroccan inspiration.

What to do in 36 hours

Vancouver: Go skiing and/or rent a bike to circumnavigate Stanley Park. Take a train straight to Richmond for some dimsum or bubble teas. Do a customary coffee run to 49th Parallel or market hopping through Granville island and North Vancouver. Take an adventure to the unruly parts of town and dine on fried chicken at Pidgin.

Seattle: Start at pike place market, and feast on cheese curds and drink spiked ginger beers and Starbuck’s original coffees. Take a boat ride at The Centre for Wooden Boats. Finish with geoduck sashimi and dinner at Sitka and Spruce near Melrose market. $30 rush tickets at the symphony.

Portland: Rent a bike and go to Pok Pok for some authentic viet food. Go beer / coffee / tea tasting. Take a look at the Portland Art Museum. Have a four-course vegetarian meal at Ava Genes. If you can squeeze it in, the food trucks are worth a detour too. Get some really inexpensive books at the largest bookstore in the world – Powell Books.

San Francisco: Go to lunch at a pretentious place installment called Boulevard and have a large ball of mozz on a bed of risotto. Bike around the embarcadero and you will reach the Palace of Fine Arts, made for a world exhibition in the early 1900’s. Like most of the city, it is taken straight from Europe. Then bike across the golden gate bridge and loiter in Sausalito before a ferry takes you back to mainland. Bike down Valencia street, where street lights are calibrated for bike-speed. Have a steak encrusted with Morrocan spices at Aziza. $30 rush tickets to the SF Symphony.

Los Angeles: Have a plate of fresh sushi at Shunji. Rent a car and prepare for art-galore. Go to the LACMA (with its iconic lamp posts), Huntington Library Gardens and the Getty museums. Make a reservation in advance to Alma have the best meal for $65 you will find (closed). End up at the observatory to get a look at the Hollywood sign, the city, and (if it’s dark) the crevices of the moon.

Best Restaurants (4 or 5 stars)

Academy Awards 2014: A Weak Bunch

March 2, 2014

Against last year’s spectacular line-up, this year’s best picture hopefuls are hopelessly mediocre. This year’s films are largely “true stories” and “Americanized”. 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, Captain Phillips, and Philomena are all true stories. All of the above except Philomena are unapologetically American. 12 Years a Slave begins with a treacherous period of Americans history. It makes the point but no more effectively than any other film on slavery, and has less artistic quality than Tarantino’s Django (2012). American Hustle, set in the slimy late 1970s, tells of fallible con-men messing with gangsters. Dallas Buyers Club, set in the early days of the AIDS epidemic (1980s), smuggles drugs from Mexico to give himself a fighting chance. The Wolf of Wall Street, set in the high-flying 1990’s, shows the morally loose lifestyles of finance fraudsters. Most recent is Captain Phillips, a patriotic story of how SEALs rescued a cargo ship taken over by Somalian pirates. Gravity is thankfully not a true story. It is a triumph of special effects and cinematography, but is not much more than a crowd-pleasing blockbuster. Indeed, one of the nominations bears the name of a U.S. state. Nebraska tells of a man who believes he’s won the lottery. The Academy Awards have often been criticized of its geographic fixation. But these are also the awards that have, in the past, given top prize to Slumdog Millionaire and the Kings’ Speech. Indeed, last year, the nominees included a French film, a film set in France, and two films set nowhere at all.

The Academy has also favoured films about true stories. Argo, of course was a true story – and so were Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. But those films will able to outstep the confines of storytelling and create complicated messages and complicated feelings. Against those, the films this year seem to only have one unambiguous message: terrible or crazy things happened the in past. Aside from those two main themes, this year’s line up in general fails to be novel. They discuss or present overly-discussed issues like homosexuality (Dallas, Philomena), con-men (Hustle, Wolf), Catholic indecency (Philomena), self-sacrifice (Gravity, Slave). Some casting decisions are impressive (Jennifer Lawrence in Hustle), and some are too predictable (Clooney in Gravity, Pitt in Slave).

Finally, there seems to be an affixation this year with comedies. Many films present serious matters from a humour angle (as Django did). But only one film is the comedy used to expose truth. “Her” is un-American and not based on a true story, and is the only essential film of the nine. It explores the human emotion of love with no pre-conceived notions and is non-judgmental. In a futuristic world, where mustaches and high-waisted pants are in, humans date artificially intelligent beings without a body. In one case, surrogate partners are used to give the artificially intelligent beings a physical quality. Despite these progressive and potentially offensive arrangements, the quality of the film is to keep viewers from making fundamental judgements of acceptability, and instead keeps viewers focused on the point – that love is more mental than physical (the message is more complicated but that was my main take-away). Despite the inherent comedic quality of the film, it still manages to instill tremendous feeling of grief, anger, joy and so on. So my pick for best picture is without a doubt “Her”. It’s a such a shame it won’t win, for whatever reason.

A Hundred Days in Europe: A Summary of Exchange

January 23, 2014

We are bringing this post back to guide any exchange students in COMM 2015 going to Europe.

Helpful links:

http://randwalk.com/?category=Europe

http://randwalk.com/paris-restaurant-guide-13/#item=foodie-in-paris

http://randwalk.com/european-restaurant-guide-13/

Safely nestled between two windows in my home in Maple, Ontario is an IKEA frame that showcases an odd collection from my exchange term. The line-up of simcards is utilitarian but no less artistic than a collection of fridge magnets, coat-of-arms, or disparate objects from rip-off tourist shacks. Most are pristine but some have coarse edges from cutting, a reminder of their use. Together, the bite-size pieces not only represent the breadth of this term, but also the depth of each trip enabled by abundant information.

To count the countries, go no further than counting the simcards. There are 17. Before leaving, I had been to but five countries: China, Japan, Canada, US and Mexico. A hundred days later, 22 altogether. You might be tempted to downplay the seventeen nations by asserting they are all similar. Nothing can be further from the case. Countries with common borders, tongues, histories are culturally distinct. The Portuguese hate the Spanish; the Swedes are fishmongers as the Norwegians are oil-mongers; Germany is a whole other animal. No two countries are as similar as USA and Canada are. The model of the European Union is “united in diversity,” except that unity is difficult in these circumstances. “Great” men have tried. Augustus, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Hitler - they all failed.

As an exchange destination, there is no place with as much culture and history as Europe. It’s a world of art museums by day and concerts by night. The rest of the world will copy the nightlife and shopping malls to perfection but culture and history are irreplicable. And the cultural centre of Europe is Paris.

The night starts young in Paris. After eating some bread and drinking some wine, students line up and pay 20 euros of cover (expensive but worth it). They squeeze themselves into a grandiose room by 8pm and wait for the lights to dim and the music to start blasting. It’s Denis Matsuev playing Rachmaninov and Bartok.

Exchange is a costly affair. First, it is bank breaking: $24000 total cost, divided mainly into transportation ($5500), food ($5000) and accommodations ($8500). The opportunity cost is even more burdensome. To take a four-month vacation at a crucial stage in life is costly. Accomplishments that would have otherwise been had in Kingston or Toronto are lost, perhaps forever. Exchange is one of the final opportunities for carefree gallivanting, another opportunity cost. In other words, the monetary cost or the incremental monetary cost, say, of going to an extra city, is insignificant compared to the opportunity costs. This is a rallying call for future exchange students to make the most of their experiences, and not to let small details, like an expensive plane ticket, invalidate their entire plans. It is unsolicited advice to wake up early to see the essential sights, and to drink below the memory-losing rate.

My nominal cost has no doubt been recovered, as consumer surplus is generally positive. But opportunity cost is only recouped by the lessons learnt. The lessons learnt from living in a foreign country are valuable. Some obvious examples are improvement in French and meeting people from difficult backgrounds. But the most unsettling experiences come from assimilating into unfamiliar systems. Without a command of the language and an understanding of common practices, powerlessness prevails. The lowest point of exchange must have been missing the plane to Barcelona twice: the first my own fault, the second a consequence of a tyrannical crew and a decisively French attitude. It was culture shock exemplified. On the first pass, I could not find a French taxi so I paid a French driving school instructor an exorbitant 40€ to rush me to the airport after he slowly finished his cigarette. On the second pass, I waited patiently, Economist in hand, for the lines at the gate to clear. When I turned up, plane doors still open but the mental gates were closed. In my home turf, I would have put up a fight; in Paris, I admitted defeat.

A frazzled tourist travels outside his own skin. Five extra Turkish Lira on the bill. A stinky hotel room in Milan. Rip-off cellphone plans. A 20€ cab ride from a porn-addicted driver. They are small monetary expenses but deeply emasculating. To overcome such tribulations is the most rewarding aspect of exchange. To escape Anglo-Saxon culture is essential for a true exchange experience. France (especially Paris) is compelling in this respect not least because French stereotypes are largely true.

Paris is still a culinary epicenter but Barcelona and London come close. Paris, in a direct comparison with Toronto, performed decidedly better. The French influence might waver but will never die. Any proper restaurant, even in polyglot Toronto, will use the French techniques of old. Paris was not more expensive. The restaurants, in total, cost 1180€, or $1615, compared to a similar bill ($1650) in Toronto. For a typical three-course meal, dining well in Paris is surprisingly affordable, though eating cheaply is easier in Toronto.

European Schools are messy. ESCP is a high-ranking European institution but performs worse than most North American schools. The French educational system is predicated on structure and rote learning. There is no latitude for creativity. French students laboriously take down every word of their professors then submit thoughtless tomes of informational regurgitation. Classes are often disorganized. One presentation session was cancelled thirty minutes prior and rescheduled to an infeasible time. Professors take days to reply to emails or ignore students altogether. I did learn substantially in two classes: one on exotic derivatives and VBA modeling, another on the European Union. But the bad courses are especially bad, exacerbated by a no-skip policy rooted in the French preference for standardization and self-aggrandizing.

The result was a bit of sweet and sour. Most of the marks maximized an effort-adjusted return. I managed to squeeze through with a 55% in advanced financial accounting, surely one of the lowest numbers to grace any of my or your transcripts. Three marks are B's by the Canadian standard, the lonely and plump letter unseen since high school, but may be adjusted when belled against the class. My average also cut the 80% mark quite efficiently. The net result is that my mark tends more towards an A than an A+ if a grad school should care.

Exchange will make you happy, but it will not bring the joys and satisfaction of accomplishment. It is intensely fun, eye-opening but not euphoric. It is a four-month reward, deserved or not, and should be viewed as such.

In the Holiday Spirit - Supporting Kingston Youth Shelter

December 17, 2013

Last week, Randwalk helped QCOP (Queen's Conference on Philanthropy; www.qcop.ca) raise gifts in-kind for its silent auction in support of the Kingston Youth Shelter (http://www.kingstonyouthshelter.com/). Randwalk emailed all Kingston Restaurant Guide restaurants with four or more stars. Four of them responded and gave generously:

Amadeus Café ★★★★ - $50 giftcard

Oct 3: Olivea ★★★★★ - $50 giftcard + 15% coupon for all delegates

Oct 21: Aquaterra ★★★★ - dinner voucher for 2 (~$100)

Oct 24: Le Chien Noir ★★★★★ / Oct 20: Harpers ★★★★ / Oct 17: Atomica ★★★★ / Oct 2: Dianne's Fish Bar - $100 giftcard

A personal thank you from myself to the restaurants for their generosity as well as keeping the Kingston restaurant scene in tact.

A Red Light

December 17, 2013

A few months ago, the Kingston City Police took a break from motorists and decided to pick at cyclists instead. This was the same day that tardy, law-breaking Queen's cyclists were picked off at stop-signs and given hundred-dollar tickets. To grasp the magnitude of the effort, two of my friends were reprimanded, though one escaped justice.

One such evil criminal was yours truly, who was given a $355 ticket for going through a red light on a bicycle. Ironically, this was a few days before I was promoted to G status. I have compiled the following list of lessons I learnt from the experience:

Bikers are charged the same amount as motorists. It seems counter-intuitive as the respective harms to society are far unequal. But it is a simplification of a law ("The Highway Traffic Act") that does not make a special case of cyclists. The result is exorbitant costs for what might seem harmless
Going to court helps. It reduced my fine to from $355 to $125, partly because of my student/unemployed status, partly because of my clean driving record, and partly because of my biking as opposed to driving. Going to court also provides some perspective on the rough lives people live. People were genuinely concerned about paying amounts that were far below any considerable amount.
Call the prosecutor prior to the court date to ensure a speedy court session. Otherwise, the negotiations occur during recess. Having not made any arrangement beforehand, my court-time lasted 45 minutes.
Biking infractions have no effect on your license (as long as you pay the fine) and have no associated demerit points.