Category Archives: China & Hong Kong

Chinese Guilinggao: Turtle Jelly, as Bitter as its Consumers

Posted on May 8, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

Turtle jelly, or 龟/龜苓膏 (guīlínggāo), is considered one of many types of 凉茶 (liángchá), or Chinese herbal teas. It’s not good. The end. Ah, no, I won’t do that to you. The preparation of the tea is centuries old.; It was … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink | Tagged bitter, China, Chinese, herbal, herbal tea, jelly, turtle | Leave a comment

Airport Spotting

Posted on April 26, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

Have you heard of the pastime called plane spotting? It involves going to various points near an airport to take photos of aircraft and often to log the airplane’s registration number. I like seeing different airlines, but I generally have … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Human Nature | Tagged airport, baggage, hong kong, luggage, plane spotting, shopping | 3 Comments

Airline Meals, Part Six: Someone Else Had Too Much to Drink

Posted on April 8, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

I was just thinking of how hungry I am not right now. It’s best that I feel this way when discussing airline meals specifically originating in the US or China. Here’s an improbable idea for airlines from those two countries: … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink | Tagged Air China, airline food, airline meals, Beijing, Busan, China, food, hungry, Republic of Korea, South Korea | 8 Comments

Fried Mantou with Condensed Milk (China)

Posted on March 29, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

When much of the world thinks of Chinese food, do bread, dairy and dessert often come to mind? I’m not even referring to ingredients or dishes from hundreds or thousands of years ago, or Chinese restaurant kitchens adapted to local … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink | Tagged bread, China, Chinese, dairy, Dessert, food, milk, Shenzhen, sweet | 16 Comments

The 2015 Chinese New Year: The Year of the Escalator

Posted on February 18, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

I was wandering around the Times Square mall in Hong Kong at the time of the Chinese New Year in 2007 when it struck me that I wasn’t in New York anymore (on second though, it might be better to say … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Human Nature, pop culture | Tagged Chinese, dragon, escalator, hong kong, lunar, new year, spring festival | Leave a comment

150 Years Ago Today, Something Important Happened in the US…But Not at a Chinese KFC

Posted on January 31, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

A KFC along East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China greeted me with this weird and surreal mural in 2005. Whether or not it’s still around, I don’t know for sure — anyone want to go check it out? Who needs … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink, pop culture | Tagged China, Civil War, history, kfc, Shanghai, weird | 4 Comments

Identity. Crisis?

Posted on December 17, 2014 by LearningFeelsGood

Recently, I stepped into a small restaurant in Nanjing, China that specialized in Anhui cuisine. Anhui is a landlocked province in central-eastern China most well-known for Huangshan and possibly this person. I told the waiter that I didn’t eat meat, … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Europe, Human Nature | Tagged China, Dublin, ethnic, identity, Nanjing, passport, travel | 7 Comments

In Other Words, An Airport Terminal

Posted on October 16, 2014 by LearningFeelsGood

I can’t remember exactly which Shanghai, China airport it was where I spotted this dubious “delayed flight lounge,” but you can be sure that it is no different from the rest of the terminal. Not to mention, when considering the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia | Tagged airport, China, delayed, flight, lounge, Shanghai, terminal | 5 Comments

Things the World Needed: Tianjin, China’s Ferris Wheel-in-a-Bridge

Posted on October 9, 2014 by LearningFeelsGood

It’s not quite Tokyo’s “Big O,” but I’ll give China credit once again for gratuitous randomness. Located in the city of Tianjin, a quick train ride just south of Beijing, the Tianjin Eye (天津之眼摩天轮) opened in mid-2008. What makes this … Continue reading →

Posted in China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Non-Aviation Transit | Tagged amusement park, bridge, China, ferris wheel, Tianjin | 2 Comments

Buying Socks in China: Tougher Than It Sounds

Posted on September 29, 2014 by LearningFeelsGood

Before visiting China for the first time in August 2003, I truly expected to find clothes cleaners (洗染店 xǐrǎndiàn) all over the place. Was this the first thing on my mind as I landed in Guilin? No. It was the second. … Continue reading →