A few days ago Kimi and I visited D&L square (see left, not to be confused with Paris). The area houses new and expensive shops and a variety of non-Chinese restaurants. Sometimes the square is also referred to as "European City". We have been there many times before, the food is certainly its forte -- unlike the time we tried a Macau restaurant there a couple of months ago.Our primary aim for going to D&L was to see how the construction of the first Papa Johns restaurant in Wenzhou was going. Now, I love Chinese food, and I don't think I could live without Mapo Toufu. But occasionally I do have a craving for food that contains a lot of bread, cheese, and calories -- a food type that is almost non existent here. Pizza Hut does have a presence in the city, but it pales into significance compared to Papa Johns -- the king of American export Pizzas. All we need next is a Subway and I will be happy.
I feel like I should point out that at home in England I would feel quite guilty about frequenting such huge corporate establishments on a regular basis. But here, considering they are the only remnants of western food on offer, I gladly take complete advantage of them all.
After briefly looking at the construction of the new restaurant, we visited the small supermarket underground the D&L building that specializes in imported goods. Usually the products are overpriced and choice is limited. This time there was a big change. They actually had real cheese, not just the cheap stuff made from plastic. This was very exciting for me, I could probably over dose on cheese if I was given the opportunity. Luckily the cost is very high for a small block, so it will keep me away from addiction (and fatness). I ended up buying some Dutch smoked cheese and also a tub of spreadable butter (another first for me in China).
The next morning I made some toast and added my new purchases. It was possibly one of the nicest meals I have ever had. Unfortunately, after one week the cheese and butter are almost gone. I shouldn't be allowed near the stuff.
Butter and Cheese, I have missed you
16 comments:
Hi Chris, looking at the picture I thought you were in Paris. How come I didn't see this place when I was in Wenzhou? And what do the D and L stand for?
Ha ha I can't believe you have a picture of butter & cheese on here! Although I do agree I'm not sure I could survive without the basics.... TGI, Da Vinci's, Papa Johns,Akbars, Fat Loaf....we have a lot of food to fit in in the month you're home!x
I completely forgot to mention anything about me under the archway that is a carbon copy of the Arc De Triumph. The D and L stands for Dan Lu in Chinese -- I will ask Kimi to write the characters down so you can know what the real meaning is. The area is very close to Jiang Bing Liu. Again, I should ask Kimi to write it out, I don't even know if I've written the pin yin correctly.
I only added the picture of the butter and cheese to reflect how much they mean to me, haha. I can't wait to eat all of those things when I come home, I'm very excited.
Chris, actually, I think I have an idea where it is. Near the 5 horses road, right?
Btw, I can't read Chinese. I was very young when I left the country and went straight to French school. Luckily, I still speak it because my parents wouldn't allow me to speak to them in French or English.
I can't believe how scarce that stuff is in China.
Here, even in the interior of Oman, the shop across the road from me sells Vimto, butter from Denmark, Cheese and mozarella cheese for pizzas, and all kinds of other stuff for expats.
It always naffed me off shopping in Hangzhou in carrefour and having people peering in my shopping basket. And the imported food section just sucked.
The main problem is that lao wais are a minority in China so no reason for it to change, that and the fact the supermarkets dont have a clue. I was really appalled at the selections available in China, esp in comparison to what can be found in Hong Kong, and now the gulf.
How are things otherwise?
D&L is short for "Dan Lu",D&G Square is a kind of commerical mode,as i know,it is the first one-stop and 24-hour shopping mall in wenzhou,it belongs to D&L Group in HongKong,i've researched this commercial mode,so i know a little bit about it.Btw,the characters of Dan Lu should be 丹 璐,which don't mean someting exactly.
hope these words can be helpful
Thanks for the info about D&L Wayne, I didn't know any of that before.
Ihengsi, actually the place is nearer to the river, north of 5 horses road (I think!). Just around the corner there is a large road where there are many new bars and night clubs too.
Alex, I had no idea Oman would be so great for food. I wonder why western food is so scarce here then. Although I guess places like Shanghai may have much more stock for foreigners.
Things are going OK, although I've caught a cold :(
I had no idea Oman would have such british foods either, but then there is a population of 6,000 brits here out of a total overall population of 2.5 million. So our cravings must be satisfied!!
As a result of eating and drinking too much, im literally nodding off as I type this....work can be so draining, can't it? Thank god there is a holiday here next week!!
How are things teaching wise there?
Yes, you're right, work can be really draining sometimes.
For me, the teaching is going OK. But I am starting to tire of the same old routine, and continually busy schedule at Web. Also the fact that a ton of students don't really want to learn English doesn't help. I don't know, sometimes it's great, but sometimes I want to hit my head against a wall.
How about you?
Hi Chris,
Sometimes, teaching is tired as I'm a teacher as well! I can understand your situation. Haha! But need to hit your head against the wall. HAhaha! I know it's not easy to teach the big classes. As for me, when I teach big classes, I find some students can't catch up, but some could finish their classwork very quickly. They really have different abilities.
Also the fact that a ton of students don't really want to learn English doesn't help. I don't know, sometimes it's great, but sometimes I want to hit my head against a wall.
ah, the old paid to be there by their company or parents students, god i hate those types!!
Haha, yes, they are exactly the ones I completely despise!
It's really hard for a chiese to speak which he doesn't understand very much
If he trise to speak,he may think about the result(if the answer is wrong,will others laught at me?)
The chinese ancestor leaded us to be low profile which in our mind deeply.
But I'm still so sorry about that which make you sad
Thank you for your comment Shawn. I hope I don't sound like a terrible person. I don't want it to sound like I dislike people who can't speak the language, because I don't at all....not one bit. In fact, I would rather teach somebody who couldn't say a word, but wanted to, than a person who could speak fairly well, and didn't want to learn.
This is the problem we face, the students that want to be there and the students that have been made to be there. It's a huge difference.
I hope I don't sound like a terrible person.
no,no,not at all
I'm so happy you're still teaching in WEB and very appreciate what you have done to us
Xie xie Shawn, that was a very nice thing to say :)
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