Shanghainese family

About six weeks ago I sat next to a young Shanghainese guy in the dumpling place across from campus. After asking one question (What are you eating?) we had a good, half-english-half-chinese conversation, and we have been friends ever since. Monday night he invited me to dinner at his parent’s house, and I can definitely say that living in Shanghai and eating at restaurants for almost every meal is NOT the best way to enjoy Chinese food. There is nothing like a home cooked meal in Shanghai.

Of course, there was way too much food and of course, I was expected to eat most of it. That’s fine. Two hairy crabs, lots of fatty pork, Beijing roast duck, egg/tomato, lotus, veggies, and beef tendon soup was plenty. But the best part is the traditional Shanghai-family environment: The grandmother, parents, and child living together in a very small three bedroom apartment, closet- sized kitchen, one bathroom, and an entry/dining room with a nicer Mahjong-table nicer than the dinner table. Complete with a one-year old furball dog (Bao Bao), it was definitely was of the funnest nights I’ve had in Shanghai, and we didn’t even “do” anything. Incredible!