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| For 150RMB eight people could share the plate with crayfish |
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| Fireworks marking the opening of the new restaurant |
Poikaystäväni pomo soitti
tiistai-iltana ja kysyi tulemmeko bao long ostoskeskukseen yhdeksän
jälkeen syömään uuden ravintolan avajaisiin. Aluksi olimme menossa syömään
jonka jälkeen ohjelma muuttui mutta menimme sinne sitten lopulta. Pomo ja
työkaverit olivat jo paikalla ja istuivat ravintolan ulkopuolella olevissa
pöydissä. Avajaisten kunniaksi kaljaa sai juoda ilmaiseksi. En tiedä mikä
ravintolan erikoisuus on mutta monet olivat tilanneet rapuja. Mekin tilasimme
niitä, mutta ennen kuin ne saapuivat, söimme kuivattua kalaa ja muuta pientä,
kuten pähkinöitä. Odotimme pitkään kunnes ravut saapuivat pöytäämme. Rapuja ei
syöty hienostuneeseen tapaan erikoisveitsellä ja servietillä leuan alla, vaan
meillä oli muovikäsineet ja käsin avasimme niin että liemet lensivät
vierustoverin päälle. Söin siihen tahtiin etten naamaa ehtinyt välissäkään
pyyhkiä. Muiden lopetettua syönnin imin vielä viimeisiä ravun saksista ja
lopetin vasta kun huomasin kaikkien tuijottavan minua. He huomauttivat että ravut
taitavatkin olla minulle suurta herkkua ja yksi alkoi liemestä kalastaa
irtonaisia paloja minulle. Vasta kahdentoista aikaan palasimme huoneelle ja
onneksi minulla ei ollut seuraavana päivänä kouluakaan luvassa, sillä kaikki
tunnit oli peruttu presidentin pitämän konferenssin takia.
☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
On the evening of Tuesday, my boyfriend got
a call from his boss asking us to join him and his co-workers for dinner. A new
restaurant in Bao Long shopping mall had just opened and we would get some free
beer and crayfish if we came. The first minute we were on our way and the next
we weren’t this. This went on for a while until I almost had to drag my boyfriend
onto the bus so I could have some crayfish. The boss had already arrived and
sat outside with some of the other workers. The place was almost full and beer
was everywhere. I’m not sure what the restaurant is known for, but probably
they are a sea-food restaurant, as everybody had ordered the plate with crayfish
for 150rmb. It took a while before we got our plate so we had to snack on some dried
fish and nuts until our feast could begin. The eating wasn’t too civilized as I’m
used to when having crayfish back in Finland with specialty knives to open up
the shell whit as well as some napkins covering clothes from being stained. Here
we were given plastic gloves and by hand or by biting the shells were opened
and meet and juice sucked out so forcefully that even my the one seated next to
me was covered in sauce flying everywhere. The Chinese were surprised how much
I seemed to like the meal as they had long gone stopped eating as I was still
getting the last claws open. One even had to start fishing for more bites to
give me as I didn’t have enough. We got home around twelve and luckily I didn’t
have any classes the next day as all school had to cancel the school day due to
a conference held by the president in Shanghai.
