China Bitches.

May 21st, 2012 | M | Bitching and Junkfood News | 1 Comment »

There is a delay of about a week on this post as we had some camera problems….

Hi, we’re in China. We left last Thursday. We flew Cathay Pacific. Any female celebrity will tell you that the key to stepping off a flight looking fresh and relaxed is keeping hydrated, drinking lots of water, spritzting your face with Evian and settling down for some rest and relaxation. We did none of this. We had a gin and tonic before dinner, then had a glass of wine before dinner, then had about four or five more glasses of wine at which point we were really really really enjoying the film and discussing business strategy. Then we slept for a bit. Our secret is sunglasses and hoodies. Bitchy girls do it best.

Hong Kong was a muggy and suffocating 35 degrees. We hit the fabric markets for inspiration but it was murder and we didn’t last long. I managed to squeeze in a jet-lag purchase which is usually worse than impulse buying but I think I did alright with some LTD edition Reebok hi-tops which I’ve been living in since. My nails were a disgrace as we had such a busy few days before we left that I didn’t have time to get them done so I got some clouds painted on them, inspired by the clouds we saw from the plane.

We got completely lost in the fabric market – above is the map.

We made our way to China on Thursday and have been here looking at fabrics and trimmings. We LOVE China, it’s quirky, crazy and endearing. The Chinese people are funny, charming and cute. The chinese don’t do subtle very well. Yesterday we were in a meeting and the host said to Kath that her hair looks like a bird’s nest. I asked her what my hair looked like, she answered “a bird’s nest” but it’s ok because the concierge said we both look beautiful. It’s so hot here though and I struggle in warm climates.

Every night we get a lovely little note and some chocolates from room service.

Our friend Lee who owns a trimmings factory and her dog pop-eye below.

Food is a constant concern in China.  We’ve experimented with some interesting crisp flavours, passed on the dried snake and sea horses but I can honestly say I’ve been enjoying the breakfast dumplings and sweet pork buns. We’re staying in a really nice hotel with massive Chandliers and sweeping staircases. We get fancy when we travel as opposed to our very real East London existences.  The hotel very grand and does lots of business during the Canton fair but there’s about 370 people working here at the moment and five guests. We are two of them. The vegetarian food is excellent, basically every vegetarian dish has pork in it – you think you’d be safe with Tofu but somehow the Chinese have found away of injecting pork into the centre like a jam donut. Last night we discovered “vegetarian chicken” so Kath was delighted.

Chicken feet are a common snack – below is a selection of treats available in the local supermarket. In the spirit of adventure I have vowed that I’ll try chicken feet. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance so next time yeah. We’ve been chowing down on Green Tea crisps and Kimchi crackers and enjoying the Asahi.