Made In China

When we were packing our suitcases to move here, we joked that most of the items we packed were going full circle: most of them were made in China anyway, and here we were taking them back again! Well, now we've lived in China for almost 6 weeks, and we've noticed that a lot of the things we get at home that are "made in China" are a lot cheaper as an export! Those $10 toasters are $30 here... it's kind of crazy. But China also has lots of products that never make it to export. And a lot of American things have been modified for the Chinese market. I'm sure the list of unique things we find here will quadruple by the time we leave, but I've decided to make a post of some of the interesting things we've found for sale here since our arrival:

KFC has a totally localized menu. Aside from the fried chicken and Zinger burgers, everything else is totally unique to China. I'm talking about beef and fish curry with rice and seaweed soup on the side, fish sticks, corn salad, ice cream floats, milk tea, you name it... KFC China is a totally different experience. Even the fries are different: they taste like McDonald's. They've totally ripped them off. And it's cheaper, too! During the noon hour, a Zinger burger with fries and coke is $2 CAN. At home, I'm pretty sure this is pretty close to $8 by now with taxes. Win!

Jackie Chan is a total brandwhore here! His face is on a lot of products, but my favorite is his "anti hair fall" shampoo. So THAT'S how he keeps that shiny black dome on his head so thick.

Kimchi flavored potato chips! Does Korea know about this? They're even made by a Korean company.

Pea popsicles.

McDonald's menu is sort of localized as well, though not as extreme as at KFC. The most unique item I've seen on their menu is the "black and white burger" combo, which I tried a few weekends ago. It was pretty good! Even though the buns look kind of funny- I thought they'd be doughy like rice cakes- they just taste normal. The white burger is beef and the black one is chicken.

Found "sweet potato mud" for sale at a restaurant we went to recently. Wish I could say I tried it, but I just wasn't in the mood for mud that day.

Almost all supermarkets here have an entire aisle dedicated to dried fruit. It's pretty popular here, but usually we have no idea what's in the package because there's no English on the labels. Well, maybe we're not missing out, if this one English package is any indication: candied date- donkey hide gelatin flavor. Mmmmm... my favorite type!

In Korea, Mel and I would get face masks every now and then when we were bored. They usually cost less than a dollar, but in China- where looking good isn't as popular- face masks aren't so common and are kind of expensive. Luckily, at our local RenRenLe department store, we found a stash of these "never to be yellow faced woman- green tea soothing" masks for under a buck. And it was the cheapest chemical burn I'd ever bought.

I'm far too lazy to make breakfast during the week, but on weekends we like to have a decent bacon breakfast. And when you're in China, and you want some bacon, why not pick up a pack of elaborate bacon? Slogan (from the packaging): "peace in heart, fragrance in mouth". That's what she said.

Also in China, oranges are green. Screw you, colors.