Month: October 2010

Kind Words Costs Little But Worth Much

Have you ever spent the night at the airport involuntarily?  I had my Amazing Race moment except that I didn’t have a partner to share this horrible moment with me.  I don’t rant a lot, at least not about my travels because I believe that every experience (pleasant or not) is an experience to tell and learn from.  Even our mishap in Uganda was such a disaster but we chose to take it as it is.   I have eventually learned to laugh about this new mishap but not without a rant.

Barely an hour before my flight, my childhood friend M finally picked me up at my best friend’s house in San Carlos.  We were to embark on an extended weekend of fun with some high school buddies in NYC.  I made it through check-in, at least my baggage did.  I, on the other hand, was on stand-by.  It turned out, Delta overbooked the flight by 8 passengers, 6 volunteered to give up their seats, leaving 4 passengers fighting for the 2 available seats.  Since I was practically the last one in, I and another guy was the first one out.  Unbelievable!  I was dumbfounded as I hardly get bumped off.  I really wanted to raise hell but to whom?  My friend whom I hitched a ride with?  (We weren’t on the same flight as she was using her mileage, which was horrifically expensive).  Or perhaps to the Delta ground staff for overbooking?   It really wasn’t their fault… ok, it was partly M‘s fault but she more than made up for it in the end.   🙂  Anyway, Delta offered me a $400 voucher, which I have no use for because, “I don’t come to the US very often”, I told them.  I could give it to friends, they suggested.  I wanted a room but “all their affiliated hotels were booked due to a convention that week”, so they say.

I was really tired so I conceded and accepted the voucher.  I bared and grinned because at the end of the day, it was all my choice.  I took the red-eye flight because I wanted to arrive in the morning so I can make the most of my days in NYC.  I took Delta because it was the cheapest that I could find.  M was able to fly despite the lateness, was it because her ticket was 3x higher than mine?  As I always believe, you get what you pay for… and did I pay!!   😦

I wandered around the airport until everything started to close.  A nice Delta staff was kind enough to offer me blankets, at least.  It was getting cold as the passengers get on their respective flights.  Soon after, I was alone except for the security staff and the cleaners.  With the uncomfortable bucket seats, the noisy vacuum cleaner and crew talking sometimes even shouting at each other, sleep was a struggle.  It was the longest 5 hours I ever had.  But I wasn’t ranting (yet).

When morning (finally) came, the guy who also got bumped off told me his story after I left the counter.  They couldn’t print his voucher and a supervisor stepped in, it turned out that those who were involuntarily denied a flight had two options — cash or voucher.  Because they couldn’t print his voucher, they gave him CASH!  He told me to give it a try so I waited, and waited, and waited for a supervisor to appear and when he finally did, I asked him about it and he smugly looked at me and had the gall to suggest that I volunteered and didn’t have the right to ask for cash.  Can you believe that old guy?  I was (again) dumbfounded.  I told him that I definitely did not volunteer to give up my seat so I can spend the night at the airport, he looked at me (smugly still) and said that he couldn’t possibly give me what I wanted and I when I asked him why, he replied condescendingly, “because I do not carry that much cash with me”.  I was just too disgusted with this rude old guy and lest I miss my flight again, I felt it was pointless to argue this out.   He told me to try again in Detroit.  A sorry would have been more appropriate, I believe.  That’s customer service for you.

So dear readers, if you were involuntarily denied a seat, for some reason – ASK FOR OPTIONS –some airlines may have cash options.  If the ground staff can’t give you an answer, ask to speak to a supervisor.  Most of the time, the ground staff are not informed of these options too, as I learned.  Or better yet, avoid taking Delta if you can — their staff are downright rude.

But all is not lost, my best friend may be taking a trip somewhere in the US soon courtesy of my $400 voucher.  NYC was incredible (more than a few posts is definitely coming up sometime in the future).  And my pantry is stuffed with these loots from San Francisco.

Glorious Figs!!

All my favorite things…

All’s well that ends well but as the saying goes… Acts of kindness may soon be forgotten, but the memory of an offense remains.

 

Posted on by Jenn 4

A Glimpse of Beijing’s Ancient Neighborhoods

A hutong is an architecture and structure unique to Beijing and visiting one of this (either by walking or a rickshaw) is one of Beijing’s attractions especially to people wanting to know more about its history.  Going around a hutong will let one experience the remnants of Beijing’s ancient culture.

In old China, there were clear definitions of what streets and lanes are.  A 36-meter-wide road was called a big street while an 18-meter-wide road was called a small street.  And a 9-meter-wide lane was called a hutong.

According to history records, these hutongs came to existence during the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols – led by Genghis Khan, occupied Beijing.  The city had to be rebuilt after it was demolished during the take over, thereby creating hutongs.  The word “hutong” is Mongolian in origin, which means, “water well”.  People tend to gather where there is water so with the digging of new wells; new communities are not far behind.  Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of “Siheyuans” (traditional courtyard residences).

Hutongs were established surrounding the Imperial palaces throughout the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Since the mid- 20th century however, new roads and buildings have replaced many of the hutongs.  Some hutongs though still survive today, thanks to their local government’s protection policy.  Most in existence today date from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Walking through the hutongs, it is common to see groups of elderly citizens playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess together.

Also important to hutong life is the traditional foods sold in carts or small stalls.  These ancient neighborhoods today provide a glimpse of the life in old Beijing.  To live in a hutong would mean no baths and toilets in their homes.  Public baths and toilets are provided and imagine having to trudge your way to the toilet in the middle of the night at below zero degree.

And yet there are still many living in these ancient neighborhoods, perhaps it is the way of life these folks are accustomed to, real life as it has been for generations.

 

Posted on by Jenn 8

A Taste of Ancient China

Credits:

Although the Tian An Men (Men meaning gate) Gate was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty to compliment the Forbidden City, what first came to mind as I was walking through the humungous complex was the 1989 protest known to the world as the Tiananmen Square Massacre.  This was where the heroic flight of thousands of young men and women played a crucial role in the events that ultimately led to the collapse of communism.

The largest city space in the world at 40,000 square meters the square was packed with people wandering about.  It held the monument of the National Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.  It also is the gate connecting to the Forbidden City, which sits on its north.

The large white marble column seen all around the square was constructed in 1420 as part of the Forbidden City ‘s grand design, which took 14 years to complete.

This Chinese inspired palace is located in the middle of Beijing and now houses the Palace Museum.  For almost 500 years (from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty), it served as the home of emperors and their households.  It likewise was the economic and political center of the Chinese government.  The construction began under the Ming Emperor Yongle in 1406 and is the largest and the most well preserved imperial residence in China today.

Walking through the city gives an idea of the grandiose lifestyle of the former emperors.  During these times, common Chinese were not allowed to enter the city at all, a big contrast to today’s millions of people entering daily.

The entrance of the Palace is through Tiananmen gate and once you reach the Wumen (Meridien Gate),

you enter the heart of the complex where you fall in line or wait for your guide to purchase your ticket.

It was chaotic and it continues to be so until you leave the complex.   The rooms are now off-limits and one can only take a peak from the outside, unlike a decade ago when one could actually enter and have a feel of the old splendor.  The price of commercialization, I guess.

Despite the chaos, a visit to the Forbidden City is a must especially if it is your first time.

Because of the size, allow at least 3 hours to walk the complex, wear comfy walking shoes and best to get those audio guides for a thorough walk through.

Forbidden City
North of Tiananmen Square
Dong Cheng District
Opens from 8:30am – 4pm daily
Price:  ¥ 40-60 / ticket
Posted on by Jenn 2

The Art of Bargaining

All these name brands that you of course know are fake but sometimes wonder if they really are.  They look and feel like the real thing.  You make eye contact and hold that shirt and ask, “how much?” then she types a price on a calculator that can’t possibly be right but validates what you already know.  So you pretend disbelief, and show a “you must be kidding” face. She goes, “how much you want?”  Then you offer a price 70% lower than what she asked for.  And then she gives you the same look you just gave her and adds, “you joking!”  You look her straight in the eye, “no”, you say.  Then she brings down the price a bit while you do not budge.  The game goes on for a bit longer; by this time her price is about 30% lower than her original quote.  You walk away and she grabs your arm and asks you once more, “how much you want?” in a more irritated manner, you try to break free and walk away, she follows and continues to ask, “how much you want? enough joking.” you tell her your price, which by now is 20% higher than your first offer, sometimes she will offer to a price a tad higher than yours and you finally compromise and concede.   Everyone’s happy; the vendor will even praise your bargaining skills.   Sometimes though they will walk away grudgingly and call you crazy.  Don’t fret, there are at least 500 stalls (the whole building is reported to have 1,500 stalls) with more or less the same merchandise and if you really like it, you can repeat the same exercise with another vendor.   After a few hours of this, you feel exhausted but happy.  You feel like a cup of coffee or a bottle of beer to reward you for a job well done.

Many coffee shops and restaurant chains on the first floor

My mama always say, “They will never sell you anything at a loss, so don’t feel bad.”  You see she has been going back to the silk market and similar markets in Shanghai and Guangzhou for more than a decade.  She IS the expert when it comes to bargaining with the Chinese.  I take to heart her practical advice and oftentimes end up with a good bargain – that is if my impatience doesn’t get the better of me.  Here are some advices from the expert herself.

  1. Don’t want the item too much.  They are fakes after all.
  2. You will most likely find the same item in the stalls next door.
  3. Always start at least 70% below the asking price.
  4. Do not concede unless it is at least half the asking price.
  5. If you happen to break rule no. 1, then at least concede only if the price is 40% lower than their asking price.
  6. Bargain hard.
  7. Pretend to know what you’re doing, don’t be wishy-washy.
  8. Be prepared for some abuse, some will grab you and drag you back to their store, even if you’re already 3 stores down.

The Silk Market is a 5-story building that offers more than just silk.  There are garments, jackets, jeans, leather goods, shoes, bags, watches, handicrafts, jewelries, toys, you name it.  It opened its doors in 2005 replacing the original outdoor Xiu Shui Market.

Try it… it can be fun.  It’s a game not everyone can play well though but practice makes perfect.   😉

Useful Info:

The Silk Street Market
Chaoyang District, No 8 Xiu Shiu East Road
To get there: take the subway line 1 – Yong Anli Station
Posted on by Jenn 5

Parma Ham & Quinoa

A colleague came back from Parma, Italy and brought home for me a whole chunk of… Parma ham, what else?  Oh my!  How the hell do I slice this beauty nice and thinly?  So it sat on my ref for forever.  But hooray to Santis… they agreed to slice this whole slab for me (for a fee of course but who cares for as long as I get to partake of it and not just drool whenever I open the ref) and so this has become a usual fare lately.

Team it up with cheese and bread, eaten either as is or as a sandwich… heaven.  Love it and could never tire of it.  Vacuum packed, it goes a long way too.

The very nice staff of Santis asked me if I wanted the ends.  “It’s good for soups and stews”, they suggested, so I asked them to throw that in too.  And this is how I used it.

Not (yet) on a soup or stew dish.  I always have veggies that needed to be eaten yesterday.

So some cubed ends of the ham got thrown into a medley of stir-fried veggies (carrots and string beans) for flavor and some guilty pleasure to an otherwise healthy dish.  Instead of rice, I felt like having it with quinoa.  It’s a highly nutritional seed that is prepared and eaten like whole grain such as rice or barley.  I like it because I like the firm and slightly chewy texture.  I usually cook it with milk and sweetened with honey or Agave syrup. But I came across a savory recipe that piqued my curiosity.

Topped with fried egg… super yum!

Boil with chicken or pork stock then top with the stir-fried veggies (with the ham) and you’ll be hooked.  How to cook quinoa:  you can either follow the instructions on the label or watch this:

Useful Info:

Where to find Quinoa in the Philippines?  You can find it in any Healthy Options store in the metro.

Posted on by Jenn 4