Shanghai - Part 2

    
     Now don’t get me wrong, Shanghai most definitely is a city with all of the hustle and bustle that entails.  There are pushy aggressive people, wandering distracted tourists (count me in that group), silly teenage school children, impervious foreigners and of course the ever present beggars.  It was not, however, a harsh city.  There were instances of random kindnesses everywhere.  Sometimes it was just a well placed bench on which to sit in the shade, or a bit of bamboo garden in which to inhale fresh clean air tucked into a tiny corner.  Sometimes it was a mom speaking softly to a grumpy toddler who broke into a teary smile and gave a sloppy wet kiss to the wonderful mom, or a beggar who smiled without rancor and without receiving any money at all.

     And of course it was food, food and more food. There were Starbucks, Seven Eleven, Burger King and KFC’s everywhere.  There were also lots of little Mom and Pop shops squeezed in between clothing stores and florists selling everything from water to meat on a stick as well as delicious dumplings and the like.  There were also the high end eateries.  Three places stand out for me; Element Fresh, The Lost Heaven and Din Tai Fung (one of the ten best restaurants in the world – says so right on the menu).

     I had a fresh blueberry, banana smoothie and grilled salmon salad.  I thoroughly enjoyed a tea leaf salad, eggplant and tomato dish, garlic broccoli and pumpkin cakes.  I ate dumplings, xiao long bao of shrimp and pork and garlic spinach.  It was all delicious.  The wait staff all spoke English, catered to the customer (that’s me) and took excellent care to ensure that the dining experience was worthy.  It doesn’t get better than this!