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Try as I might, I’m yet to find a single half-decent cafe latte anywhere in Chengdu. I’m told this is because all the cafes use UHT milk, which is reasonable (I certainly don’t want to drink local milk after all the melamine crap) but depressing. I guess it’s either switch to macchiato or drink tea.
BTW, I’m not overly excited about spending 400 bucks on a coffee machine, since I’ve been drinking plunger coffee for years and really like it. But it would make my girlfriend insanely happy so am definitely considering it as an anniversary gift : )
Merry Xmas, by the way : )
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
Wow, that’s really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I especially like the compare function, which let’s you see how the cost of living in Chengdu stacks up against other cities.
Quote:Here’s info on the electronic party that I mentioned previously. This looks like a pass to me though, it’s in the middle of nowhere and costs 100 yuan.Is that an outdoor event? I’m just guessing because, as you say, it’s in the middle of nowhere and seems to be a double overnighter. Too bad it’s also in the middle of winter…!
Are Taiwanese counted as foreigners by the British CoC or not? I don’t want to get into a political argument, so a simple yes or no is fine!
For the last week or so at least air quality as measured by the US Consulate has regularly been moving into the very unhealthy” and “hazardous” zones.
You can get smartphone apps to keep an eye on it (search “air quality,” “china air quality”) or follow the updates on the web or Twitter (http://chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/air-quality-monitor4.html)
I’ve only been here a few months so haven’t noticed any problems with hair or skin(!?) but I’m sure it’s not doing me any favors…
I got an email from my provider the other day saying that the great firewall has been updated and can now “learn, discover and block VPN protocols automatically.”
They had a workaround for Mac users so I’ve been okay but they said its a bit hit and miss for Windows users.
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. It’s really interesting to get some different perspectives. Probably like most of you (or I dare say you wouldn’t have left your home country in the first place), I think I have a naturally curious, novelty-seeking type sensibility, so I find your comment, Charlie, about
Quote:Every year Chengdu feels like a different placeparticularly intriguing. Looking forward to it!
Oh, and am I mistaken or have no women responded? How about it, ladies? Anyone been here for 10-plus years and still loving it?
Quote:somehow Chengdu gives me an amazing feeling of freedom (apart from the occasional visa issues). Nobody’s pointing fingers.I felt the same way when I first moved to Tokyo, which makes me wonder if it might just be a function of living abroad or if there is something particularly special about Asian countries. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has lived in another Asian city where they have felt overly scrutinized/under pressure…
Quote:Esp the food, one of the main reasons why i am hereI wish I could agree with this, but being a vegetarian I’m finding it a bit of a challenge. Seeing whole dead animals strung up in every small grocery store and live fish flopping about on the conveyor at the supermarket register doesn’t help…
Quote:I don’t have to sit in an office for 8-10 hours a dayYeah, I’ve got to say that’s one of the highlights for me too. That and the low cost of living, which, for me at least, is part of the same parcel.
Hi Elizabeth,
I bought it from there once, but it tasted more like regular cream (very sweet!) than sour cream(?!) and came in an unmarked plastic container, so I’m guessing it was from a local dairy rather than an import. Give it a try though. The online shopping and home delivery part definitely makes grocery shopping easier.
By the way, I’m not sure if it says so on the English version of the Waifood website, but you can do a COD payment rather set up a paid account in advance.
Cheers.
I recently heard an interesting This American Life program about a hapless American dude who had a minor run-in with the Chinese “judicial” system and ended up spending quite a bit of (otherwise very avoidable) time in prison, basically just because the whole process was too alien/bizarre/logic-defying for him to get his head around.
It’s good to hear that you fared a bit better, Rick.
Anyway, it’s fascinating listening and a good cautionary tale if anyone’s interested:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/448/adventure
Chinese checkmate
I bought sour cream at the Tongzilin Carrefour about two weeks ago. I think it was in with/next to the cheese…
Have you seen this?
http://school.cucas.edu.cn/#Chengdu
I don’t have any personal experience dealing with this organization, but I’ve had a good look around the site and they seem to be promoting themselves as a portal for international students wanting to apply to Chinese universities from abroad. Seems like they help with all stages of the application process, including getting visas, etc. So if you do want to apply before you come, this might be the answer. I think it’s a government agency rather than a private sector firm, but don’t quote me on that.
I initially thought I could use this site as a springboard to find out about the programs and then get more information from the schools directly, but as far as I can tell now, the information on this website is about as high-quality as it gets. Like you, I’ve also had close to zero luck getting anything useful out the schools themselves when I’ve tried to contact them, either by phone or email. Even finding the right person/department to talk to takes at least 4 or 5 phone calls.
By the way, the only (very slow) email response I got was from Chengdu University, which, among other things, told me that all first year students have to live on campus(!?!) Still waiting to hear back if that includes non-degree Chinese language students or not…
Quote:I’m having problem too. I can only access gmail through a client not the web page.Apparently all Google services, including gmail, are also blocked.
Quote:I’m having problem too. I can only access gmail through a client not the web page.Apparently all Google services, including gmail, are also blocked.
