Shanghai: Shangri-la?

A year ago this time, I was in China sweating it out in the horrible, horrible humidity. And now, as I sit here typing away to you who is not reading, I am melting just a little bit even under all this air conditioning. Really, China isn't half as bad compared to this. Even if it were thirty-eight degrees Celsius and the air were as wet as a lake, the food was good and the general free-for-all feel of city was (ironically?) liberating. But of course, perhaps you would object to my personal Utopia. After all, you could seriously eat a big dog there guiltlessly. (By the way, I've been to that place in the picture. And yes, it is everything it's cracked up to be.)

So why am I sitting here making desperate plugs for China? Seriously, I have nothing better to do. I was going to talk about Arrested Development, but my segue was probably something you would completely not care about (not that I suppose you really care about anything).

You're probably thinking, how can a country where people eat dogs be remotely great? That's exactly why it's so great: because you can eat dogs. You can do lots of stuff beside eating dogs. You can pick your nose in public. You can bargain in department stores. You can eat buns hot off the steamer. You can buy a purebred puppy or kitten for twenty bucks. You can buy a DVD for one buck. What a land of freedom. If you have the cash, go crazy. Go nuts. Do whatever you want.

And even better. All the landscapes and scenery, it's everything you can hope for and more. Much, much more. That kind of ancient mysticism, you can neither buy nor produce from a meer two and half hundred years of history.

China: Land that retains its history and culture? Yes (unlike Japan that totally sold out). Land that is crazy competitive and capitalistic? Pretty much. Land that has the best food ever, and you haven't lived till you've had it? Definitely (I bet even dog tastes pretty damn good).

You want me to talk about the communist regime? Too bad.