Realizing that I have not written in such a long time has motivated me to make another blog entry. Hopefully I'm not blogging in a vacuum and someone out there is reading this!
Recently, I've been thinking about living overseas, and the kinds of crazy things that you tend to pay for just because you can't get them normally.
Living abroad for over two years, I've found that most of the things that I've wanted (maybe 90% of them) are available at some point, somewhere, either at a Brick and Mortar, or at an online seller.
The other 10%, I just bring with me when I go back home, and carry two suitcases. The funny thing is, many of the things that I purchase are made overseas where I live, just not available here.
Socks, Towels, Windshield Wipers for the car, Bed sheets, shower curtains, are some of the things that I bring back with me!
Living in a smaller city doesn't help, but figuring out how to use the online auction/buying sure as heck does.
So lets look at the things that I DON'T buy local brands for and pay a lot more for....
The things in italics are actually imported Everything else is available locally but is still considered a foreign brand.
Toilet Paper (Kleenex Brand) - Korea
Tide Detergent
Shaving Cream
Cereal - Korea
Dog Food - Korea
Kraft Mac and Cheese - USA
Juices - USA/etc
Peanut Butter - USA
You really don't realize how much you love and miss that comfort of that Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese till you click "Buy it now" online and pay 7 dollars American for that box of pasta and powdered cheese product....
What are some of the things that you can't find where you live, and do you still have to go get them from 'back home'?
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Time flies....
Has it been a week already? Time has seemed to have flown by since the last update.
So, since last week, I've been just settling in and exploring more.
I'm still pretty homesick, but being able to facetime with family and friends helps a lot.
On Friday afternoon, I got the windows tinted in the car, and Friday night, I had dinner with a colleague at his hotel. Saturday the A-yi was supposed to come and clean but did not show up. I later found out that shes scared of Kody, but supposedly will be back Saturday as long as he's crated. So Saturday, I cleaned the floors and the bathrooms, and did laundry, and watched it rain outside. In the evening, I went out for a little drive and then stopped at a street food vendor outside my neighborhood for some meat skewers (see pictures). They were good, but eating from a street vendor does have risks.
Sunday, Bob, my colleague and I went into Qingdao for our 'day in town'. He was looking for a hotel that had a nice brunch, but he couldn't remember the name or street it was on, so after 2 hours of aimlessly wandering, I made the decision that we would stop by "Sunshine Center" which is another high end shopping mall downtown. Inside they had a very upscale buffet, which we were lucky to get a table without a reservation. The food was great, international choices and fresh seafood. In the afternoon, I took Bob back to his hotel and went by the farmers market to get fresh fruits and vegetables. I ended up with 4 bags of stuff for about 12 dollars. I went home to meet the AC Repair man (on a sunday!) who misdiagnosed my AC unit, and would be back "later in the week" with the new part. Kody and I went for a little walk, and I headed off to find a place to get a haircut. There was a place close by the house, and I walked in, and it seemed pretty fancy. I got a little nervous because I figured it would be pricey, but the staff told me the haircuts were 38 RMB, a little over 6 dollars, and included shampoo and blowdry, however, If I bought their "preferred customer card", for 200 RMB, (32 dollars), I could get TEN haircuts, which is what I did. And they dont accept tips. I later told a local chinese colleague about the 20 RMB haircut and he told me that it was too expensive, and he pays 10-15 RMB. Go figure. Afterwards, I did some shopping at another Walmart/Target type store, and this one was the nicest one yet.
This week at work, I have decided to leave the office for lunch, as I'm getting a little tired of the cafeteria food. Its been nice to get away for an hour, and also helpful to learn the local area around work. Customer emails have been flying back and forth but it appears that as fires are being put out, people are beginning to mellow out quite a bit.
As far as preventing myself from going insane, this weeks entertainment includes more CHiPs from Itunes, and Hells Kitchen (latest season). There is an expat meetup tonight, but its in town and I'm seriously considering going and taking a cab (police like to do sobriety checks at night, and I dont have an official Chinese license yet). I'll be joining the gym in my neighborhood, but access to cash is not easy right now because china employers pay salary once a month. So I dont get a July paycheck till August. So I go to a bank that actually accepts Visa Logo ATM cards and I pull out the equivalent of 300 USD at a time. Fortunately, I finally got a gasoline card, so that helps with the amount of cash I need to lay out for gas.
Yesterday, I went to a steak place for lunch, Steaks in China are different. Where in the US, we're used to nice, thick cut steaks, with a nice pink center, (rare or medium rare), the Chinese steakhouses serve steaks like Pork Chop thin, on a sizzling plate, well done. I ended up ordering some chinese food they had instead. If I do want a steak, there's a place downtown called "Wang Steak House" , which is a franchise all over Asia, and they're as close as you can get to a western steak dining experience.
Thats all for now everyone, I hope you are all well!
So, since last week, I've been just settling in and exploring more.
I'm still pretty homesick, but being able to facetime with family and friends helps a lot.
On Friday afternoon, I got the windows tinted in the car, and Friday night, I had dinner with a colleague at his hotel. Saturday the A-yi was supposed to come and clean but did not show up. I later found out that shes scared of Kody, but supposedly will be back Saturday as long as he's crated. So Saturday, I cleaned the floors and the bathrooms, and did laundry, and watched it rain outside. In the evening, I went out for a little drive and then stopped at a street food vendor outside my neighborhood for some meat skewers (see pictures). They were good, but eating from a street vendor does have risks.
Sunday, Bob, my colleague and I went into Qingdao for our 'day in town'. He was looking for a hotel that had a nice brunch, but he couldn't remember the name or street it was on, so after 2 hours of aimlessly wandering, I made the decision that we would stop by "Sunshine Center" which is another high end shopping mall downtown. Inside they had a very upscale buffet, which we were lucky to get a table without a reservation. The food was great, international choices and fresh seafood. In the afternoon, I took Bob back to his hotel and went by the farmers market to get fresh fruits and vegetables. I ended up with 4 bags of stuff for about 12 dollars. I went home to meet the AC Repair man (on a sunday!) who misdiagnosed my AC unit, and would be back "later in the week" with the new part. Kody and I went for a little walk, and I headed off to find a place to get a haircut. There was a place close by the house, and I walked in, and it seemed pretty fancy. I got a little nervous because I figured it would be pricey, but the staff told me the haircuts were 38 RMB, a little over 6 dollars, and included shampoo and blowdry, however, If I bought their "preferred customer card", for 200 RMB, (32 dollars), I could get TEN haircuts, which is what I did. And they dont accept tips. I later told a local chinese colleague about the 20 RMB haircut and he told me that it was too expensive, and he pays 10-15 RMB. Go figure. Afterwards, I did some shopping at another Walmart/Target type store, and this one was the nicest one yet.
This week at work, I have decided to leave the office for lunch, as I'm getting a little tired of the cafeteria food. Its been nice to get away for an hour, and also helpful to learn the local area around work. Customer emails have been flying back and forth but it appears that as fires are being put out, people are beginning to mellow out quite a bit.
As far as preventing myself from going insane, this weeks entertainment includes more CHiPs from Itunes, and Hells Kitchen (latest season). There is an expat meetup tonight, but its in town and I'm seriously considering going and taking a cab (police like to do sobriety checks at night, and I dont have an official Chinese license yet). I'll be joining the gym in my neighborhood, but access to cash is not easy right now because china employers pay salary once a month. So I dont get a July paycheck till August. So I go to a bank that actually accepts Visa Logo ATM cards and I pull out the equivalent of 300 USD at a time. Fortunately, I finally got a gasoline card, so that helps with the amount of cash I need to lay out for gas.
Yesterday, I went to a steak place for lunch, Steaks in China are different. Where in the US, we're used to nice, thick cut steaks, with a nice pink center, (rare or medium rare), the Chinese steakhouses serve steaks like Pork Chop thin, on a sizzling plate, well done. I ended up ordering some chinese food they had instead. If I do want a steak, there's a place downtown called "Wang Steak House" , which is a franchise all over Asia, and they're as close as you can get to a western steak dining experience.
Thats all for now everyone, I hope you are all well!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Just figured I'd send my weekly update of being in China.
So, most of you guys know that I got Kody out of customs last week. That was a huge relief in itself! The first few days, I couldn't get more than 5' away from Kody. He stayed very close to me. He's better now, and enjoying the wood floors (they stay nice and cool). High rise life doesn't really seem to affect him that much, He's been sleeping on the couch or the carpeted front door mat when I get home.
The house is coming together nicely. The AC in the bedroom was repaired on Tuesday, so now its nice and cool when I sleep at night. I hired an A-yi (auntie) to clean the House every saturday. Until I get to know her more, I'm only having her come around when I'm home. Really theres not much of a mess thats made, other than the Kody fur on the wood floors. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any expats moving home, so I can snag a deal on their furniture. The rental property furniture isnt exactly of the best quality.
Work is going ok, though there's lots of stuff to get cleaned up, folks that were supposed to be assigned here were living in other cities and coming in every 4-6 weeks, and that wasn't really cutting it. I'm starting to meet more of the staff and see how things operate. Not always the most efficient or the best way to do it, but the wheels of progress grind slowly.
I have found most of the Target/Walmart type stores already close by, and the Farmer's Market, which is pretty much walking distance from my place. I did actually go visit the Wal Mart on Saturday, and its pretty much like the Walmart in the US. Meager quality stuff at meager prices. I have been on the hunt for a toilet mat. Nobodys heard of one here. Afterwards, I went and had my car hand washed, Vacuumed and new wiper blades installed. The cost? 55 rmb (less than 10 dollars). The Farmers Market is the place to go for the meats, and fresh fruits and veggies. I really enjoyed it, its very much like the Farmers mkt in houston where each stand is operated by a different owner.
This past Sunday, I went with a co-worker into downtown to attend the Qingdao International Christian Fellowship. This is a church service thats non-denominational and allows anyone that holds a foreign passport. The service was ok, but we were late, so we missed some of the beginning. I will return next week to check it out again. Afterwards, we went to HiSense shopping center (which is like the Galleria). This was high fashion, and upscale. They had a Swaorvski crystal store, all the expensive boutique clothing stores, that you find in the high rent districts. Wouldn't you know it? They had a toilet mat here. I paid...40 dollars for it, but its the nicest toilet mat you've ever seen. I'll pick one up for the other bathroom when I'm in Houston at Christmas time! This center is 4 stories tall, the basement is a food court and grocery store.The grocery store pretty much has everything that you would find in a typical Chinese grocery store, with the exception that its more like a supermarket, air conditioned, well lit, and clean. On top of that, they have LOTS of expat products. Cheese, Cake mix, tomato sauce, breads, jell-o etc. Anything that you may need, they probably have. You may pay 4X the cost for it (Betty Crocker cake mix was 5 dollars), but when you're 8000 miles away, you'll probably be willing to pay for it.
Sunday evening, I had some co-workers over for dinner. I made Spaghetti, sauce from scratch. The house still smells wonderful from all of it!
Thats all I really have to report. I'm keeping myself sane by downloading TV shows from Itunes. Right now I'm working through Arrested Development, COPS (2012 season), The office (season 2), and CHiPs ( the motorcycle cop show from the 70s). I found a gym close to my house, walking distance actually. They have spin every night, and are pretty nicely outfitted. The cost is a little higher than I expected, but I must factor in how close to my home that it is.
So, most of you guys know that I got Kody out of customs last week. That was a huge relief in itself! The first few days, I couldn't get more than 5' away from Kody. He stayed very close to me. He's better now, and enjoying the wood floors (they stay nice and cool). High rise life doesn't really seem to affect him that much, He's been sleeping on the couch or the carpeted front door mat when I get home.
The house is coming together nicely. The AC in the bedroom was repaired on Tuesday, so now its nice and cool when I sleep at night. I hired an A-yi (auntie) to clean the House every saturday. Until I get to know her more, I'm only having her come around when I'm home. Really theres not much of a mess thats made, other than the Kody fur on the wood floors. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any expats moving home, so I can snag a deal on their furniture. The rental property furniture isnt exactly of the best quality.
Work is going ok, though there's lots of stuff to get cleaned up, folks that were supposed to be assigned here were living in other cities and coming in every 4-6 weeks, and that wasn't really cutting it. I'm starting to meet more of the staff and see how things operate. Not always the most efficient or the best way to do it, but the wheels of progress grind slowly.
I have found most of the Target/Walmart type stores already close by, and the Farmer's Market, which is pretty much walking distance from my place. I did actually go visit the Wal Mart on Saturday, and its pretty much like the Walmart in the US. Meager quality stuff at meager prices. I have been on the hunt for a toilet mat. Nobodys heard of one here. Afterwards, I went and had my car hand washed, Vacuumed and new wiper blades installed. The cost? 55 rmb (less than 10 dollars). The Farmers Market is the place to go for the meats, and fresh fruits and veggies. I really enjoyed it, its very much like the Farmers mkt in houston where each stand is operated by a different owner.
This past Sunday, I went with a co-worker into downtown to attend the Qingdao International Christian Fellowship. This is a church service thats non-denominational and allows anyone that holds a foreign passport. The service was ok, but we were late, so we missed some of the beginning. I will return next week to check it out again. Afterwards, we went to HiSense shopping center (which is like the Galleria). This was high fashion, and upscale. They had a Swaorvski crystal store, all the expensive boutique clothing stores, that you find in the high rent districts. Wouldn't you know it? They had a toilet mat here. I paid...40 dollars for it, but its the nicest toilet mat you've ever seen. I'll pick one up for the other bathroom when I'm in Houston at Christmas time! This center is 4 stories tall, the basement is a food court and grocery store.The grocery store pretty much has everything that you would find in a typical Chinese grocery store, with the exception that its more like a supermarket, air conditioned, well lit, and clean. On top of that, they have LOTS of expat products. Cheese, Cake mix, tomato sauce, breads, jell-o etc. Anything that you may need, they probably have. You may pay 4X the cost for it (Betty Crocker cake mix was 5 dollars), but when you're 8000 miles away, you'll probably be willing to pay for it.
Sunday evening, I had some co-workers over for dinner. I made Spaghetti, sauce from scratch. The house still smells wonderful from all of it!
Thats all I really have to report. I'm keeping myself sane by downloading TV shows from Itunes. Right now I'm working through Arrested Development, COPS (2012 season), The office (season 2), and CHiPs ( the motorcycle cop show from the 70s). I found a gym close to my house, walking distance actually. They have spin every night, and are pretty nicely outfitted. The cost is a little higher than I expected, but I must factor in how close to my home that it is.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Citrus Marinated Grilled Shrimp and Spicy Rice
My mom, the Gardening Queen, has given me a few lemons, and with some of the Oranges on my tree, I made a marinade tonight and grilled some shrimp, and made some spicy taco meat rice.
I just took the shrimp, de-vined and marinated in lemon juice, orange juice, and fajita seasoning, covered with saran wrap and refrigerated for about an hour. Afterwards, I skewered the shrimp and grilled them, using a brush and some olive oil to keep the shrimp nice and oiled.
Next, I just took a pound of ground turkey, and taco seasoning, browned it and seasoned per instructions, and I made spanish rice (using the chinese rice cooker) with Tomato Sauce, Cumin, a can of Rotel Stewed Tomatoes, and chicken stock, then I mixed it all together.
The end result?
I just took the shrimp, de-vined and marinated in lemon juice, orange juice, and fajita seasoning, covered with saran wrap and refrigerated for about an hour. Afterwards, I skewered the shrimp and grilled them, using a brush and some olive oil to keep the shrimp nice and oiled.
Next, I just took a pound of ground turkey, and taco seasoning, browned it and seasoned per instructions, and I made spanish rice (using the chinese rice cooker) with Tomato Sauce, Cumin, a can of Rotel Stewed Tomatoes, and chicken stock, then I mixed it all together.
The end result?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Is that Really your name?
So I was cashing out at the grocery store the other day and this Girls name caught my eye.
I snickered and texted my friend, "Dude, this girls name is Diselina!" (pronounced, "Diesel-ina").
Of course, K texts back, "Pics or it didn't happen" of course this was as I was loading the groceries in the car.
So of course I went back and took a picture. She didn't want me to snap her face, so I just got her name tag.....
Yup. I have too much time on my hands....
I snickered and texted my friend, "Dude, this girls name is Diselina!" (pronounced, "Diesel-ina").
Of course, K texts back, "Pics or it didn't happen" of course this was as I was loading the groceries in the car.
So of course I went back and took a picture. She didn't want me to snap her face, so I just got her name tag.....
Yup. I have too much time on my hands....
Friday, November 21, 2008
Retro Commercials.....
I love them...I can't help myself....heres one from 1980!
Love the clothing and music!
Love the clothing and music!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
More Cookin
I love Sunday nights. My mom used to make a big deal out of Sunday night supper. So now a days, living on my own, I still like to make a nice home cooked meal on Sunday nights.
Heres one I tried a week ago. Home Made Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes (from Scratch not a box you lazy guys!), Creamed Corn and a Salad. Really? There wasn't a lot of prep involved. This was an easy meal to make.
Heres the meal in progress....
And the finished product......
Probably not the healthiest choice with the Fried Chicken, but a nice home cooked meal really feels good on a Sunday night!
Heres one I tried a week ago. Home Made Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes (from Scratch not a box you lazy guys!), Creamed Corn and a Salad. Really? There wasn't a lot of prep involved. This was an easy meal to make.
Heres the meal in progress....
And the finished product......
Probably not the healthiest choice with the Fried Chicken, but a nice home cooked meal really feels good on a Sunday night!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Believe it or not, I love to cook
It may come to a surprise to some of you readers, but I actually DO enjoy cooking!
Recently I picked up some Pork Chops on sale at HEB. I usually grill the pork chops, but now I have an easy and tasty way to make em!
Preheat oven to 350.
Thaw them out, I let them season with Fajita seasoning for about an hour in the fridge, covered.
Rub with olive oil, then coat with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Then put the chops on top of a 2 layered pan, one with the vents on top, to let the juices run into the lower tray.
Bake 15 minutes on each side at 350. Serve em with whatever you like! Sorry boys and girls, no pictures. I'll take some next time!
Recently I picked up some Pork Chops on sale at HEB. I usually grill the pork chops, but now I have an easy and tasty way to make em!
Preheat oven to 350.
Thaw them out, I let them season with Fajita seasoning for about an hour in the fridge, covered.
Rub with olive oil, then coat with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Then put the chops on top of a 2 layered pan, one with the vents on top, to let the juices run into the lower tray.
Bake 15 minutes on each side at 350. Serve em with whatever you like! Sorry boys and girls, no pictures. I'll take some next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)