Thai-life: 09.25.2005

church in Melbourne

church in Melbourn
Posted by: joelkling.

this is actually from our trip to Australia. click on it, and you can check out more pix from there.

Shanghai: "Paris of the East", "Pearl of the Orient", or "The Whore of Asia." I call it...home.

Ni hao,
This post is about the trip to Shanghai that Natalie and I took about a week back. We were there for about six days, the purpose of which was to attend an international confectionary trade show. Basically it’s where a bunch of candy makers from across the globe came together to flaunt their products and find their niche in the Chinese market. So I was at a trade show for candy. It was just like Wonka’s chocolate factory, but instead of an actual factory it was a convention hall, with no real machinery, or golden gooses, or Everlasting Gobstoppers and no real Umpa Lumpas to speak of aside from the slight statured Chinese walking around. It felt good to be associated with the one company that offered up something natural among all the peddlers of refined sugar. Not that I’m knockin refined sugar – I love the stuff, and with out it we wouldn’t have been able to hang with the crown jewel of candy companies, “Just Born.” You may know them as the makers of such movie theatre treats such as Mike & Ikes, Hot Tamales, and Zours – but for me it’s their incarnation of the marshmallow Peep that makes these guys King. We became quite close with the Just Born crew dining and drinking with the company heads including their CEO Ross Born. I know, who knew it was actually a family name and not just a way to direct us to baby clothes when looking them up on line? Well, it’s a family run company and this guys’ grandpa started it all. I learned a lot about the history of the Just Born as well as the origins of the famed Peeps. I won’t bore you with any of that stuff, but wanted to share what I thought to be an interesting tid-bit. For me, and those of my generation, upon hearing the word Peep our minds conjure images of Easter. The dying of eggs, the search for those colorful plastic troves containing jelly beans and candy, having to go to church when all you can think about is the foil wrapped bunny waiting for you in it’s bed of green cellophane Easter-grass. Ironically this man (Ross Born) who is responsible for the Peep, second only to Jesus in being the true icon of Easter…is Jewish. That’s like…”Pope” being the number one name in brand name Dreidels, and synonymous with the celebration of Hanukkah. Just weird right? At any rate it was an honor consuming the delectable sugar coated marshmallow blobs with him.
Also in attending the tradeshow was Jelly Belly, Goetzes pronounced “Gets,” makers of the famed caramel creams and Cow tails, Ferrara Pan – the guys who make lemon heads, Red Hots, the Atomic Fire Ball, gummy bears and the original Boston Baked Beans, for those with the candy tastes of my dad. During the show, where Natalie acted not only as the face behind the name, she also fielded questions talked to buyers, sellers, sourcers…you know business stuff. My job on the other hand was to wear a Mariani shirt, and look American. It was a “union” position, and something I could definitely handle, until approached by folks asking questions like, “Do you do any organic products?” or “what’s the sulfur content of your mango?” To this I raised a single finger, pointing in the direction of the Natalie. “She’d love to talk to you about any questions you might have.” Yeah, it was a strenuous few days of work, but I did get to consume as many Mike & Ike’s and Jelly Bellys as I could stand, and at the end of each day we were able to unwind with the candy people at a number of social events. By social events I mean drinking, and by drinking I mean a lot and by a lot I mean downing a fair share of grog in a less then a fair share of time resulting in me cornering the head of the Just Born marketing team and pitching him on the details of a commercial campaign I’d come up with in order increase demand, and bring the Peep into an every season candy. I only wish I had had my storyboards with me. But grateful that I really don’t remember much of what I said, so I don’t know how embarrassed to be - there in lies the benefit of being that drunk. That, and waking up the following afternoon next to large pasta stain on the bed, sporting a bruised jaw, sore shoulder and a mouth smacking of regurgitated Peep.
Boozing and eating candy aside, we did take in some of the culture offered up by this communist city. We visited a famed market of which the name escapes me but everyone seemed to know about it, and from the moment you arrive it becomes abundantly clear why. Without the slightest hint of exaggeration, you are bombarded by solicitors before you can fully extricate yourself from the taxi. They flash cards and brochures in your face calling out to you, begging for you to follow them into a gauntlet of street shops and markets. This was by far the most relentless sales exhibition I had ever experienced - and I’ve been in Pattaya after nightfall. The sellers literally grab you by the arm, pulling you into their shop stalls, unconcerned with your agenda or what you’re shopping for. They figure if they can give you a good price, you should take it. DVD’s, designer wallets, watches, sunglasses and hand-bags seems to be the overall forte of this place, but in a short time, one could purchase a new bag and enough personal effects to get you around the world and back.
Up to this point Natalie had been using a small zipper bag for a wallet, so she and I returned to this market on our second to last day in search for one to replace it. Though seemingly unaffected by her current wallet’s shortcomings it was actually me who wanted to put an end to my suffering. See, every time Natalie has to pay for something, she takes out this little LV ensconced pouch, pulling from inside a thick wad of its contents in her fist: business cards, credit cards, change, bills (from no less than four different countries) receipts, coupons, discount cards, make-up sticks, passport/visa photos, bobby pins…you get the sloppy picture. All of this then gets stuffed back inside after a purchase except now with more lose change and a receipt. My retentiveness has been known to rear its ugly head from time to time and when it comes to Natalie’s packing habits, it’s completely unbridled. In short, I was more determined to get her a new wallet than she was.
The thing about knock-offs are they come in different grades: A) B) C) D) – “A” being the best, second only to the real thing, or what are basically smuggled goods. In search for our wallet we were paraded around from one stall to another, each one operating in the same way. You first look at the stuff hanging on the walls, purses, bags, watches, sunglasses etc. usually (grade D) then there is usually a glass case of sorts in the middle or against the wall of the shop. If you have not yet either grabbed something from the wall, or pointed to something in the case, (grade C) a drawer in the case is pulled open, displaying a more selective assortment of goods, (grade B). If you still attempt to walk away at this point – they quickly rush you to at least two other shops where they go through the same drill all over again. If they still haven’t broken you down with pleadings like: “best price, best price!” “Finest of quality!”(at this point they also do what we call the lighter test, where they fish a Zippo from their pocket and hold a flame to whatever item they’re trying to sell you. Somehow this makes it good.) They continue, “Finish price, finish, what you can do?” Then, you will be escorted out of the bazaar across a street and down through another labyrinth of alleyways that eventually lead to a small doorway that you have to stoop under, entering a series of railroad style rooms, the walls of which are stacked with more products. Continuing up a steep and narrow set of stairs and through a locked door where the smell of Italian leather permeates the air. You’re more than likely in grade A / smuggled goods. Land.
Okay flash forward to where we are now – it’s night and we’ve been to at least 5 different stalls, none of which are offering what we’re looking for. But finally there it is a wallet w/ plenty of pockets for all of Natalie’s crap, but priced at $150.00. No thanks.
What we quickly learned is that you have to bargain with them as aggressively as they are with you. So immediately we cut the price in half much to their chagrin – and so it goes on like this- back and forth with different prices hearing: “No I cant, I lose money too much already!” Eventually, we started to walk away on what was to be the third and final time, when we then heard from over our shoulders: “Okay, okay, my friend for you.” We knew we had ourselves a deal. Final sale price: $15 dollars. Haggling experience of a lifetime…priceless.